I live in a place where I can't trade from home because the only service provider I have is a wireless 4G provider. I can't trade with this connection because it is too spotty. I would like recommendations for a dedicated server (or possibly higher-end VPS) server somewhere in NY or NJ that I can remote desktop into, and that has some minimal redundancy so I can be reasonably sure the connection to the broker is not lost. Does anyone have any recommendations? Thanks.
I was shopping around for a VPS and found AutomatedVPS, voxel.net, Enotch, NYNOC, clubvps, hostpolar, vpsspeed and many others in downtown New York. Some have negative reviews that they were unreliable .... one bad review is enough to scare me away. For AutomatedVPS and voxel.net, I only found positive feedback. Voxel is more expensive so I went with AutomatedVPS and have been happy. The support is good and I've never had a hiccup - you get the resources you pay for so it is almost as good as a dedicated server. In any case check www.webhostingtalk.com for special offers and don't be afraid to deal.
1) What sort of applications have you been able to run, and is their build/configuration clean and minimal? 2) How do they manage security? Do they automatically patch and reboot your servers, or can you control that? Windows is not usually my primary system, so I am left wondering whether I can expect something like a patch Tuesday with a random reboot when I have a futures hedge I put on at odd hours. Is this something I will have to actively manage?
My package is Windows Server 2008, dual core 2.8Ghz, 2GB RAM and everything runs as expected within those specs (including intensive stuff like backtesting). That might not be the case with all providers if they are overselling. For security, in my case it is hands-off, I have my own password. So it is up 24/7. I apply my own updates, software reboot and it comes back in a minute. The term is unmanaged hosting (vs. managed hosting where they take care of things for you).
Have you looked at Amazon AWS? I get pings of about 21 ms from their Virginia farm to NY and Chicago, and except for that recent outage, it has been very reliable for me (I guess that's an oxymoron of sorts, but still...). Windows or Linux, run whatever you want.
How do you know if a VPS provider is overselling? Just based on reputation or metrics that you've got placed in your code?
+1 If you really want to shave the milliseconds, chances are you can colo with your broker or they can give you a referral. I looked at Amazon AWS, yes it is about 21ms, but my VPS is just a couple miles away from my broker and I typically get 2-3ms for about the same price.
I'm confused. Your connection is spotty. How would remote desktop make the your connection more reliable? You're still using the same spotty connection connected to a more reliable connection connected to your broker. If your connection to a remote desktop fails, how is that any different or better than if your connection fails while connected directly to your broker? As mentioned, I'm confused.