How to Purchase a Dedicated Server
How do I order my dedicated server?
How do I pay?
Can I pay the Setup fee in installments?
Are there discounts for long-term commitments?
Are there volume discounts?
Are there any hidden fees?
Do I own the server?
How long does it take for my server to get set
up?
Do you offer custom server configurations or SCSI?
Can I upgrade to another server later?
Do you provide a guarantee or SLA?
How to Choose an Operating System
How do I choose an Operating System?
What software comes pre-installed with Linux Dedicated Servers?
Are other UNIX operating systems available?
Will my server have a web-based control panel?
Windows Dedicated Servers
What software is included with Windows 2003/2000 servers?
How do I set up my Windows server?
ServePath's Screaming-Fast Network™
How are you connected to the Internet?
What is ServePath's Screaming-Fast Network™?
Technical Issues
Will I get Super User/Root access?
Is bandwidth limited?
How many IP addresses do I get?
Does ServePath provide support?
What about back-ups?
Will I get support in setting up DNS?
What if I need to re-boot my machine?
What type of applications can I run on my server?
Do you allow adult content?
Do you allow IRC?
Don't see your question? Contact Us!
How to Purchase a Dedicated Server
How do I order my dedicated server?
Ordering a server is easy using our Dedicated Server Configurator. Your server can normally be set up the next business day. You may also call us toll-free at 866.321.7284 or fill out the Contact Form and a sales representative will get in touch with you for a no-obligation consultation regarding your dedicated hosting requirements.How do I pay?
ServePath accepts American Express, MasterCard, and Visa. Your card will automatically be charged each month. For businesses that wish to use a company check, we can accept check payments from US banks, but this may delay setup of your server until after the check is received and processed. Wire transfers and verified PayPal accounts are also accepted for quarterly and annual payments.Can I pay the Setup fee in installments?
Due to the high costs of hardware and installation, we must collect the setup fee and first month's fee before setting up your server. Unfortunately, we cannot space out setup fees over time.Are there discounts for prepayment or long-term commitments?
Pre-pay for 12 months and get FREE SETUP and your 11th and 12th Months FREE! Pre-paid plans can be cancelled with our standard 30 days notice, and the unused portion of the yearly fee will be refunded to you on a pro-rated basis, minus the applicable setup fee that would have been paid under our monthly terms.There are no refunds for violating our Acceptable Use Policy. There are no additional discounts for long-term commitments, but we hope you will be with us for a long time to come!
Are there volume discounts?
We offer FREE SETUP and generous discounts for volume purchases and for dedicated server resellers. For more information on bulk pricing, please see our section for Resellers.Are there any hidden fees?
There are absolutely no hidden fees. We offer affordable yet powerful and full-featured products. There are additional managed services and options that we do offer on a fee basis, but they are purely optional.Do I own the dedicated server?
No, you are paying to rent the server, for the included technical support, plus for the space, power, bandwidth, and Internet connectivity in our data center. Dedicated Servers are a cost-effective and convenient alternative to colocation (where you buy a server and rent space in a datacenter) or building your own datacenter facility since it would cost millions of dollars to achieve the reliability and network connectivity that ServePath delivers.How long does it take for my dedicated server to get set up?
We can normally have your server set up within 24-72 hours after we process your order, and often even faster. If you have special needs or would like an exact estimate of installation time for a particular server, please Contact Us or call toll-free 1-866.321.7284.Do you offer custom dedicated server configurations?
ServePath offers four packages in standard configurations, but you can use our Dedicated Server Configurator to completely customize each server to your specifications. For a no-obligation consultation with one of our experienced Account Executives, please Contact Us. Our Sales staff can provide you with customized quotes for dedicated server hosting, managed services, private networks, server clusters and more.Can I upgrade to another server later?
ServePath customers are always able to upgrade to a more powerful dedicated server at a later date. Those on monthly plans can pay the difference in the setup fee and the higher monthly fee. Those on annual plans can simply commit to an additional year on the new server, with a credit for the unused portion of their existing server. ServePath typically gives a 7 day overlap for you to transfer your data from one server to another. Please contact your sales representative for complete details.Do you provide a guarantee or SLA?
ServePath has a 10,000% Guaranteed® Service Level Agreement. We also fix any hardware problems with your server at no cost to you. Learn more about our 10,000% Guaranteed® Service Level Agreement.Don't see your question? Contact Us!
How to Choose an Operating System
How do I choose an Operating System?
We recommend you choose an operating system that you are comfortable working with. If you are familiar with Linux then you know that it is extremely efficient, low cost and handles all Internet functions well. Windows users can expect the familiar Microsoft user interface and superior integration with Microsoft applications and SQL Server 2005.What software comes pre-installed with Linux dedicated servers?
Linux servers will come with a standard install of Red Hat Linux which will include the latest versions of Apache, Sendmail, Bind, and Perl. You will have root access with SSH and FTP access. Learn more about Red hat Linux Dedicated Servers.Are other UNIX operating systems available?
Yes, FreeBSD can be installed instead of Red hat Linux at no additional cost. Debian Linux is also an option on our dedicated servers.Will my server have a web-based control panel?
