Hi, I've been looking around for a hoster that is relatively cheap and doesn't oversell like the majority of other shared providers and having 40 max per server is quite nice. Everything looked fine, but I still have some questions regarding the ToS and some not.
(Note: If I did go with this service, I would be running a general forum and comic website for my friend)
First, i'll start with the ToS questions.
Copyright or trademark infringement: Use of our service to transmit any material (by e-mail, uploading, posting or otherwise) that infringes any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret or other proprietary rights of any third party, including, but not limited to, the unauthorized copying of copyrighted material, the digitization and distribution of photographs from magazines, books, or other copyrighted sources, and the unauthorized transmittal of copyrighted software is prohibited. This also includes intellectual property rights. Distribution and/or posting of copyrighted or the aforementioned infringements will not be tolerated.
My question is, would this also encompass forum posts about torrent tracker websites? Since a forum usually does end up with torrent and tracker discussions, I'd rather know if it could get me suspended/canceled.
Network disruptions and unfriendly activity: Use of the service for any activity which affects the ability of other people or systems to use our services or the Internet is prohibited. This includes "denial of
service" (DOS) attacks against another network host or individual user. Interference with or disruption of other network users, services or equipment is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to:
"flooding" of networks, deliberate attempts to overload a service, and attempts to "crash" a host. It is the Subscriber's responsibility to ensure that their account(s) are configured in a secure manner.
Not to long ago I rented a dedicated box, fresh install and everything. I got the windows firewall working and then went to download a more commercial firewall and also Peerguardian. During that time, an unknown virus/trojan/person was able to log in and started doing port scans of every IP range so about 100-200 scans a minute.
Needless to say, after about 2 days I noticed that my server wasnt running as fast as it should, so I asked the tech support team. They said my box was DOS'ing other servers and I had to find a way to stop it. They gave me 48 hours after inquiring about it to fix the problem. Couldn't find out since no logs showed anyone else logging in and out of 6 anti-virus/malware/spyware programs couldnt find anything either so I reformatted.
So, the basic point of the question is this: Will I be informed about any illegal activity on my box and be given adequate time to resolve the problem or will it be an immediate cancellation of service?
ANIME: Anime websites are not allowed on our network. If an Anime website is found we will terminate the account. These sites are not allowed on our servers because most of them are illegal.
As noted at the top of the post, I only intend to run a general forum and as such anime discussions will arise. Would an anime sub-forum be allowed? I would assume posts about viewing anime would happen and links to site such as youtube and divx[something] would happen. Would that be allowed?
By using our service you agree to abide by this policy. Our services operate on shared resources. Excessive use or abuse of these shared network resources by one customer may have a negative impact on all other customers. Misuse of network resources in a manner which impairs network performance is prohibited by this policy and may result in termination of your account.
You are prohibited from excessive consumption of resources, including CPU time, memory, disk space and session time. You may not use resource-intensive programs which negatively impact other customers or the performances of our systems or networks. We reserve the right to terminate or limit such activities.
If i may ask, what would be 'excessive' in the case of a kickstarter plan?
Also, if I would happen to be in 'excessive' use, would I be notified beforehand to possibly upgrade my service level or would i be suspended on the spot?
Cancellation: All cancellations must be made 7 days before your due date in writing! (No Exceptions) We will not comply with verbal requests to cancel accounts. We will not wait until the end of any advertised or perceived billing cycle, we cancel and remove the site, releases may be subject to fee's any accounts cancelled within the 7 day prior due date will result in the next months invoice still being owed to gotcanyons.net and if must be submitted to a collection agency for further legal actions!
My main question of this post. Is this still the only way to cancel service, or has there been changes where we can cancel online?
Bandwidth and Disk Usage: Subscriber agrees that bandwidth and disk usage shall not exceed the quota for the services ordered by Subscriber on the order form (the "Agreed Usage"). We will monitor Subscriber's bandwidth and disk usage. We have the right to take corrective action if Subscriber's bandwidth or disk usage exceeds the Agreed Usage in our sole discretion. Such corrective action may include the assessment of additional charges, or disconnection or discontinuance of the service.
If we take any corrective action under this section, Subscriber shall not be entitled to a refund of any fees paid in advance prior to such action.
If I do happen to manage a site that uses quite alot of bandwith, will I be notified beforehand and at what percentage would that be?
Also, if I did manage to go over the quota before I could upgrade my service plan, what would happen? Would I be charged $x amount per gigabyte over before suspension ?
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Ok, all the TOS questions over and more simple questions
1. Ive seen this service recommended for SMF forums which is what I was planning to use. My question here is would a 'Kickstarter' plan with the following mods be able to handle about 40 constant users? If it can, what would be your best guess for max online at a time? No attachments would be allowed, and max avatar size of 100x100 300KB.
Tinyportal [Portal]
Ad Management Mod [Induces ads onto the forum in specific areas]
View Any Topic Permission Mod [Allows board(s) to have 'local' settings to where only certain usergroups can access or even so
only staff members can view posts in that forum where normal users cannot but can still post. Essentially a private support section]
Colorize Boards [Changes the forum index/child boards to be in color]
2. This is kind of asking the same question over (about linking to trackers), is it allowed in any form? There are quite a few artists who release their music on trackers only so there is also legal content on them.
I do not mean deep-linking to the actual files or descrips (EX:
www.trackername.com/search.php?Filename=copyrightedcontent.torrent) would a link to EX:
www.trackername.com be allowed?
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That is all the questions I can think of at this time. I do know its alot though <_<
Hope to get a reponse ^^
Best regards,
Iry
