Godaddy hosting Problem

[julielcleveland]

Hi, I am not sure where to post this, so I went for general. I apologize if I am in the wrong section.

I have had a zen cart set up on a godaddy account, which I have been using for four or five years now. I have updated once, to the 139 version (not sure which one) and I have had this thing running quite smoothly without any changes for all this time. All of a sudden, my system set up required page has started to intermittently show up when I go to log in. It is down more than it is up and I have not changed any of my coding on my configure page, but it is telling me that I am not configured properly.

I am using a redirect and I do not have ssl set up.

When the page goes down, this is the error page I see:

Your /includes/configure.php and/or /admin/includes/configure.php file contains invalid path information and/or invalid database-connection information.
If you recently edited your configure.php files for any reason, or maybe moved your site to a different folder or different server, then you'll need to review and update all your settings to the correct values for your server.
See the Online FAQ and Tutorials area on the Zen Cart™ website for assistance.

Then without changing anything, suddenly my site will be functional again.

I have reported this to godaddy and they tell me it is a coding error, but if it was, wouldn't it be forever and ever and not intermittently? They say they won't help me with the coding and that I have to come to you, but after some research, it appears that their servers just drop off the face of the earth at times. My tab shows my favicon that I have in my ftp files, but it will not connect to my db or my admin page. I cannot find the error and my path is not wrong all the time. Am I wrong in thinking that this is a server problem?

I can see all my files on my ftp and I have not changed any setups, but the pages will not connect and I cannot get the site to come up on my home pc or my laptop. I have cleared cache and gone to my hosting panel and all is well there. Then suddenly my site will appear again. I have sent them screen shot after screen shot with time stamps and ask them what happened in that time frame, but they won't answer, they just send me a canned response about not supporting third party software.

I have spent hours emailing and talking to godaddy and they tell me they can see my site fine, it must be me. I am at the end of my rope with them and do not know how to fix this. This is my income and I really would like to know what to do to fix it. I have three other zen cart sites on godaddy and they appear to be functioning properly. I have not had a problem logging into them and I have been getting orders from them.

I would also like a good recommendation on a hosting service, as I am going to start doing some site migrations to a service that is well versed in zen cart and does not have these server problems.

Any input is very much appreciated. Thank you.

[kobra]

GD has their database servers on other equipment
I suppose that the linking to these DB servers has intermittent issues and why you are experiencing what you have stated

[balihr]

Instead of wasting time with GoDaddy, you should've just switched to another host. It doesn't really matter which one, anything different than GoDaddy is a step forward. Even setting up a small server in your grandma's basement would be considered progress...

Click on the Services tab to see official recommendations for hosting or PM me for my recommendations.

[SPH]

Even setting up a small server in your grandma's basement would be considered progress...

I'd actually like to try that. Wonder how and the cost....

[julielcleveland]

I'd actually like to try that. Wonder how and the cost....

Gramma won't let me ....

I am looking at the other hosting options that are included in the service area - I will be moving 8 hosted accounts.

[RodG]

I'd actually like to try that. Wonder how and the cost....

Step#1. Obtain a static IP address.
Step#2. Configure server and activate services.

$cost. No more than you are already paying for Internet access. Perhaps a little bit more for the static IP.

Cheers
Rod

ps. You may not realise this, but the instant you connect your computer to the internet it actually becomes a part of it. The only difference between your computer and most other internet servers is that internet servers are online all day, every day.

[DrByte]

To add to the list about hosting from home:

Step 3 - study and learn, and keep up-to-date on your learning, to be a webserver security expert and webserver tuning expert.
Most people who set up their own server "to save costs" have no idea about security or how to properly configure a webserver, let alone tune it for optimal performance.

Step 4 - Be mindful of the fact that your customers' experience visiting your site is entirely dependent on the "upload" speed of your internet service. Remember, for the vast majority of "home" internet subscribers such as yourself, that upload speed is a small fraction of the speed you get when downloading. So to your customers it will feel like they're back on dial-up when they try to visit your store.

[schoolboy]

Gramma won't let me ....

I am looking at the other hosting options that are included in the service area - I will be moving 8 hosted accounts.

The cheapest and most effective way of hosting several sites is to take out a "Re-Seller" package on a WHM (web host manager) system, and to do this with a very reputable host.

The host we use (to host about 60 or 70 sites on various WHM systems) does all the essential server configurations, and because the hosts are eCommerce experts - with a superior knowledge of all the major OpenSource platforms - we get exceptional peace-of-mind.

Do not try to set up servers yourself - unless you are extremely knowledgeable in this field.

We recommend two host services - one in the Americas and one here in the UK. I cannot name them here, but will give you details via PM.

[balihr]

Wow... I was actually trying to be funny and make a joke when I mentioned setting up a server in your grandma's basement... I can't believe how that escalated into a discussion. So much about my sense of humor...

My point was just to move away from GoDaddy since they are probably the worst choice for hosting an ecommerce site. As I always say - if they don't give you a summer house in Florida with your account, then it's not worth it...

Anyway, forget about setting up your own server. As Dr.Byte already said, you need to know A LOT about servers and server technology to be able to setup a good server and keep it safe from attacks. You need to maintain that server, and that takes both time and knowledge. There are probably hundreds of tutorials how to setup your own server at home, but you'll end up spending more time and money than you'd pay for a 2-year hosting plan with a high quality hosting provider. And, of course, let's not forget the security, reliability and performance that you're getting with a provider which you most likely can't achieve with your home based server. We all want to cut down our costs, but hosting is the last thing you should be cheap about because it's the first thing that affects your customer's experience - nobody likes a site that takes 2 minutes to load... And that's what you usually get with $1.99 per month hosts...

Schoolboy's suggestion to get a Reseller package is absolutely correct, although I personally prefer (managed) VPS. If you're hosting 8 sites for yourself and not for your clients, you might find it easier and simpler on a VPS than a reseller package. Perhaps I'm mistaking or it's just my own preference, but I didn't like my Reseller package and have switched over to a VPS solution.

[RodG]

To add to the list about hosting from home:

Step 3 - study and learn, and keep up-to-date on your learning, to be a webserver security expert and webserver tuning expert.

This should actually be step#1. I was keeping the human factor out of the equation :)

Cheers
Rod