Experiences with pixelhosting.be

[Albert]

After discussing the thread http://freewebspace.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=52627 I got a lot of offers and decided to try http://www.pixelhosting.be/ first, after I sent them a private message for an offer for a custom package.

That's excellent if a company doesn't say, sorry, we only offer this, what you will see on our website. Of course I know, there are others, who offer this too, but I can't speak of them, because I tried pixelhosting only and stayed with them.

I had very special individual needs, which didn't work immediately, but their support was great!!! A lot of emails were answered fast, some within a few minutes, some within a few hours, also at the weekend. Most problems were solved fast, 1 is pending, but I am sure it will be solved soon. Sorry I can't tell you, what the problems were exactly, but it looks like, I was the first who had it.

Since pixelhosting is a reseller, I hope, that there won't be too much outages from webspacedepot.net. After monitoring my site for 2 days, there was a pop3-outage for about an hour. 2 days are too short to make a conclusion.

BTW I have heard that webspacedepot.net is a reseller too, does someone know of who?

[PixelHosting]

Hi Albert,

First of all thank you for your comments :)

About Webspacedepot: It is not a reseller. In a few months I'm going to share a new dedicated server with webspacedepot.

About the POP3 downtime: We're having some problems with our lines the last 2 days, but there is no downtime yet, and there won't come any probably too :)
The small problems should be solved after this weekend.

Server status can always be checked on this server: www.pwn.be

For those who might be confused: PixelHosting is a Belgian company, therefor the .be domain, but our servers are located in the US. We also own the www.pixelhosting.net domain ;)

Kind Regards,
S. Van Baelen
PixelHosting

[PixelHosting]

We also have some updates about the connections problems: It seems like our Apache is having problems, therefor port 80 and the SSL port are down for a small time. However cPanel, FTP, SSH, etc are still up and running without problems.

Kind Regards,
S. Van Baelen
PixelHosting Services

[Vegs]

port 80 down means website is down.

[Albert]

Originally posted by PixelHosting
Server status can always be checked on this server: www.pwn.be ... We also own the www.pixelhosting.net domain

What's going on? http://www.pwn.be/ says everything is fine, while http://www.pixelhosting.net does not work and my domains too. I am very confused!

I understand, that there are problems with every hoster sometimes. But you should announce the problems at a working website where the current situation is shown.

I want to know, if you know the problem and which time it needs probably, that everything works again.

[PixelHosting]

The pwn.be website does a portscan and checks the server ports, which are all open. However we are rebuilding Apache and therefor all accounts are marked as suspended for a few days :o The reason why we have to recompile is that the Apache daemon became unstable somehow. We aren't sure yet how it happened but we are almost sure the cause is a nasty Perl script ran by a client.

We're sorry for this inconvenience :)

[PixelHosting]

Account works again :)

[Albert]

Originally posted by PixelHosting
The pwn.be website does a portscan and checks the server ports, which are all open.

That doesn't mean, that it works in "real life". I setup nagios at my local machine. For more info see http://www.nagios.org/screenshot.php Neither nagios nor http://siteuptime.com/ showed what was really going on, but my own fetchmail script informed me of the problems :-)

If you know, that there will be non-working accounts, it would be a good idea, to inform the customers _before_, sending them an email and put a short comment on http://www.pwn.be/ what happens. A customer is very confused when the site of the hoster doesn't work too.

What will you do, that such things won't happen in the future? A stupid customer could always do nonsense and I can't promise, that I am not doing some nonsense one day :-)

[PixelHosting]

We'll take care of that :)

[CaFFeinE]

Hello,

I'm a new account holder with pixelhosting.be.

I had been offline for a few days, and when checking my new email/website, it said account suspended? Why would that be.....I have done little but to transfer my files to the new server. The domain is still pointing to my old host even, although I have changed my nameservers. If it's a billing issue, then I am unaware of it.

It's not a good practice to suspend a user's account with no warning or explanation at all. I have paid my $12.00 through e-check, and haven't violated any of your TOS as stated on pixelhosting.be website.

You state 99.9% uptime, but I have had only days of service since I signed up. Now no one has replied to my emails in days. My first email was sent on 4/12, it's now the 15th..and no replies at all.

I even e-mailed the domain registrar, Michael.Vaneykveld@skynet.be , who had mailed my plan purchase conformation on 4/1...again with no response.

Now I see that the new site is up, but I cannot log-in to anything using my original username & password.. :-(

Not even cPanel or FTP.

