ServerTastic Blog - Stuff that happens at ServerTastic and other product related things

Advanced warning of ServerTastic system maintenance

This is an advanced notice of maintenance to the ServerTastic system.

Week commencing Monday 22nd February 2010 we will be making some infrastructure changes. This will involve relocation of system databases and the main website.

This may mean a slow down in website performance at some times and the site may be unavailable for short periods of time.

This work is required to ensure the ongoing stability of ServerTastic as we continue to grow.

Status updates will be posted to Twitter with the hashtag #ststatus

Thank you for your continued support.

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Filed under  //   ServerTastic   ststatus  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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SmarterTools Reseller Performance

Over the years we have sold many products on ServerTastic. One of the companies we have worked with from the start has been SmarterTools. They produce an awseome range of products including SmarterMail (a highly efficient mail server with ActiveSync support), SmarterStats (a mega powerful web site statistics package with SEO reporting) and SmarterTrack (a customer service portal as used on ServerTastic).

This morning I received an email from them detailing my current reseller performance (we have to meet certain quarterly sales targets). In the summary was the lifetime total products sold. I have done a screen grab below as I could not believe it myself!


Yes we have sold $415,351.96 worth of SmarterTools products! This proves a number of things. 
  • SmarterTools produce fantastic products
  • It was the right decision to become a reseller. We have also renewed our partnership for another year; Press Release.
  • You (our customers) clearly love the products (and I am grateful you chose ServerTastic as your reseller)
If you have not heard of SmarterTools before check out the range of products on our website available for a 10% discount over RRP.

We also have SmarterMail 6.x DemoWolf tutorials available at a massive 60% discount!

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Filed under  //   ServerTastic   smartermail   smarterstats   smartertools   smartertrack  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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Could iPad be the worst choice of name?

An amusing video I thought you customers might enjoy.

Apple have recently launched the iPad. An oversized iPhone that doesn't make phone calls. But could this be one of the worst choice of names this decade?

Even more amusing is the fact this sketch was produced 4 years ago.

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Filed under  //   Apple   Funny   iPad   youtube  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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True BusinessID with EV $174 Year - Offer Ends Soon

The True BusinessID with EV promotion is due to end on 31st January 2010.

This is an ideal opportunity to purchase an Extended Validation certificate with green address bar technology for an extremely low price.

For more details see our earlier post True BusinessID with EV - $174 year.

NOTE: You must have requested your certificate by 31st January 2010 to qualify for the promotional pricing.

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Filed under  //   EV   Geotrust   Promotions   SSL   True BusinessID  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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ServerTastic Status Updates

With the popularity of ServerTastic growing and some of our customers using the service daily it is apparent we need a reliable way to communicate potential problems with our system/order process.

We do not like to hide away when we have an issue or pretend like nothing is wrong "must have been your connection" - how many times have you heard that one?

So we have started to use twitter as a method of communicating any problems which affect the order process or website systems. Specifically the hash tag #ststatus - so if you are a twitter user you can follow us @servertastic or simply monitor the #ststatus hashtag.

If you do not use twitter we have also set-up a Feedburner URL with these status updates included so you can subscribe with your favourite RSS reader.  The Feedburner is not working as expected at the moment - sorry!

We know everyone hates it when things go wrong and how frustrating it can be. This is our way of letting you know that we are aware of issues and we are working on them.

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Filed under  //   ServerTastic   ststatus  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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Enom DNS Outage, Host your own DNS

What a great way to start the new year. Yesterday we had an outage which lasted just under a couple of hours. It was not a complete outage some customers were still able to access the website and place orders, but then some of those orders did not process correctly.

The problem was due to Enom DNS servers being the target of a Denial of Service attack leading to around 30 million websites going off-line. (Simple explanation: DNS servers convert domain names into IP addresses so computers can talk to each other. A Denial of Service attack is when a computer system is flooded with data causing it to fail or become unresponsive - remember geeks not everyone understands these things!)

