My third anniversary was a couple of weeks ago and previous to that my wife had asked me what I wanted as an anniversary present. As one may know there are traditional gifts associated with each progressive anniversary, so naturally, I did a Google search to find out what the traditional third anniversary gift would be. The answer was leather, well I have a leather jacket already and other then that I don’t really need anything made of leather. That led me to my next discovery, in addition to the traditional anniversary gift, there is also a “modern” anniversary gift, for the third anniversary it is crystal. Initially I was not very interested in something crystal either, so I started thinking about other things that I wanted when it hit me, Liquid Crystal Displays, it was a bit of a stretch, but I figured I could sell my wife on it and get one of the newest generation of netbooks.

“So what is the deal with the different hard drive formats that are out there? ” Is a question that I have probably heard a hundred times from new potential clients and people that are looking for quotes.  Although SingleHop primarily provides SATA drives for our standard server configurations, we do make custom solution dedicated server solutions that perform to your exact specifications.  The three main hard drive formats that are currently offered at most hosting providers are SAS, SCSI, and SATA.  Some hosting providers still offer IDE but they are a rarity.  Throughout the industry the preference for each type usually coincides with the level of performance that is sought, fastest (and most expensive) are SAS drives, then SCSI and finally SATA type drives, which are currently considered the industry standard.  The efficiency of these drives is solely based on your needs.  SAS (and SCSI) spin much faster than SATA drives and as a result process data quicker.  However SATA provides more storage space and are more cost effective.

The function of a SCSI drive is that it connects and transfers data via a bus oriented interface to handle concurrent operations.  SAS hard drives (Serial Attached SCSI), are probably the most modern hard drive format to hit the market.  Replacing the parallel SCSI drive, current SAS drives spin at the same speed but are more efficient and have higher sustained data transfer speeds.  Largely recommended for major database solutions, such as a Mysql server, SAS hard drives provide the benefits of point to point serial protocol and higher transfer speeds of data.  The only down side with this type of hard drive is its cost factor as well as their limited storage space, this is because  SAS hard drives come in smaller GB levels compared to SATA drives since they are built for more intense and compact work.  SAS is generally recommended for media content and of course databases.  SingleHop does offer 15k rpm SAS drives at an additional cost if you wish to have it implemented on our Xeon solutions.

So what are some benefits about SATA drives if SAS is so great?  Well SATA drives tend to offer more storage space and cost less than SAS drives.  SATA drives can be used to store large databases along with offering an affordable solution for a backup drive on a server.  We have recently launched a NEW quad core server (http://www.singlehop.com/servers/S-NQ9650.php) which uses brand name Western Digital Caviar Black SATA drives.  This type of SATA drive is great for multimedia, editing, gaming, database and any high performance computing tasks.  And what’s even better, is that we offer it pre-installed this machine with a 750GB drive that spins at 7200RPM for our Intel Core2Quad Q9650 3.0GHz machine.
If you have any questions and want to learn more about hard drives feel free to send me an email at Miguel@Singlehop.com.  I welcome any feedback or questions any SingleHop Blog follower may have.

Want wireless access along with your drink and peanuts? Turn off your cell phone, and enable your Wi-Fi, more and more U.S. air carrier’s are now offering in-flight wireless service. So, how does it perform and what does it cost? Is it safe?

In August 2008, American Airlines became the first U.S. air carrier to offer in-flight wireless service on select flights. As of May 20, 2009 Virgin America now offers in-flight internet service on every flight. Delta has promised service on all flights, by the end of 2009. With all these announcements I began to wonder who is providing this service, and how are they doing it?

I found out that most of these airlines are using GoGo Inflight Internet service, developed by Itasca, IL based Aircel LLC. The firm uses 92 cellphone towers that cover North America, including Canada and Mexico, and up to 300 miles offshore. These cellphone towers are equipped not to point their signals along the ground, but instead toward the sky. The aircraft receives the signal through a receiver installed on the underside of the vehicle. The signal is then distributed throughout the cabin via a Wi-Fi system. Pricing varies between $7.95 and $12.95, depending on device type and length of flight. A 30-day GoGo pass is $49.95.

Access is allowed once the pilot has reached cruising altitude, and allowed the use of electronic devices. Service is discontinued once the plane has descended below 10,000 feet. GoGo service is only available in-flight, it is not available inside the airport terminal. During testing, approximate speeds between 500-600 KiBits/s for downloads and 300 KiBits/s for uploads have been seen, comparable to cell phone internet surfing speeds on land or a slow home DSL connection.

Is it safe? If GoGo wireless service is “safe”, why can’t I simply use my regular cell phone service?
According to GoGo, the service has been thoroughly tested and has been certified by the FAA. Currently using cellular network services either voice or data, during flight is not allowed by the FCC. Thinking about using the Wi-Fi service to make your calls? You won’t be able to, as GoGo prohibits both VoIP and Video Chat services.