Thank God I still have hosting with my old VPS, or my site would have been down since it was suspended (without explaination) on 4/12.

Please explain why my site was suspended. I saw..only by searching here that due to an Apache problem you suspended all accounts...would have been proper to give warning, or at least explanation of this.

There's no real support on your website except for email and IM which you apparently ignore. No phone number, no user forums, I have to post here for your attention?

I e-mailed support@pixelhosting.be twice on 4/12, and again afterwards with no replies at all.

If not resolved, I will cancel services...if I can even reach you to do so. This is simply the worst treatment I have had from a webhost, and I've been running websites since 1996. With many different webhosts including VPS servers.

Sincerely,

Mark Johnson

caffeine@darkgrid.com
http://www.darkgrid.com

[PixelHosting]

We have answered 3 of your emails and didn't recieve any bounceback e-mails, so if they didn't arrive the problem is on your side. Your account has already been unsuspended and we offered you one month for free because of these few days downtime.

You said you were going to post negative reviews in your last email. However we already unspuspended AND replied to that email but still you are posting these things on FWS.

Since you are not recieving our emails I will paste my last reply in a PM on this board.

I advice you to check your email servers.

Kind Regards,
S. Van Baelen
Pixelation Services

[Albert]

After this outage, I installed a small file on the website, containing "ok" and download this every 15min with a cronjob. There were no outages anymore till now. I cancelled my local nagios-mionitoring-system because this confirms only, if a service is down, but does not confirm, if a service works.

I agree with you CaFFeinE, that it is a bad situation, when you get a message like "account suspended". I've been told, that not pixelhosting did it, but a company who cooperates pixelhosting with because of an abuse.

"account suspended" is also a critical message, if you are new at this hoster like I, because you don't know if there is a problem with the payment.

But I can confirm, that poxelhosting answered my mail on Easter Sunday after 7hrs and I think they decided to use their time to get everything ok, than to answer mails.

I strongly recommend pixelhosting to talk with their partner(s) not to suspend accounts of a whole "group", this is inacceptable. If someone abuses the system, this account has to be suspended and if it is impossible to find this out in a short time, the minimum is to inform the others, what will be done.

[CaFFeinE]

Ok....

I'm sorry if I seem a bit hotheaded here..but to have this happen within the first week of service with a new host makes me very nervous. My last host I've had for two years, and I've never seen this happen.

Thanks for replying..I have no idea why I didnt get it.

Right now, I cannot log in to anything at all, cPanel, email, ftp, ssh, etc., with my original user/pass, although the Before Propogation URL is active again.

The DNS is pointing correctly, however, I think the old host may still have me in their DNS and/or HTTP conf. as the domain still resolves to the old IP..hell if I know why.

I put in for a change of password off of cpanel....hopefully that will fix that. I now need to get into SSH on the old host if possible and check for existing http.conf entries for darkgrid.com.

Let's see if we can't get things figured out here.

-caffeine

[Albert]

It was a similar situation for me. For 5 days there were no outages, then I paid and the problems began, that's bad luck, but I always was very satisfied with the support.

Maybe I can give you a hint for your DNS-problem. I am not talking of pixelhosting, but of a former local ISP!

After I changed the hoster of a company, the website worked fine and we received emails, but not of the members of the former ISP, which is the largest of my country. For weeks it was a riddle why and then I found out, that they route domains locally and didn't change their records, so every mail bounced, because the domain could not be resolved, but they always told me, that their configuration is ok and they changed the records. Later I read in the locale usenet, that this is common practice.

If you have access to a linux box you can try something like
host <yourdomain> or
host -v -t soa <yourdomain> <any-ns-server> or
dig <yourdomain>
dig@<any-ns-server> <yourdomain> soa

I know these troubles very well, when a hoster is changed, but most times it is not the fault of the new hoster, but of the former one.

You can contact me by private mail and I will check your domain, or if you mention your domain here, I will post the results.

I have no idea why you can't login. After the outage, I mentioned no noticeable problems. There were only a few hours, where I could login only with the IP-address and not with the domainname.

Now it comes to my mind, that there was a time where me emails to pixelhosting bounced and theirs too me too. I contacted them by private mail of this forum and told them a new email-address of my local ISP. After this change there were no email-problems anymore. Probabyl there is a spam protection working, which produces false positives. I recommend to use a email address of the smtp-server you use.

