We want to start own own web hosting company and would like to know if
there is a piece of software (would like suggestions under $300) which
automates the entire hosting process. We want our customers to be able
to come to the site, order our service and have the software set most
of it up for them. We need something that is as easy to use as
possible for both our company and on the user end. It needs to have a
control panel so that we can change, update customer information. If
possible we would like it to have billing, customer service
intigrated. Thanks in Advance. Please do not answer question until
both I and the person giving suggestions think this question is
answered.

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Request for Question Clarification by mvguy-ga on 08 Jun 2002 23:08 PDT

Could you please explain what you mean by "Please do not answer question until
both I and the person giving suggestions think this question is answered."?  Thanks!

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Clarification of Question by dslus-ga on 09 Jun 2002 04:24 PDT

I just mean sometimes people answer my questions with an answer that
is not acceptable to me.

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Request for Question Clarification by webadept-ga on 09 Jun 2002 12:38 PDT

Hi dslus-ga! 

I think perhaps you have misunderstood the usage of the Clarification
function on this service. In the FAQ's you will find a very good
description of this service and how to use it. We are not an Open
Forum of converstation, which extends past the answer of a direct
question, whose termination is at the whim of the Questioner. That
isn't the intent of the service. There are several Forums on the
Internet which can provide this type of solution for you if that is
the basis of your need, and I'm sure several Researchers could guide
you to one of those forums if you decide to ask that direct question
here, with a reasonable bid.

I would like to draw your attention to the numbers 2, 6 & 7 of the
FAQ's for Google-Answers

2. What questions can I ask? 
You can ask any question that can be answered with words or numbers.
And you can revise your question or edit it at any time as long as it
is not 'locked' because it is being worked on by a Researcher. Most
askers are looking for a specific piece of information like, "How much
tea was sold in China last year?" or "Why is the sky blue?". Our
Researchers are not necessarily experts in the field related to your
question, but they are experts in locating hard to find information on
the web. If the answer to your question is online, chances are pretty
good they'll find it. Keep in mind that Google Answers is not a
substitute for professional advice or services, nor will we knowingly
provide answers to assist in illegal activities. We reserve the right
to delete questions on a case-by-case basis if they do not comply with
our editorial policy and guidelines for "Proper Use," as specified in
our Terms of Service at
https://answers.google.com/answers/termsofservice.html.

6. What kind of answer will I receive? 
Your answer will likely consist of a paragraph or more of information
that answers your question as well as links to websites that can
provide more material. If you are asking a question of a professional
nature, the Researcher will provide you with useful information
pertinent to your question, but this information is not a substitute
for consulting with a professional for the necessary advice and
services.

7. What if a question doesn't have a clear answer? 
Some questions simply don't have clear, straightforward answers that
can be answered through an online search or through another reference
source (e.g. "Which is prettier - blue or green?"). In such cases,
Researchers will attempt to provide links to useful background
information on the question.

I hope this helps you find the answers you are looking for. 

webadept-ga

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Request for Question Clarification by mosquitohawk-ga on 19 Jun 2002 14:26 PDT

Greetings and good luck with your venture. I am a web design and
hosting provider myself and I think I have found a good solution for
you, if you act very quickly. If you find this 'clarification' worthy
of your answer, please indicate that and I'll claim the answer.

I have found an all-inclusive program that is FREE right now, but
within a very short time it is going to a licensed version so if you
jump on it, you should be sitting pretty!

This program was developed for Host Plus (http://www.hostplus.net/)
due to a lack of billing coordination for their business. They are
offering it for free while they work up a cost and license analysis,
but with no support. However, there is plenty of documentation, and
you shouldn't have any problem installing it.

The link to the program installation information is:
http://ispbs.hostplus.net/

You can find additional program information at freshmeat.net:
http://freshmeat.net/projects/ispbs/?topic_id=253

The download link for the .tar.gz file is:
http://ispbs.hostplus.net/downloads/ispbs_2_0.tar.gz

If you visit the first link, there is a demo system you can log into.
Best of all, as I already said, it's free!!

