DirectAdmin - Questions before I Buy =)

[richnerd]

I have some questions before i buy DirectAdmin.

1. will i have access to a skeleton directory?

2. will i have access to a file manager where i can copy and paste files to anywhere on my server?

3. will directadmin install everything for me? for example setting up my dedicated server to use my domain as nameservers. etc..

4. is this a good control panel for someone that doesn't know much about hosting?

5. last question is...is directadmin very reliable? I will be hosting very important online stores and i really cant have any errors.

i hope someone can answer these questions. Thanks!

 

[floyd]

I have some questions before i buy DirectAdmin.

1. will i have access to a skeleton directory?

Not from within DirectAdmin itself. But if its your server then you have access to everything from command line.

2. will i have access to a file manager where i can copy and paste files to anywhere on my server?

Not to anywhere. You can only manage files within the home directory of the user you logged in as. Being able to move files anywhere on the server from a web based file manager is a huge security risk.

3. will directadmin install everything for me?

Yes, everything you need for basic hosting.

for example setting up my dedicated server to use my domain as nameservers. etc..

This is a different question and I am not sure what it is. Primarily nameserver records have to be set up at the registrar. If they are not set up at the registrar then setting them up on your server is irrelevant. On your server you still have to enter the nameserver records from within DirectAdmin because the installation process cannot possibly know what records you want to use.

4. is this a good control panel for someone that doesn't know much about hosting?

There is absolutely no control panel that will take the place of a server administrator. Control panels are for people who do not want to have to deal with server administration. They are good for doing routine things such as setting up domains and email and databases. But if you ever have a problem there is no control panel that will fix it for you.

5. last question is...is directadmin very reliable? I will be hosting very important online stores and i really cant have any errors.

DirectAdmin is only as reliable as your server is. After getting your site up and running you can uninstall DirectAdmin and your site will still work. Control panels only set up things for you so you don't have to manually do it.

Your web site is not served up by a control panel no matter who made it. A control panel does not deliver your email. A control panel does not serve database content.

Don't confuse a control panel with all the other software that makes your web site work.

i hope someone can answer these questions. Thanks!

 

[nobaloney]

4. is this a good control panel for someone that doesn't know much about hosting?

There's no such thing. You may want to get a reseller account, or depending on your needs, a dedicated reseller account (a reseller account managed for you on a server dedicated to your website); We have clients who don't know much about hosting who successfully use our dedicated reseller accounts and dedicated hosting accounts.

5. last question is...is directadmin very reliable? I will be hosting very important online stores and i really cant have any errors.

DirectAdmin itself is reliable, secure, and robust; it's not a series of scripts but a compiled program written in C++.

However, as Floyd wrote, it won't stop you from making mistakes when you administer your server from the control panel, and of course you can break your server.

Jeff