[CaFFeinE]

well here's DNS:

--- 04/16/04 11:00:23 Pacific Daylight Time
--- DNS lookup for "darkgrid.com", please wait...
--- contacting nameserver: a.gtld-servers.net [192.5.6.30]
--- Found authoritative nameserver: ns1.pixelhosting.net
--- contacting nameserver: ns1.pixelhosting.net [216.67.225.17]

Got answer:
HEADER:
opcode = QUERY (0), id = 6, rcode = OK (0)
header flags: (0x8580) response, auth. answer, want recursion, recursion avail.
questions = 1, answers = 5, authority records = 0, additional = 3

QUESTIONS:
darkgrid.com, type = 255, class = IN
ANSWERS:
-> darkgrid.com
preference = 0
mail exchanger = darkgrid.com
ttl = 14400 (4 hours)
-> darkgrid.com
start of authority
origin = ns1.pixelhosting.net
mail addr = webspacedepot@hotmail.com
serial = 2004040101
refresh = 14400 (4 hours)
retry = 7200 (2 hours)
expire = 3600000 (41 days 16 hours)
minimum ttl = 86400 ()
ttl = 14400 (4 hours)
-> darkgrid.com
nameserver = ns1.pixelhosting.net
ttl = 14400 (4 hours)
-> darkgrid.com
nameserver = ns2.pixelhosting.net
ttl = 14400 (4 hours)
-> darkgrid.com
internet address = 209.123.255.77
ttl = 14400 (4 hours)
ADDITIONAL RECORDS:
-> darkgrid.com
internet address = 209.123.255.77
ttl = 14400 (4 hours)
-> ns1.pixelhosting.net
internet address = 216.67.225.17
ttl = 14400 (4 hours)
-> ns2.pixelhosting.net
internet address = 216.67.225.18
ttl = 14400 (4 hours)

--- DNS Lookup completed


Also, here's a trace:

--- 04/16/04 11:03:25 Pacific Daylight Time
--- looking up host darkgrid.com
--- traceroute to darkgrid.com [64.5.47.146],
30 hops max, 18 byte packets

1 [ 67.108.53.130] pat1.llix.net 99 ms
2 [ 67.108.53.1] 67.108.53.1.ptr.llix.net 96 ms
3 [ 65.61.96.1] b1.fa-11-1-0.c1.llix.net 97 ms
4 [ 66.236.26.205] 66.236.26.205.ptr.us.xo.net 100 ms
5 [ 207.88.83.177] ge5-0-0.MAR1.Spokane-WA.us.xo.net 97 ms
6 [ 207.88.83.153] p6-2-0-0.MAR1.Seattle-WA.us.xo.net 103 ms
7 [ 65.106.0.133] p5-1-0-0.RAR1.Seattle-WA.us.xo.net 105 ms
8 [ 65.106.0.50] p5-0-0.RAR2.SanJose-CA.us.xo.net 120 ms
9 [ 65.106.5.178] p1-0.IR1.PaloAlto-CA.us.xo.net 122 ms
10 [ 206.111.12.14] 206.111.12.14.ptr.us.xo.net 120 ms
11 [ 165.117.68.125] 165.117.68.125 174 ms
12 [165.117.200.193] lax3-core1-pos6-0.atlas.algx.net 173 ms
13 [165.117.200.122] lax10-core1-so-7-0-0-0.atlas.algx.net 149 ms
14 [ 165.117.192.26] lax10-core2-so-0-1-0-0.atlas.algx.net 145 ms
15 [ 165.117.200.66] san11-core1-so-0-2-0-0.atlas.algx.net 149 ms
16 [ 165.117.192.38] san11-core2-so-0-1-0-0.atlas.algx.net 149 ms
17 [ 165.117.200.45] dfw10-core1-so-0-2-0-0.atlas.algx.net 174 ms
18 [ 165.117.69.125] dfw5-core3-pos5-0.atlas.algx.net 173 ms
19 [ 165.117.48.30] dfw5-core10-pos7-0.atlas.algx.net 173 ms
20 [ 165.117.48.10] dfw5-edge1-pos6-0.atlas.algx.net 154 ms
21 [ 206.181.190.10] theplanet-gw.customer.algx.net 163 ms
22 [ 12.96.160.52] car2-4-v2.dllstx2.theplanet.com 157 ms
23 [ 12.96.166.116] edge1-dfw2.gw.myhostdns.org 160 ms
24 [ 64.5.40.57] 64.5.40.57.theplanet.com 161 ms
25 [ 64.5.47.146] darkgrid.com 154 ms

--- traceroute statistics for darkgrid.com
25 packets transmitted, 25 received
round-trip time (ms) min 96, avg 138, max 174

--- 04/16/04 11:03:59 Pacific Daylight Time
--- looking up host myhostdns.org
--- traceroute error: host not found

--- 04/16/04 11:04:15 Pacific Daylight Time
--- looking up host edge1-dfw2.gw.myhostdns.org
--- traceroute error: host not found

Weird..myhostdns.org was Eyrxma's DNS server..that company is now dead.. see this: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=259713

I'm screwed methinks, I didn't get out of Eryxma fast enough.

