Comments on: Using DreamHost for Personal Storage & Backups http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/ Tips & Tricks for Dreamhosters Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:48:15 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Endre Stølsvik http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8212 Endre Stølsvik Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:09:28 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8212 I just found this entry, and it made up my mind about quitting with Dreamhost. They are fucking slow, I've had some run-ins with the customer support, and now the one BIG reason for staying with them - using them as a truly off-site backup for my pictures - is suddenly illegal. This not being a change of ToS - what bullshit. Can anyone recommend a good option? I see bluehost mentioned, and I've eyeballed them myself before as a dreamhost alternative. Any cheap dedicated backup services? I just found this entry, and it made up my mind about quitting with Dreamhost. They are fucking slow, I’ve had some run-ins with the customer support, and now the one BIG reason for staying with them – using them as a
truly off-site backup for my pictures – is suddenly illegal.

This not being a change of ToS – what bullshit.

Can anyone recommend a good option? I see bluehost mentioned, and I’ve eyeballed them myself before as a dreamhost alternative. Any cheap dedicated backup services?

]]> By: Jason http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8202 Jason Fri, 26 Oct 2007 13:26:54 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8202 Wow, I wish I had seen this earlier. I have been a Dreamhost customer for over a year, but recently signed up with BlueHost (I currently have both services). I specifically asked BlueHost about personal backups, and they said it was ok. However, in the end, I decided to stay with Dreamhost, and just prepaid for 5 years of service (mostly because I didn't have the time to set up SVN, Rails, etc. on BlueHost when it was already set up on my Dreamhost account). But that was before I saw this "clarification" in TOS from Dreamhost. I don't currently use Dreamhost for personal backups, but planned to start doing so. Now I am reconsidering my decision, and looking at BlueHost again. Of course, BlueHost might change/clarify their policies too, but this just kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth for Dreamhost. Wow, I wish I had seen this earlier. I have been a Dreamhost customer for over a year, but recently signed up with BlueHost (I currently have both services). I specifically asked BlueHost about personal backups, and they said it was ok.

However, in the end, I decided to stay with Dreamhost, and just prepaid for 5 years of service (mostly because I didn’t have the time to set up SVN, Rails, etc. on BlueHost when it was already set up on my Dreamhost account). But that was before I saw this “clarification” in TOS from Dreamhost. I don’t currently use Dreamhost for personal backups, but planned to start doing so.

Now I am reconsidering my decision, and looking at BlueHost again. Of course, BlueHost might change/clarify their policies too, but this just kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth for Dreamhost.

]]> By: Jim http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8196 Jim Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:26:47 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8196 Looking for a reliable DNS host that has privacy option with proxy email addy on whois like DH does. PLease post any suggestions (not BluHost - they are horrible). I've moved my site hosting away from DH already, now want to move my DNS hosting just on principle - I want to cut all ties with DH - this was just too much after all the recommendations I made in their favor in the past - feel like I've been stabbed in the back. Looking for a reliable DNS host that has privacy option with proxy email addy on whois like DH does. PLease post any suggestions (not BluHost – they are horrible).

I’ve moved my site hosting away from DH already, now want to move my DNS hosting just on principle – I want to cut all ties with DH – this was just too much after all the recommendations I made in their favor in the past – feel like I’ve been stabbed in the back.

]]> By: Jim http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8195 Jim Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:14:55 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8195 All this has achieved is to further damage DH credibility, which is is pretty bad shape anyway with the months of network issues. It also encourage users to make stored files public to get around this supposed 'clarification' (which is actually a change in TOS if you look at archive.org), which is only going to make server load even worse that the atrocious loads it already has. Really really REALLY stupid move by DH. They should've just quietly enforced it on the 0.1% of users who abused it if it was that much of a problem, or better yet, stop cramming servers and actually put their money where their mouth is... All this has achieved is to further damage DH credibility, which is is pretty bad shape anyway with the months of network issues. It also encourage users to make stored files public to get around this supposed ‘clarification’ (which is actually a change in TOS if you look at archive.org), which is only going to make server load even worse that the atrocious loads it already has. Really really REALLY stupid move by DH. They should’ve just quietly enforced it on the 0.1% of users who abused it if it was that much of a problem, or better yet, stop cramming servers and actually put their money where their mouth is…

]]> By: LOL http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8193 LOL Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:57:38 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8193 I was thinking of just that. I already encrypt anything I back up rather heavily, so making it publicly accesible wouldn't be a big deal. :) As someone else pointed out, another option is to build a web backup solution. Then it can BE a web site. What would be really cool is to build it and then open it up to the public. Make a free web based back up system to compete with Mozy, using your DH account. Obviously you'd have to limit customers somewhat, to like your five best friends, but it would be web hosting. :) I was thinking of just that. I already encrypt anything I back up rather heavily, so making it publicly accesible wouldn’t be a big deal. :)

As someone else pointed out, another option is to build a web backup solution. Then it can BE a web site.

