Has anyone here built a truly world-wide web service? My biggest project (OERCA for those who know what I'm doing) serves customers around the world, and we're planning for continued growth both in customer numbers and customers' expectations. But, I haven't been able to learn enough, fast enough, to know where to head. It's just impossible (for me) to become expert enough in all aspects of this to get all the answers in hand to make decisions. Here's our situation:
We're with Zebrahost, are and have been fine with that. But we have a single SQL database. Sure, we can add more servers, more instances, but in the end that SQL database resides in one location. Or, maybe there's a way around that? I don't know.
So right now, we're tied to that database server, so we just add server instances or move to the IIS plugin but that still means distant servers to many (most) of our users. Combine that with "little" things in the way Alpha sometimes behaves with any and all crappy internet hubs across the globe and we get dissatisfaction.
If I understand things well enough, we need to scale horizontally, e.g. help everyone have a local, native-like experience. The time I'm spending dealing with the problems we've created for ourselves with our current situation would be much better spent building stuff with the latest Alpha tools. I can't get there as I try to manage these things.
Our team regularly travels the world so we have personal comparison of how the app works in many different places around the world. Our servers right now are in Singapore, and the Singapore experience is pretty darned good. But get to Dubai or the Bahamas (yes, very fast connection) and, not as good, a little funky sometimes in fact.
Jason at Zebrahost wrote me a big description today of why Dropbox can get my user in Mexico a large file in 15 seconds, but it takes several minutes from our server in Singapore. This needs to end, we need to be addressing this.
Other requirements:
- I've gotten used to pretty good attention from Zebrahost. Good customer service is important.
- Be able to upload and download large files fast
- A port for websocket functionality
- A VPN for some customers
- Periodic Security analysis
I'm probably (a) not asking the right questions and (b) not all the right questions and (c) both a and b.
The constant learning of customers' needs, Alpha's features, and other daily demands (such as the two hours I spent on this stuff today and have little to show for it) leaves me short on the time to figure this stuff out.
If anyone's implemented something like this, love to talk to ya. Or, if anyone can point the way and say "This is where you head" that that would be great too. I need more education than I've been able to figure out for myself. And, I'm posting here because I think and hope others can benefit from the discussion as well.
Thanks.
We're with Zebrahost, are and have been fine with that. But we have a single SQL database. Sure, we can add more servers, more instances, but in the end that SQL database resides in one location. Or, maybe there's a way around that? I don't know.
So right now, we're tied to that database server, so we just add server instances or move to the IIS plugin but that still means distant servers to many (most) of our users. Combine that with "little" things in the way Alpha sometimes behaves with any and all crappy internet hubs across the globe and we get dissatisfaction.
If I understand things well enough, we need to scale horizontally, e.g. help everyone have a local, native-like experience. The time I'm spending dealing with the problems we've created for ourselves with our current situation would be much better spent building stuff with the latest Alpha tools. I can't get there as I try to manage these things.
Our team regularly travels the world so we have personal comparison of how the app works in many different places around the world. Our servers right now are in Singapore, and the Singapore experience is pretty darned good. But get to Dubai or the Bahamas (yes, very fast connection) and, not as good, a little funky sometimes in fact.
Jason at Zebrahost wrote me a big description today of why Dropbox can get my user in Mexico a large file in 15 seconds, but it takes several minutes from our server in Singapore. This needs to end, we need to be addressing this.
Other requirements:
- I've gotten used to pretty good attention from Zebrahost. Good customer service is important.
- Be able to upload and download large files fast
- A port for websocket functionality
- A VPN for some customers
- Periodic Security analysis
I'm probably (a) not asking the right questions and (b) not all the right questions and (c) both a and b.
The constant learning of customers' needs, Alpha's features, and other daily demands (such as the two hours I spent on this stuff today and have little to show for it) leaves me short on the time to figure this stuff out.
If anyone's implemented something like this, love to talk to ya. Or, if anyone can point the way and say "This is where you head" that that would be great too. I need more education than I've been able to figure out for myself. And, I'm posting here because I think and hope others can benefit from the discussion as well.
Thanks.
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