Any Ideas?

-CaFF

[Albert]

I have no idea what your problem is. I can see your site with the forum.

One topic:
"AKIRA IS LEAVING WARHEADS...GOODBYE OR THANK GOD"

host darkgrid.com
darkgrid.com has address 209.123.255.77

7 linx-lon1-racc1.lon.seabone.net (195.22.209.109) 81.141 ms 83.447 ms 89.881 ms
8 linx.ge-0-0-0.gbr1.ltn.nac.net (195.66.224.94) 77.351 ms 80.260 ms 80.661 ms
9 0.so-0-3-0.gbr2.nwr.nac.net (209.123.11.209) 184.537 ms 185.999 ms 187.245 ms
10 0.so-0-3-0.gbr1.oct.nac.net (209.123.11.233) 145.262 ms 144.148 ms 144.856 ms
11 209.123.182.243 182.806 ms 179.306 ms 166.598 ms
12 alpha.webspacedepot.net (209.123.255.77) 159.371 ms 162.280 ms 154.610 ms

wget --page-requisites http://darkgrid.com
--22:05:02-- http://darkgrid.com/
=> `darkgrid.com/index.html'
Resolving 192.168.1.99... done.
Connecting to 192.168.1.99:3128... connected.
Proxy request sent, awaiting response... 302 Moved Temporarily
Location: modules/news/ [following]
--22:05:03-- http://darkgrid.com/modules/news/
=> `darkgrid.com/modules/news/index.html'
Connecting to 192.168.1.99:3128... connected.
Proxy request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: unspecified [text/html]

[ <=> ] 36,505 7.60K/s

22:05:10 (7.60 KB/s) - `darkgrid.com/modules/news/index.html' saved [36505]

Loading robots.txt; please ignore errors.
--22:05:10-- http://darkgrid.com/robots.txt
=> `darkgrid.com/robots.txt'
Connecting to 192.168.1.99:3128... connected.
Proxy request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 145 [text/plain]

100%[============================================================ =====================================>] 145 141.60K/s ETA 00:00

22:05:10 (141.60 KB/s) - `darkgrid.com/robots.txt' saved [145/145]


FINISHED --22:05:10--
Downloaded: 36,650 bytes in 2 files


So I would say, this is not a problem of pixelhosting.

[PixelHosting]

I strongly recommend pixelhosting to talk with their partner(s) not to suspend accounts of a whole "group", this is inacceptable. If someone abuses the system, this account has to be suspended and if it is impossible to find this out in a short time, the minimum is to inform the others, what will be done.


We did and we came to an agreement :)

[CaFFeinE]

Aite...something's messed up here.

From *my* computer it still resolves to old IP:

--- 04/16/04 22:58:49 Pacific Daylight Time
--- looking up host darkgrid.com
--- traceroute to darkgrid.com [64.5.47.146],
30 hops max, 18 byte packets

1 [ 67.108.53.130] pat1.llix.net 104 ms
2 [ 67.108.53.1] 67.108.53.1.ptr.llix.net 96 ms
3 [ 65.61.96.1] b1.fa-11-1-0.c1.llix.net 96 ms
4 [ 66.236.26.205] 66.236.26.205.ptr.us.xo.net 197 ms
5. *
6 [ 207.88.83.153] p6-2-0-0.MAR1.Seattle-WA.us.xo.net 103 ms
7 [ 65.106.0.133] p5-1-0-0.RAR1.Seattle-WA.us.xo.net 103 ms
8 [ 65.106.0.194] p12-0.IR1.Seattle-WA.us.xo.net 102 ms
9 [ 206.111.7.6] 206.111.7.6.ptr.us.xo.net 103 ms
10 [ 67.17.71.205] pos3-0-2488M.cr1.SEA1.gblx.net 104 ms
11 [ 67.17.94.10] pos9-0-2488M.cr2.DAL1.gblx.net 162 ms
12 [ 67.17.73.34] so1-0-0-2488m.ar1.dal2.gblx.net 163 ms
13 [ 64.213.176.150] The-Planet.ge-0-2-1.ar1.DAL2.gblx.net 164 ms
14 [ 12.96.160.52] car2-4-v2.dllstx2.theplanet.com 156 ms
15 [ 12.96.166.116] edge1-dfw2.gw.myhostdns.org 154 ms
16 [ 64.5.40.57] 64.5.40.57.theplanet.com 159 ms
17 [ 64.5.47.146] darkgrid.com 152 ms