What would be really cool is to build it and then open it up to the public. Make a free web based back up system to compete with Mozy, using your DH account. Obviously you’d have to limit customers somewhat, to like your five best friends, but it would be web hosting. :)

]]> By: Phil http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8191 Phil Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:19:29 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8191 There's a somewhat simple solution to this: Serve hundreds of gigabytes of random data using your Dreamhost Web hosting account. Then, if you back up a few dozen gigabytes of unrelated data, it will be clear that your storage quota is being used primarily for your Web site. There's nothing in the TOS about how popular your site must be. Or, just use strong encryption on all backups and put them right on the Web. There’s a somewhat simple solution to this: Serve hundreds of gigabytes of random data using your Dreamhost Web hosting account. Then, if you back up a few dozen gigabytes of unrelated data, it will be clear that your storage quota is being used primarily for your Web site. There’s nothing in the TOS about how popular your site must be.

Or, just use strong encryption on all backups and put them right on the Web.

]]> By: brian http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8190 brian Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:39:04 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8190 Mozy is great, but they don't have a Linux client yet which is what I need. :) Mozy is great, but they don’t have a Linux client yet which is what I need. :)

]]> By: Unofficial DreamHost Blog http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8189 Unofficial DreamHost Blog Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:55:13 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8189 Command Line Idiot has written a great rant about what he calls <a href="http://www.commandlineidiot.com/blog/2007/denial-of-advertised-service-attack/" rel="nofollow">Denial of (advertised) Service Attack!</a>. Command Line Idiot has written a great rant about what he calls Denial of (advertised) Service Attack!.

]]> By: David Szpunar http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8188 David Szpunar Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:40:42 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8188 I think that using a web hosting account for regular "offline backups" doesn't really fall within the spirit of, well, web hosting. But I've been known to store the odd file on shared servers I've hosted with. However, I researched some online backup companies a while back and ended up choosing Mozy because they were very inexpensive and still reliable ($5/mo for unlimited-size backups of one personal computer, and a 2GB account is free). I also started using them for backing up critical files at work with their MozyPro service, which is $0.50/GB and $4/computer per month, but that is still inexpensive. Considering that you get 30 days worth of "versions" of each of your files, a nice client to schedule and do your backups (including bandwidth throttling), fully encrypted (during transfer and storage, with their "key" or your own private one) backups, and a feature similar to rsync that only uploads changed portions of files. I'm just a happy customer of theirs, and others out there provide similar features (just do a Google search for online backups!) but they worked well for me at a price I couldn't find elsewhere. I've blogged about them before, and if you just want their 2GB free account, if you sign up through the link on my blog they give you and me both an additional 250MB of free storage space. And I doubt they'll change their TOS to disallow backups, since that's the whole intention :-) I think that using a web hosting account for regular “offline backups” doesn’t really fall within the spirit of, well, web hosting. But I’ve been known to store the odd file on shared servers I’ve hosted with. However, I researched some online backup companies a while back and ended up choosing Mozy because they were very inexpensive and still reliable ($5/mo for unlimited-size backups of one personal computer, and a 2GB account is free).

I also started using them for backing up critical files at work with their MozyPro service, which is $0.50/GB and $4/computer per month, but that is still inexpensive. Considering that you get 30 days worth of “versions” of each of your files, a nice client to schedule and do your backups (including bandwidth throttling), fully encrypted (during transfer and storage, with their “key” or your own private one) backups, and a feature similar to rsync that only uploads changed portions of files. I’m just a happy customer of theirs, and others out there provide similar features (just do a Google search for online backups!) but they worked well for me at a price I couldn’t find elsewhere. I’ve blogged about them before, and if you just want their 2GB free account, if you sign up through the link on my blog they give you and me both an additional 250MB of free storage space.

And I doubt they’ll change their TOS to disallow backups, since that’s the whole intention :-)

]]> By: A http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/comment-page-1/#comment-8187 A Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:36:52 +0000 http://blog.dreamhosters.com/2007/10/21/using-dreamhost-for-personal-storage-backups/#comment-8187 What next? A careful reading of the Dreamhost TOS reveals that Dreamhost reserves the right to place advertisements on "Coming Soon" pages, just like Lunarpages did with 404 pages. What next? A careful reading of the Dreamhost TOS reveals that Dreamhost reserves the right to place advertisements on “Coming Soon” pages, just like Lunarpages did with 404 pages.

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