You can also check out other programs at Sourceforge
(http://www.sourceforge.com/) or Freshmeat (http://www.freshmeat.net/)

Hope that answers your question and earns me your $$ :)

--mosquitohawk-ga

I had answered the question in the clarification area and asked for
approval, having received none and it being over 24 hours since I
posted my answer, I'm going to go ahead and claim the answer. If the
poster is not happy with my answer, request another clarification and
I'll work harder for your $4.00 :) My answer is below:

Request for Question Clarification by mosquitohawk-ga on 19 Jun 2002
14:26 PDT
 
Greetings and good luck with your venture. I am a web design and
hosting provider myself and I think I have found a good solution for
you, if you act very quickly. If you find this 'clarification' worthy
of your answer, please indicate that and I'll claim the answer.
 
I have found an all-inclusive program that is FREE right now, but
within a very short time it is going to a licensed version so if you
jump on it, you should be sitting pretty!
 
This program was developed for Host Plus (http://www.hostplus.net/)
due to a lack of billing coordination for their business. They are
offering it for free while they work up a cost and license analysis,
but with no support. However, there is plenty of documentation, and
you shouldn't have any problem installing it.
 
The link to the program installation information is:
http://ispbs.hostplus.net/
 
You can find additional program information at freshmeat.net:
http://freshmeat.net/projects/ispbs/?topic_id=253
 
The download link for the .tar.gz file is:
http://ispbs.hostplus.net/downloads/ispbs_2_0.tar.gz
 
If you visit the first link, there is a demo system you can log into.
Best of all, as I already said, it's free!!
 
You can also check out other programs at Sourceforge
(http://www.sourceforge.com/) or Freshmeat (http://www.freshmeat.net/)
 
Hope that answers your question and earns me your $$ :) 
 
--mosquitohawk-ga

What type of server are you running (Linux, Unix, NT, etc.)?

What type of technology do you want this control panel to use?
Anything?

Will you be installing the control panel software yourself? If not, do
you expect installation to be included in that $300 price?

psoft offers something called H Sphere
(http://www.psoft.net/h_sphere2_info.html#features). It's licensed for
a $95 installation cost with accounts added at 4.50/account with a 100
account minumum. That makes your introductory cost a minimum of $140,
but note that installation is included.

Also rans:
Ubersmith (http://www.ubersmith.com) seems relatively complete, but
uses a monthly fee system instead of an up-front payment.

SmartHosting Tools (http://www.smarthostingtools.com/shc-features.html)
is $400/server and is very comprehensive. It's designed for *nix
systems, including Red Hat Linux 6.x, 7.x FreeBSD 4.x. It works with
other *nix variants (debian linux, for example), but only with
something called a "custom installation" which could mean more money.

By the way, webadmin (http://www.webmin.com/intro.html) is free, even
if it does have a drastically reduced feature set, compared to what
you requested.

FreeVSD (http://www.freevsd.org) is also free, but lacks the billing
functionality.

Hello dslus,

I have to agree with webadept, clarifications are a way for us
researchers to make sure we have enough information to answer the
question completely, not a forum discussion. Although all users are
more than welcome to provide information and assistance in the form of
comments, by posting your question you are giving researchers a chance
to answer your question to the best of their ability. If you are
dissatisfied with the response, you can always reject the answer. But
if we were to post our answers as a clarification and wait to see if
the asker accepts, what would stop an unscrupulous asker from simply
copying the information then canceling the question? At least if the
researcher posts an answer which is rejected (because it is inadequate
or because the asker never intended to pay), they still get paid for
their effort (though too many rejected answers is not a good thing). I
don't mean to imply that a majority of askers would do such a thing,
but due to the impersonal nature of this type of service, how are we
to know who to trust and who not to?

Jdog-ga