--- traceroute statistics for darkgrid.com
17 packets transmitted, 16 received
round-trip time (ms) min 96, avg 132, max 197

but when I do a web-based trace, it's fine.

However, how is it that i can still reach my old webmail at http://www.darkgrid.com/webmail/ when that shouldn't exist on the new domain?

Could my ISP's DNS be at fault here?

When i try to reach darkgrid.com, i get a messed up version with obviously missing SQL. Yet it loads fine by the new IP, except of course anything reffering to darkgrid.com/* comes up fubar?

*edit*
this is getting wierder..check this out: http://www.whois.sc/darkgrid.com

IP is listed as my old VPS, yet contact and nameserver info is correct. What is going on?

-CaFF

[Albert]

Go to a friend with another ISP and check what happens. Maybe you have the same probleme that I had, that the former ISP has a local entry for DNS-resolution. Good luck!

I am unsure if http://www.whois.sc/ shows correct data. It says "parked" for my domains, which work fine and are active.

[CaFFeinE]

well, i had several friends go to darkgrid, they had no problems.
although one friend who has a linux box said i had some differing DNS depending on where he traced from. weird.

I just want the dang thing to work. I guess there's nothing i can do at this point. It's likely the old host DNS records, which can't be changed as the company is gone.

[PixelHosting]

However, how is it that i can still reach my old webmail at http://www.darkgrid.com/webmail/ when that shouldn't exist on the new domain?

That webmail is also available on our servers.



[root@server1 root]# host www.darkgrid.com
www.darkgrid.com is an alias for darkgrid.com.
darkgrid.com has address 209.123.255.77
[root@server1 root]#


That is correct.



[root@server1 root]# dig www.darkgrid.com

; <<>> DiG 9.2.1 <<>> www.darkgrid.com
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 49620
;; flags: qr rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 2, AUTHORITY: 2, ADDITIONAL: 2

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;www.darkgrid.com. IN A

;; ANSWER SECTION:
www.darkgrid.com. 14378 IN CNAME darkgrid.com.
darkgrid.com. 14378 IN A 209.123.255.77

;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
darkgrid.com. 172778 IN NS ns1.pixelhosting.net.
darkgrid.com. 172778 IN NS ns2.pixelhosting.net.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
ns1.pixelhosting.net. 157599 IN A 216.67.225.17
ns2.pixelhosting.net. 157599 IN A 216.67.225.18

;; Query time: 6 msec
;; SERVER: 65.215.220.12#53(65.215.220.12)
;; WHEN: Sat Apr 17 11:15:58 2004
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 148

[root@server1 root]#


And this is also correct.
So if you are having problems with this, it's your ISP's dns servers that aren't working properly. I suggest trying to change your DNS servers in your PC's network settings.

Kind Regards,
S. Van Baelen
Pixelation Studio

[Albert]

Tell the ISP that you will search for another ISP if they don't fix it. Every customer of your ISP cannot reach your website and send you mail. If they don't react, go to a lawyer. When I told my former ISP to contact a lawyer they solved the problem within hours, but I was supported by the local nic-authority. They helped me a lot. Maybe http://bbb.org/ can help you, if nothing helps.

[PixelHosting]

So I hope all problems with the server are solved now for you guys?

[CaFFeinE]

Hello,

Well, I've contacted my ISP and sent then all the info.
Sent a tracert from my PC showing the trace going to my old IP, and a trace from University of Washington showing the correct trace. They said they will get on it. They have always been excellent with the support they give, so should be fixed soon.

Btw...I just got today all the emails that pixelhosting sent regarding this snafu...ugh.

I apologise for getting upset with you guys, it seems now that you did everything in your power to let me know, I just didnt get them. :S

Heh, on a side note..buddy who I had tracrt darkgrid.com from his box said my site was one of the fastest he'd ever pinged...lol... nice work pixelhost!

- CaFF

[PixelHosting]

Thank you, we're doing our best :)