We use the Enom DNS service, like many others do, because it provides us with less to manage internally. However as the Enom system has become so large it has also become a target.

The alternative is to host your own DNS server. This is something we (and no doubt many others) are now considering. Well if you are considering hosting your own DNS servers then take a look at SimpleDNS Plus from JH Software. Easy to use and comes with a free trial.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused by the DNS problems. If you have any questions or comments please let us know.

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Filed under  //   DNS   Enom   JH Soft   ServerTastic   SimpleDNS  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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RapidSSL Re-issuance Insurance

Over the last few months there has been a steady increase in support requests about re-issuing RapidSSL certificates and insurance.

RapidSSL certificates without insurance can be re-issued an unlimited number of times for the first 7 days after the certificate has been issued. This is not the day it was purchased from ServerTastic but the issuance date stated within the certificate.

This 7 day period is provided in case you have problems with installation and need to re-issue the certificate.

After these 7 days have passed it is not possible to re-issue the certificate unless you have insurance. If it is day 8 and you need to re-issue the certificate then sorry but you can't!

It is therefore important that if you are having installation problems during the first week that you seek assistance. If it is coming to the end of the first 7 days and you have not yet got the installation completed contact us and we can cancel the order and you can then start again. We are only able to cancel orders without charge within the first 7 days.

If you purchased your certificate without insurance it is possible to purchase re-issuance insurance directly from RapidSSL at a later date but this will cost more than purchasing a new RapidSSL from ServerTastic.

If you purchase your certificate with insurance then you can re-issue the certificate as many times as you want for the life of the certificate. You do not have to worry about server crashes, corruption or having to move server.

So it is important to note the following points when purchasing your certificate without insurance:

  • You can only re-issue your certificate during the first 7 days
  • You are responsible for maintaining a backup of your certificate
  • If you suffer a server failure and do not have a back-up you will have to purchase the certificate again
  • If you need to move servers/host and can not export your existing certificate you will have to purchase it again
Final Comment:
We are not trying to be awkward or unfriendly. However ServerTastic is a low cost provider. The margins on RapidSSL certificates are very small. As such we are unable to pay for re-issues to customers who do not have insurance. Please if you are unsure we highly recommend spending a little extra and getting the insurance.

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Filed under  //   RapidSSL   SSL  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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True BusinessID with EV Promotion extended to 31 January 2010 - $174.00 Year

The True BusinessID with EV $174.00 Year promotion has been extended to 31st January 2010.

This is an ideal opportunity to try out an EV certificate on your website for a fraction of the normal price. For more information check out my original blog post about the promotion.

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Filed under  //   EV   Geotrust   Promotions   SSL   True BusinessID  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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SmarterTools Release SmarterTrack 4.7.3636

SmarterTools announces the release of SmarterTrack 4.7.3636, which is available as a FREE minor version upgrade to all SmarterTrack customers with current upgrade protection (10% discount with ServerTastic).

Highlights of the SmarterTrack 4.7.3636 release include:

  • EFFICIENCY: Redundant queries no longer occur when logged in as the primary administrator.
  • EFFICIENCY: Roles and permissions now require less database interaction.
  • FIXED: Agents can now modify their own custom email footer.
  • FIXED: Canned replies assigned to Everyone can now be edited by agents.
  • FIXED: Regenerating a summary report now groups data as expected.
  • And more...

A complete listing of the new features and improvements is available on the SmarterTrack Release Notes page. To access this latest version, visit the SmarterTrack Download page.

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Filed under  //   SmarterTools   SmarterTrack  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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ServerTastic FeedBurner

The ServerTastic Blog is now available as a FeedBurner feed. You can now follow the blog in your favourite reader. This is just another method you can use to keep up to date with ServerTastic. If you do not understand all this "RSS feed" stuff then do not worry there are other options you can use to keep up to date.

ServerTastic FeedBurner

 

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Filed under  //   FeedBurner   ServerTastic  
Posted by Andy Gambles 

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