All servers offer a choice between Plesk, Ensim, and cPanel control panels. These are web-based programs that allow for point and click administration to add domains, mail, FTP, DNS and perform other administration, all through a web based interface. Find out more on our Control Panels Page.Don't see your question? Contact Us!
Windows Dedicated Servers
What software is included with Windows 2003/2000 servers?
Windows Dedicated Servers come with a standard installation of Windows 2003/2000 which includes IIS and all current service packs. You will have administration access to the server through Terminal Services or Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection. As with all of our server offerings, you will have full administrator access and are welcome to install any additional software you like on your server (database, e-commerce, etc).How do I set up my Windows Dedicated Server?
Visit Getting Started with your Windows 2000 Dedicated Server or Getting Started with your Windows 2003 Dedicated Server.Please read our Windows 2003 Server FAQ and Windows 2000 Server FAQ to find out more.
Don't see your question? Contact Us!
ServePath's Screaming-Fast Network™
How are you connected to the Internet?
Your server is located in a world-class data center with unbeatable peering and transit connections on redundant fiber loops with no single point of failure all operating at less than 50% of capacity. Learn more about our San Francisco Data Center. Just give us a ping or tracert at www.servepath.com and you'll see how fast we are!What is ServePath's Screaming-Fast Network™?
ServePath has built an unbeatable network with connections to over 45 carriers. Your server will be directly connected to many of the world's Tier 1 backbones including UUNet, NTT/Verio, Level 3, AboveNet, and peering at PAIX, the original Internet Exchange. Learn more about our Screaming-Fast Network™.Don't see your question? Contact Us!
Technical Issues
Will I get Root/Administrator access?
Yes, root access is what we sell. We wouldn't sell anything less. You can put as many domains, customers and applications on your server as you want. Of course, you'll want to make sure you know what you are doing and we all need to be good Netizens as per our AUP (Acceptable Use Policy).Is bandwidth limited?
No, we don't restrict or throttle bandwidth. All ServePath dedicated servers include a full 100Mbps connection to the Internet (except for our specially priced 10Mbps unmetered servers, which are capped at 10Mbps). All 4 of our dedicated server packages include a very generous allocation of bandwidth per month. All bandwidth usage over the allocated amount for your server package is automatically charged in 10 GB increments at the rate of $19.99 per 10 GB. Optional dedicated bandwidth packages (Mbps circuits) are available for intensive bandwidth usage. For full details, please Contact Us.How many IP addresses do I get?
4 IP addresses are standard with all dedicated server plans (two usable for Windows 2000 and two for Windows 2003 due to OS limitations). All customers actually receive 2 /30 subnets per ARIN guidelines, putting each server on its own private LAN (VLAN). One /30 (4 IPs) is for the interface, and the other /30 (4 IPs) are useable. Unlimited IP addresses are available per ARIN guidelines for $1 per IP additional address per month. Additional IP addresses are available as long as they can be justified per ARIN guidelines for a $24.99 one-time setup fee (per request, not IP) and $1.00 per IP per month. There is no setup fee if additional IPs are ordered at the same time as you order your server. IP addresses are assigned in blocks of 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256. On a Windows server, the number of useable IP addresses will be 2 less than the block size due to operating system restrictions. Please use name based hosting for all of your Web sites instead of individual IP addresses. There is no difference in performance, and it economizes IPs. Legitimate justification of IP addresses include SSL certificates, running name servers, and other specialized applications that require IP addresses. Unacceptable IP justifications include Reverse DNS mappings for IRC vhosts and IP based web hosting.Does ServePath provide support?
Yes! Please visit our support page. We have lots of information and resources available online. We also provide free technical support via toll-free phone, online ticketing system, and live chat. Whenever possible we ask that you open a support ticket first so that we can track your issue. Please note that you are expected to maintain your server and any software you wish to run on your server. Any hardware or network issues will be proactively attended to as well.What about back-ups?
We recommend you back-up your critical data over the Internet to another machine. We offer a 100 GB Network Storage service for just $49/month where you can back up your data, as well as our optional Managed Backup service.Will I get support in setting up DNS?
Most of our customers handle DNS themselves on their own servers for maximum flexibility. ServePath will provide primary or secondary DNS services for you if you wish. We will setup primary and secondary domain name service for as many domains as you submit to us at no charge with your initial order. Additional domain name services and administration beyond the initial setup is provided on an hourly consulting basis.What if I need to re-boot my machine?
All ServePath servers include FREE PowerPath Remote Reboot capability. If you are unable to reboot your server remotely, simply log in to our secure customer portal and reboot your server instantly.What type of applications can I run on my server?
You can run any type of applications on your server that you wish, provided that it does not violate any of the terms of our Acceptable Use Policy. Many of our customers are hosting web sites, Internet applications, software as a service, databases, chat and game servers, etc.Do you allow adult content?
ServePath does allow adult content, provided that it does not violate any of the terms of our Acceptable Use Policy or Terms of Service.Do you allow IRC?
ServePath does not allow IRC. Per the terms of our acceptable use policy, ServePath customers are responsible any network problems or DoS attacks caused by or targeted at their servers, and unfortunately some IRC servers seem to attract these attacks.Don't see your question? Contact Us!