Ok so one Palm Pre might suffice but I will always welcome a spare should mine break! There has been a lot of talk about the ‘iPhone Killer’ made by Palm named the Pre. What makes this device so special, and why is it the ‘iPhone Killer’?

To start things off let’s look at the features of this wonderful device. It is a CDMA phone released in June on the Sprint network. Palm has plans to release a GSM variant in the next 6-7 months. The phone has a 3.1” 24-bit color touch screen with a resolution of 320×480, physical keyboard, push email, integrated IM, SMS and MMS, GPS, 3 megapixel camera, LED flash for the camera, a plethora of sensors, built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 8GB storage, Bluetooth tethering and a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack running WebOS.

Comparing the specs of this phone to the new iPhone 3Gs you will see that most all components match with the exception of iPhone’s built-in compass. The Plam Pre has features that are often not listed in these comparisons such as a built-in sensor to turn the screen off whenever you’re talking on your phone, multi-tasking capabilities, and free cloud syncing on all phones.

The cloud sync ability dubbed Synergy is a web-based storage solution that stores your contacts, apps, messages, emails and anything else you tell it to store. All this data is stored on a cluster of servers and can be pulled any time you wipe your phone, upgrade it or get an entirely new WebOS-based phone. This is a great feature for those who upgrade phones constantly or break their phones. Most iPhone users do not have this issue unless they Jailbreak their phone as iTunes will back up all their information locally. Jailbroken iPhones do not backup their application data so they lose all their applications any time the phone is restored. The iPhone restoration process is also restrictive because if you are away from your computer and your phone breaks you’re out of luck until you can sync your phone back up with your computer.

Synergy goes further to also link together almost all forms of communication. For instance if I were talking to you over SMS and you decided to send me a MMS or an instant message, it will all be located in the same threaded conversation as if we never changed mediums. Calendars can be combined from multiple locations so you do not overbook a vacation outing while work requires you. Searching your phone is integrated across every part. There is one search bar to search the internet, search your emails, search conversations as well as music.

Palm Pre has multi-tasking capabilities which mean you can run more than one application at a time. Each application is opened up on what is called a “card” and you can switch between cards with the swipe of a finger. Should you wish to close an application all you need to do is flip the card out of the line of cards and the application closes. If you start to overload the phone you will receive a notice stating the phone is low on memory and that you must close some applications. Very rarely will the phone slow down due to applications before running out of available memory.

WebOS is a new operating system developed by Palm with phone capabilities in mind. The entire operating system is run off the WebKit engine which is used in many popular browsers today. All applications are written in a combination of html and javascript which is efficient due to how fast javascript is executed by the WebKit engine. This reduces application overhead and increases overall usability of the phone since the necessity of loading a binary has been reduced to rendering a web page.

The largest complaint of most reviewers that compare the Pre to the iPhone is that the application store is lacking in comparison. While this is true it is an unfair comparison. The iPhone application store has been out for a few years now and has had time for developers to submit applications while the Pre app store opened this month. The sdk for the pre will be released in August and will be available on Windows, MacOS and Linux. The iPhone sdk only runs on MacOS which is very restrictive from a development standpoint considering the amount of the marketplace share MacOS has in comparison to the other operating systems. The Pre requirements to submit an application to their repository is much less aggressive over Apples which means a shorter wait from when the application is developed to when the application is available to end users.

Why do I want the Pre? First in the area I live in AT&T isn’t available at all. The only carriers are Verizon, Alltel and Sprint. While the Pre is a Sprint-only phone for the time being it will soon be available to all carriers which allows for me to choose who I want to use my phone with. The multi-tasking capabilities will allow for me to do more from my phone. For instance should a SSH client come out I could work from my phone on the side of the highway should your server go down while still being in communication with you, my coworkers and twitter all at the same time. While I don’t think the phrase ‘iPhone Killer’ is appropriate, I think the Pre is a great alternative to consider if you are a power user. So Santa, please bring me one or two Pres for Christmas. I would greatly appreciate it.

Tweet… You are now connected to…post to forum…sound familiar? Why not connect with us here at SingleHop through social networking sites? We are dedicated to keeping at the forefront of social networking, and it has had a big impact on how SingleHop does business. It’s a new way for us to connect with our clients and build long-lasting relationships.  Listed below are some of the social networking sites we frequent most.

You can find us on Twitter, tweeting away about various specials, updates and events going on at our office and data centers. Each team member has their own twitter page as well as the company twitter page (http://twitter.com/SingleHop).  Another benefit is that we get to learn more about your business so that we can assist you better. One of our clients that I am getting to know more on Twitter is @creepyblindy, he always keeps everyone updated on what he’s up to from working hard in school to sitting at the dentist’s office.

