| FAQs |
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| What is Cloud Servers? |
| Imagine being able to provision a server in minutes. To upgrade it automatically. To bring servers up and down as needed. This is the idea behind Cloud Servers. Totally customizable, each Cloud Server gives you full root access to the Linux distribution of your choice. You pay depending on how large a server you buy. |
| Based on Xen Virtualization technology, Cloud Servers brings the power of the cloud to the traditional server hosting based model. Just like a dedicated server, your Cloud Server provides total flexibility for you to run anything you want from a Java website to a Ruby on Rails application. |
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| Why do you bill hourly? |
| We bill hourly because it allows us to cater to both your usual 24x7 server customer and also to the developer who may only need a server for a couple days. For those that would only need the server for a couple days, they would only pay for the time the server is deployed, based on number of hours. |
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| If you bill hourly then why do you show a monthly charge? Do you charge both hourly and by the month? |
| We show the monthly charge just for the clients who keep their servers running for an entire month. This makes it easier for those to translate what the hourly cost would come out too in terms of a monthly equivalent. |
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| If I am not using my server or do not have traffic to it, do I still have to pay for it? |
| Currently the server would either be running or you would have to delete it altogether. There is no "suspension" mode where you are not charged while not receiving traffic to the server. |
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| I don't see Windows, do you offer it? |
| We currently only offer Linux at the moment, but we are hard at work on our windows offering. We hope to launch a windows cloud servers offering around end of year. Don't need RDP access to the server?...check out cloud sites which is available now. |
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| What will pricing look like for Windows, will you offer MSSQL with it? |
| Right now we don't have details on the pricing for windows cloud servers or the licensing that will be offered in addition to Windows. |
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| What is the difference between cloud servers and a dedicated server? |
| With our Cloud Servers you can deploy one in a few minutes vs. waiting for a physical server deployment. You can also resize the plan and bring up multiple Cloud Servers quickly and easily for much less money. Dedicated servers usually involve contracts and setup fees while they take time to alter the RAM, etc. |
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| Are cloud servers just a VPS? |
| Short answer, no. Cloud servers can be resized to a different plan through our control panel, all the way up to 15.5GB of RAM. Most common VPS offerings only offer the equivalent of 128MB up to 512MB RAM at most. With most VPS, you are not guaranteed the resources that you are paying for so other customer could be infringing on your allotment. We not only guarantee you will have the resources you are paying for when you need them, but you can also burst while additional resources are available. |
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| Is bandwidth free between cloud servers? |
| Yes, you will get a private IP for each cloud server that offers free bandwidth between them. |
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| Do I get a control panel like Plesk or Cpanel? |
| Currently our Linux distributions are a base install of the OS. You have SSH access so you can install anything you need after the base installation, including a control panel such as Plesk |
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| I want to scale my plan, what do I need to do? |
| You can login to the control panel and "resize" the server. It usually takes a few minutes, depending on the amount of data you have stored. If the resources you need are not available in that server, it will migrate all your data, including operating system and IP address, to another server in our environment. |
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| I see RAM, but what amount of CPU do I get? What type of processors are used? |
| Each cloud server has 2 quad core processors that are at least 2Ghz+. The 256MB plan will get 1/64 of the CPU allocation, the 512MB plan will get 1/32 of the CPU allocation, and the 1GB plan will get 1/16 of the CPU allocation. The 2GB plan will get 1/ 8 CPU, the 4GB plan will get 1/4, the 8GB plan will get 1/2, and the 15.5GB plan will get all CPU allocation in the server. |
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| Can I upgrade my storage without upgrading the entire plan? |
| At this time, you would have to upgrade the RAM in order to get more storage and vice versa. |
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| Can cloud files be mounted as storage? |
| Cloud files is not block level storage, so it cannot be mounted. Customers do use cloud files to offload static files, such as media files for example. Typically media files do not change and will not need to be written too as a database would. |
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| Can I import my own image or export an image of a server? |
| We are working on this, however, right now you would have to pick from our linux distributions and would not be able to export an image. |
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| Do you have cloud servers in the UK? |
| We currently have cloud servers in the US only, we are hoping to be in the UK in the first half of 2010 |
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| Why should I go with Cloud Sites? What makes Cloud Sites so special? |
| Utter simplicity. Period. |
| For the first time in the history of web building, there's finally an easy way to run your applications. Code it and load it. The Chillyz Cloud takes care of the rest - monitoring, patching, configuration, security, scaling...
