I was wondering if discountasp.net was ever going to make SQL server part of their basic package? Instead of an add on. /emoticons/confused.gif -Bimmer-Tech
Probably not. Managing database servers is an expensive proposition, and most hosts charge an added fee for databases just to prevent users from creating dozens of databases that then have to be accommodated (even if they are unused) and managed. A lot can go wrong on a shared database server, and they require a lot of attention. Just as much attention as the web servers. With MS SQL servers there are other factors at work too, such as MS licensing fees, etc. Having said that, I wouldn't say that there will never be a change in the pricing structure, who knows. But those are the typical reasons for the added fee. mjp DiscountASP.NET <SUB><SUP>http://DiscountASP.NET
mjp brings up some of the operational costs but there are others that you should note. 1. We hire Microsoft Certified Database Administrators and Certified System Engineers. You can look online for typical salaries of people with this type of background and experience. We also do not outsource our support to other tech support companies or other countries. 2. Our staff not only supports our customers but they also do a lot of R&D work. One of the reasons why we are able to launch new technologies like ASP.NET 2.0 and SQL 2005 on the same day Microsoft officially released the products, we also participate in beta hosting activities, like IIS7 beta hosting, and Technology Adoption Programs (TAP). 3. We also have developers on staff who custom built our ASP.NET-powered hosting system and control panel. We do not use third party hosting automation systems and rely on a third party vendor for product development. This is also why we are able to launch innovative programs like our Control Panel API. 4. Weinvest in our infrastructure. For example, we introduced the TippingPoint Intrusion Prevention System to protect our customers and network from being DOS'd and other attacks (a 6-figure investment). 5. We also host each site in their own isolated application pool for a more reliable and more secure hosting environment. By doing this, we cannot host as many sites on the same box as other hosts who host multiple sites under one application pool - but our customers enjoy a more reliable and secureservice as other customer's bad code will not take down their site (and all the sites in the same application pool). 6. And a note on the Microsoft Service Provider Licensing Agreement (SPLA). We pay a monthly license fee to Microsoft for every Microsoft software we use in our hosting infrastructure per CPU. That includes Windows 2003, SQL 2000, SQL 2005..etc. And we use dual CPU boxes. Eric DiscountASP.NET http://www.DiscountASP.NET