LinkedIn is another way we like to stay in touch with our clients as well. This gives us the opportunity to see what our clients are working on and recommend each other. Unlike Twitter where you are updated about what someone is doing now, LinkedIn gives us the history of our clients and how they came about to their current position. A client I regularly keep in touch with is Nickola who gave me my first recommendation. His being on another continent doesn’t prevent us from developing a wonderful work relationship, thanks to LinkedIn.

We are also found on numerous forums relating to our industry, including WebHostingTalk.com. This is a forum we use to reach out to those that are experienced in the web hosting industry to those that are newbies.   Whether you are a client of ours or not we always make an effort to answer questions or give suggestions to those that post. We have many clients who post reviews of their experiences here at SingleHop. One of our resellers, H-Mahmoud wrote this review recently: http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=859935&highlight=singlehop

So if you want to get connected with us, here is my social networking info:

http://twitter.com/singlehopsteph

http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieostheimer

www.webhostingtalk.com (SingleHopSteph)

I get a lot of questions about what the benefits are of having a RAID array versus a backup solution. Often potential clients see them as redundant, but that is definitely not the case. I am going to briefly outline the pros and cons of each and explain why having both is your best bet.

Dear Customers,

An email earlier today alerted you to a password change that had occurred, which is correct. It also stated that if you did not ask for this password change you should contact us, that part is not correct. We initiated the password change ourselves, and no billing information has been compromised, we simply have instituted a new security procedure as part of our ongoing focus on maintaining the security of your information. This new security feature started today and will occur every 5 months.

Also, for further security we would suggest that you also update your root/admin password.

NOTE: We will not be doing the password reset through email in the future, the system will simply request that you update your password every 5 months.

We are aware that some clients are receiving emails where their “username” is a word instead of their client ID. If that is the case, just use your client ID number to login, instead of the stated username.

We appreciate your cooperation in this matter, and please feel free to contact us if you need any support with this.

The SingleHop Team.

Hey Everyone,
This is Jeremy. I wanted to do something for everyone to get to know a little bit more about the people that work here at Singlehop. So I thought I would interview a person and put what they said up here for your viewing pleasure. I started with Andrew Brooks, and this is what he had to say.

How did you get into hosting computers/servers? - I started off as a member of the Linux community a few years ago, getting started as a newbie. Eventually, I made some friends in the community who wanted start their own forums or web sites or just servers in general. One thing led to another and I started breaking some things, fixing some things, etc. At the point where I was fixing more than I was breaking, I started doing some freelance work, mostly security based, which eventually turned into a career working with dedicated servers and complex hosting solutions at SingleHop!

What subject brings out the best in you?- Security. I’ve always had a passion for system and application level security technologies and that particular skill set is something I really enjoy delivering to our clients.

Do you have any hobbies?- I play a lot of TF2 and I am looking forward to Prototype when it’s released. I work full-time and go to school full-time, so when I do have some spare moments I like to spend them with my girlfriend. I also read a lot and consider myself as somewhat of a lifetime learner so I am always reading up on new issues, mostly technology related.

How did you find SingleHop?- I actually found SingleHop by talking with Ronald Cotoni, the datacenter manager on IRC. He mentioned that work was busy and I told him he should hire me to take the load off. That same day I had send my resume to Andy Pace and the rest is history as they say.

Something interesting about yourself?- I worked as a professional chef at some upscale restaurants in the metro Detroit area prior to pursuing my love of computers.

Anything funny happen to you while at work?- It’s rare when something funny doesn’t happen at work! SingleHop is an incredibly fun place. While there is lots of work to be done, the group of people I get to work with are both professional and entertaining. I don’t think there is anything more rewarding than actually enjoying your job and the people you have to spend 40+ hours a week with.

What is your most memorable moment at SingleHop?- Hmmm…One of my most memorable moments at SingleHop was when I was performing some in-house security development. The fun part wasn’t necessarily a particular moment, but the enjoyment I derived during the weeks I was working on this project. I remember that it was great being immersed in the level of system security I always wanted to work in. It was a great exercise in applying what I had already learned and learning more along the way. Then there was the time Dan Ushman walked into the office wearing a pair of stilts. That might be a close second.

What hardware/software do you use for your work computer or home computer?- I have a few machines I work off of at home. My desktop is an Intel E7400 Wolfdale, 4G of RAM, 500G Seagate drive, Radeon HD3879, nothing terribly fancy but it gets the job done! As far as operating systems go I have Vista Business which I use for work, and my primary OS is Vista Ultimate 64-bit at home. I also run some Slackware, CentOS, Ubuntu and Fedora Core 11 virtual machines that get used for various things.
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Andrew Brooks (we call him Brooks) is a pretty entertaining guy. He works upstairs and every time he comes down stairs he usually has something funny to say. He is a great guy to work with and makes even the crummiest days a little better ☺ Hope you all enjoyed this interview, and you can look forward to more of them.