There's nothing else out there like it. Cloud Sites is an advanced, enterprise-level platform that lets you focus on what you're good at: developing in the technology you love. All the headache of server administration is our responsibility.
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| What does the Chillyz Cloud use for a storage system? Have you done anything there to make it redundant? |
| Nothing as important as your website should be served from a single hard drive, but you'd be surprised by how many web hosts have little more redundancy than a pair of crossed fingers. We're different - and for good reason. The advanced architecture powering our hosting solution uses groups of high-performance, network attached storage devices to reliably serve every web page, image, and email. Inside each storage device, drives are mirrored to each other in a RAID configuration to create a first level of redundancy. And, as a final precautionary measure, all data on the system is automatically backed up on a repeating schedule. |
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| What version of Linux does Cloud Sites run? What about for Windows? |
| The Linux side of our platform is built on Debian 4.0 (Etch) and Red Hat Enterprise Server. On the other side of the fence, The Windows platform runs on Windows 2008 and IIS 7. |
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| I've had shell access in the past. Why isn't it offered on Cloud Sites?Shell access is not offered on Cloud Sites based primarily for security reasons. We know that shell access has its benefits and we expect to have some level of access available for our customers at some point in the future. Keep in mind however that many functions typically accessed via shell are possible on the Chillyz Cloud, including cron jobs, file permissions, and unzip. |
| Finally, if shell access is an immediate need, check out our Cloud Servers offering. |
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| Cloud Sites Pricing and Scaling |
| What is included for $100? |
| We have included enough resources in the Cloud Sites base package to power most business needs. You get 50GB of high performance storage as well as 500GB of outgoing bandwidth per month (incoming is not included in your calculation). In addition, Cloud Sites uses compute cycles (see below) to monitor your computing usage. You get 10,000 compute cycles per month across all your sites and applications. Unlike many hosters, The Chillyz Cloud will never cut you off for using what we sell you. |
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| What happens if I exceed the included amount? |
| While most customers will fall well below the included amount, we have created fair and simple pricing beyond the base amount that means you pay ONLY for what you use and nothing more. There are no onerous penalties for exceeding the included plan amounts. Our price sheet is here for all scaling metrics. The key items include $0.25/GB for outgoing bandwidth, $0.50/GB for storage and $0.01 per compute cycle. For super heavy users over 50 million page views, special pricing may be available. |
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| How far can I really scale? |
| In truth, there are no limits. We currently have users pushing hundreds of millions of requests on single domains. The most important issue is whether your site will be compatible with the Cloud. Please refer to our technology section to ensure you can run your applications successfully on the Cloud. |
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| What are compute cycles? |
| Compute cycles measure how much processing time your applications require on the Chillyz Cloud. Using 10,000 compute cycles in a month is roughly equivalent to running a server with a 2.8 GHz modern processor for the same period of time. |
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| How many compute cycles will my applications use? |
| Since web applications vary so greatly, it's hard to make a perfect guess. However, there are some guidelines that can help. First, you can think of 10,000 compute cycles as being about the same processing power as you'd get from a decent dedicated server or Amazon EC2 instance. For example 10,000 compute cycles would power: |
| 1. about 2.1 million page views using a database-driven content management system |
| 2. about 11 million page views of Chillyzcloud.com |
| 3. about 25 million requests for a static 15KB image |
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| How do I track my compute cycle usage? |
| The compute cycles you use are presented in your control panel in near real time. |
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| What goes in to calculating a compute cycle? |
| Mostly, CPU processing time. However, compute cycles also account for the disk I/O your application's operations consume. For example, a page with heavy database queries will consume more compute cycles in part due to the larger volume of disk I/O it requires. |
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| Cloud Sites Client Support Services |
| Can Mosso | The Chillyz Cloud support my clients as well? |
| With our customer support option, time-consuming support calls become a thing of the past. Our services include unlimited 24-hour phone and chat support for $3/month per supported domain. You can choose to have us handle support for some or all your domains - it's entirely up to you. |
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| How can my clients contact the support team? |
