Archive for November 14th, 2008

H-Sphere Control Panel Review

The H-Sphere control panel is developed by PSOFT, Comodo’s website hosting and server automation division.  It currently runs on the most popular operating systems including Windows, Linux and Unix and supports a number of database systems such as MySQL, MSSQL and PostgreSQL.  Scripted in the Java programming language, H-Sphere is a multiserver hosting solution capable of handling any database compliant with SQL.

Features

H-Sphere is known for its ease of use and functionality.  It comes with an integrated billing system and offers various payment methods.  The program also supports nearly thirty payment gateways along with six E-payment services including PayPal.  A plethora of tools make it easy to design and maintain your site with support for Microsoft web building technologies and numerous programming scripts.  H-Sphere provides easy access to your web hosting provider with a built-in support system.

Benefits

Recent analysis of competitive web hosting control panels among H-Sphere, cPanel, Ensim and Plesk indicate that H-sphere is the most secure and reliable.  As a highly extensible multiserver cluster, it has the ability to manage a wide range of servers from a central location.  Your databases, mail and domains can all be maintained right from the user interface.  H-Sphere also allows you to integrate more servers with a few easy clicks.

H-Sphere isn’t as much recognized for ease of use like other solutions.  For this reason, the novice may find it somewhat complex for their hosting needs.  On the other hand, the experienced webmaster will appreciate the advanced feature set and all the control this program gives the end-user.  For those who require assistance, H-Sphere provides a lot of online documentation along with help from the program’s vast community of users.

With multilingual support in more than 10 languages and exclusive features, H-Sphere sets the stage for an efficient hosting environment.

Disadvantages

H-Sphere offers several benefits but its disadvantages are considerably greater than other control panels.  For instance, licenses for H-sphere accounts tend to be more expensive than the competition.  These licenses are however, reusable and sold as clusters rather than a server, the situation with Ensim.

Going back to complexity, the installation, configuration and upgrade procedures for H-Sphere call for a higher level of system administration.  Although everything runs seamlessly after being set up, just getting there can be a challenge for beginners.   Some users have also stated that the saturation of advanced features makes this control panel too complicated for a small business solution, particularly when used as a single-server installation.  Supporters have fired back by claiming that the benefits of H-Sphere are more abundant when used on a clustered multi-server platform.

Other complaints are related to the extensive use of Java which serves as a drawback for some.  A client-side firewall may also block out the software without proper configurations.  The biggest knock on H-Sphere is the lack of a comprehensive data backup utility, a feature that has essentially become standard on the control panel market.

Conclusion

So is H-Sphere right for you?  It certainly makes a viable hosting solution, but you should definitely take the good and the bad into consideration.