From: Jim Weirich <jim@...>
Date: 2004-08-31T04:50:01+09:00
Subject: Re: Ruby Web Hosts


T. Onoma said:
> On Monday 30 August 2004 02:37 am, Matt Lawrence wrote:
>> You might also want to check out some of the folks who do User Mode
>> Linux hosting.  Basically, you get root access to your own virtual linux
>> system and can install just about anything you want.
>
> How funny! I took you suggestion and did a google search. Guess what
> showed up? Jim Weirich's blog, http://onestepback.org. Ha! Turns out
> he has a entry on the subject of UMLx, b/c his blog's on one.
>
> All well and good, except when I went to the site I got a "connection
> refused error" :(  Is that indicative of the current stability of UMLx ?
> Or, Jim, is your blog down for other reasons?

The site is back up now.

I think there is a corollary to Murphy's law that states when things _do_
go wrong, they will do so at the worst possible moment.  So of course,
when someone points out that the site is a UML system is the when the
system decides to go down.

jimweirich.umlcoop.net is one of around twenty virtual linux systems
running on a single hardware box located somewhere in Cleveland, Ohio. 
The members of the co-op pooled their money to purchase the server and to
pay for the used bandwidth.  David Coulson maintains our UML setup keeps
the UML installation up to date. (David is a member of the co-op and is
active in the User Mode Linux community).  The co-op members themselves
are responsible for maintaining their own virtual linux system.

The up side of this arrangment is that spreading the cost of the hardware
and bandwidth over 20 individuals keeps the cost fairly low.  But is also
means that we don't have a 24x7 support staff with access to the hardware
for those rare times physical access to the machine is required.  Those
are the trade-offs.

I can definitely recommend a UML based system.  You have root access so
anything you want to do with the box is pretty much up to you.  I am
hosting several domains, running a webserver, and using it for a mail
server.  I'm also running an instance of instiki as a CMS for my daughter.

The advantage of the UML approach is that you can do anything you want. 
The disadvantage is that it is _you_ who has to do everything.  If you
would rather not spend time managing your own apache setup or your mail
service, then you would probably would be happier with a more packaged
service.

-- 
-- Jim Weirich     jim@weirichhouse.org    http://onestepback.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct,
not tried it." -- Donald Knuth (in a memo to Peter van Emde Boas)