| Once you have activated support for a given domain, that customer can then select to enter live chat directly from his or her control panel. He will also be given a local and toll-free number in which he can call to speak directly with our support team. Live chat and phone support are both available 24x7. |
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| What hours is support available? |
| The Chillyz Cloud support is staffed 24x7x365. Chat or call us anytime and talk to a real human being at our headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. |
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| Who will answer my client's phone call? |
| The Chillyz Cloud has a team of dedicated support and billing specialists, ready and willing to tackle any account related questions your client's can throw at them. And remember, the support team that will help troubleshoot your issues is the same team dedicated to helping your clients as well. |
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| If asked, who will the support team say they work for? |
| If asked, our support team will respond that we work for you (that's the truth, isn't it?!). We avoid the whole "outsourced support" line that can end up sounding so lame to your clients. But never fear, if there's something the support team can't answer - perhaps something regarding one of your other designs or development projects with that client - we can and will pass along your contact information (but of course, this choice is completely up to you!). |
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| What is the standard phone greeting my clients would receive? |
| The support team has been trained to answer phone calls and live chats with "Web Hosting Technical Support, this is [Rep's Name]. How can I help you?" This is the standard white-label greeting that gives your client the impression that the entire support team works directly for your company. |
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| Is phone support incoming only or outgoing as well? |
| The Chillyz Cloud support team prides itself on getting things done. That means we'll do whatever it takes to resolve your client's issue. Sure, most of the time your clients will be calling in with a question, but if need be, our support reps won't hesitate to pick up the phone to call them back. Of course there's no extra charge for outgoing calls, anywhere in the world. |
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| Where is your support team located? |
| We know how frustrating it can be to try and receive support from someone you can barely understand halfway around the world. You want to be able to offer something better for your clients, and Mosso | The Chillyz Cloud is the answer. Our entire technical support team is located in-house (in San Antonio, Texas, to be precise); we refuse to offshore any portion of support. By closely monitoring service interactions, we can ensure your clients will receive a worthwhile interaction every time. And our team is structured to promote cooperation to resolve your customers' issues quickly. Our support technicians sit right next to our admins who manage the hosting clusters and our developers who write the application. If there is a problem, this cross functional team can quickly huddle to solve the issue. |
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| What support will they provide my clients? |
| The Chillyz Cloud's support team will assist you and your clients with all aspects of the control panel, general connectivity issues (I.E. web, mail, webmail, ftp, and database) and basic website troubleshooting concerns. The support team members, however, are unable to assist in the installation of paid, open source, or custom code (PHP, ASP, .NET, etc.). With that said, our support team will do everything they can to help point you or your client in the right direction if you need help installing a particular script. |
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| What type of response times should my customers expect from your support team? |
| Our technical support team is staffed around the clock to ensure fast resolution of all customer issues. Whether your customers call in on our toll free support number or they chat live with us from their control panel, they should expect to interact with a live person within 60 seconds. |
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| Cloud Sites Client Billing Services |
| Can the Chillyz Cloud bill my clients on my behalf? How much would it cost? |
| For a small fee (the greater of $2.00 or 4% of the transaction), we'll handle customer billing for some, or all, of your clients. You pick who you'd like us to bill, how much you'd like to charge, and we'll collect the fees and make an ACH deposit each month into your bank account. |
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| Is client billing recurring or do I have to process their invoice each month? |
| Assuming your client(s) are activated for billing services, we will charge your client the recurring fee amount every month on the anniversary date of their original sign up. No additional action by you is required. |
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| How do I enable or disable client billing? |
| You can easily enable or disable client billing on a site by site basis through your control panel. If you have any questions or are confused on the exact process of doing this, feel free to call the support team at 1-877-934-0407. |
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| Who's responsible for entering in the amount billed to my clients? |
| Ultimately, it's your responsibility to provide all of the required information to enable the Chillyz Cloud to bill your client(s), including the amount to be charged and obtaining authorization from each client specifically allowing the Chillyz Cloud to charge their credit card. |
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| How will my clients resolve any billing questions or disputes? |
| The Chillyz Cloud will provide support to you and your clients on client-related billing issues. Our billing support includes answering basic billing questions, processing refunds and service credits, and updating credit card information. Remember that you are ultimately responsible for the accuracy and completeness of your client's credit card information. The Chillyz Cloud will not bill your clients until it has complete, consistent, and verifiable credit card and related information. To speak with a member of our billing team, please call 1-877-934-0410. |
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| How will I receive payment from my clients? |
| Since the Chillyz Cloud will be billing and collecting from your clients on your behalf, you will receive from the Chillyz Cloud the total funds we have collected by electronic funds transfer. (Note: While we can help you bill clients almost anywhere in the world, the Chillyz Cloud billing service currently requires a U.S. bank account to receive funds.) |
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| When will I receive the proceeds collected from my clients? |
| Generally the proceeds from the initial charge of a credit card will be held for 60 days, and subsequent charges will be held for 30 days. If total collected proceeds are less than $50.00 the Chillyz Cloud may hold the proceeds and include them on the following month's remittance to you. |
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| Can I have my clients pay on any length of term? Can I set it up so they receive a discount for annual prepays? |
| Yes, client billing is completely customizable. If you'd like to create a plan where you bill your customers on a 6 month term, you can do that. If you'd prefer they pay for a year in advance, you can do that. It's up to you! You can also adjust all of their invoices which gives you the flexibility to offer discounts whenever you see fit. |
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| What forms of payment can my clients use? |
| We allow your clients to pay using Visa, MasterCard, or American Express. |
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| How would I add billing for a client? |
| Simply check the "Bill client for this site" box when you set your client's website up. It's as easy that. Sure, you can customize exactly how much they're charged for each line item, but that's up to you. Activation's a snap. |
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| Will I owe on any taxes for money collected from my clients? |
| You are responsible for specifying tax rates that apply to charges provided to the Chillyz Cloud, tracking those taxes collected and reporting and remitting all collected taxes to the appropriate taxing authorities. |
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| What will appear on my client's credit card? |
| "Web Hosting Billing Systems" will appear on your client's credit card. |
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| Cloud Sites and PCI |
| How do I know if PCI applies to my business? |
| If your business accepts credit cards, whether over the internet or on paper, then PCI applies to your business. The general rule states that if you process, store or transmit cardholder data then you must adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard v1.2 (PCI DSS v1.2). |
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| How do I prove to my bank or my customers that my business is PCI compliant? |
| Depending on the number of transactions performed annually, Merchants and Service Providers must conduct quarterly vulnerability scans and either fill out a Self Assessment Questionnaire or have a Qualified Security Assessor audit the business entity against the PCI DSS. |
| Visit Visa’s website below to learn more about the various Merchant and Service Provider levels. |
| http://usa.visa.com/merchants/risk_management/cisp_overview.html |
| Next, go to the PCI Security Standards Council website at: https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/saq/instructions_dss.shtml#navigating |
| On this page you will find the self assessment questionnaires. There are five self assessment questionnaires on this page so make sure you determine which questionnaire applies to your business. |
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| Can Mosso | The Chillyz Cloud help me integrate my website with a payment processor or payment gateway? |
| Yes, please refer to the API instructions document first. If you have further questions, please contact a the Chillyz Cloud Support representative. |
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| If I use a payment processor for all of my credit card processing and storage do I still have to comply with the PCI DSS? |
| Contact your acquiring bank or payment processor to determine their expectations for your business. |
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| What can happen if I choose not to comply with the PCI DSS? |
| If you choose not to comply with the PCI DSS then you risk: |
| 1. Potentially being fined by your acquiring bank |
| 2. Potentially being restricted from accepting credit cards as a payment method |
| 3. A system compromise, potentially resulting in fines and/or restrictions |
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