H-Sphere

H-Sphere

Stable release	3.6.2 / May 15, 2013
Written in	Java
Operating system	Linux, FreeBSD, Windows
Type	Web hosting control panel
License	proprietary
Website	http://www.parallels.com/products/hsphere/

H-Sphere is a web hosting Automation Control Panel for shared web hosting services that was developed by Positive Software and acquired by Parallels, Inc. in September 2007.^[1] It is available for Linux, Unix and Windows environments and works with MySQL, PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server databases. H-Sphere has been written in Java and works with any SQL-compliant database.

Features

• Built-in billing system with variety of payment methods
• various hosting solutions (*nix and Windows, database, load balancing, RealMedia, MS Exchange, SharePoint, FreeVPS, etc.)
• electronic mail system with antivirus and antispam filtering and integrated WebMail
• around 30 Payment gateways and 6 E-Payment Providers supported
• integrated support center
• multiple user tools
• integrated PHP/MySQL applications, both built-in and by means of add-ons^[2]

Advantages

• Scalable multiserver cluster: different physical and logical servers (web, mail, DNS etc.) are managed from one control panel. More servers can be added on the fly.
• Multilingual support includes English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese (Brazil), and several other languages integrated by means of add-ons.
• H-Sphere is recognized for end-user features availability, such as mail system, site building tools, SSL, etc. "Beginning webmasters may find H-Sphere too complicated for their needs. More advanced users, however, appreciate the features and control that H-Sphere offers the end user."^[3]
• H-Sphere may give place to other panels as regards its ease of use, but not its online documentation.
• H-Sphere has enlisted a community of online supporters who name it among their favorite control panels.^[4]

Disadvantages

• Licenses for H-Sphere accounts are more expensive than those of its competitors. Though, it is noted that H-Sphere licenses are reusable and sold for a cluster, not for a server, as with Ensim Pro.
• Some customers state H-Sphere has too many advanced features and thus is a too complicated solution for small hosting companies, especially as a single server installation. While others note that H-Sphere advantages are more demonstrable on multi-server clusters.
• On a single server mode H-Sphere consumes more server resources than other major single server control panels.^[5]
• H-Sphere control panel interface extensively uses JavaScript. Some reviewers regard it as a disadvantage.^[6]
• H-Sphere control panel by default works on non-standard 8080 and 8443 ports that may be blocked by client-side firewalls; but this can easily be changed in the configuration.
• H-Sphere does not provide a comprehensive tool for its backup.^[7]
• H-Sphere (like cPanel, but unlike Plesk) provides online file source editing, however with H-Sphere only allows editing of .txt or .html files and without line numbers in edit mode, thus limiting PHP and other script editing possibilities.

other webhosting control panel software

• Baifox
• cPanel
• DirectAdmin
• Hosting Controller
• ispCP
• ISPConfig
• Kloxo
• Plesk
• SysCP
• Webmin

See also

• Parallels, the maintainers of H-Sphere
• Web hosting control panel
• Comparison of web hosting control panels

References

1. http://www.parallels.com/news/id,7347
2. Hsphere review. 24/7 Solutions.
3. Choosing the best Reseller Web Hosting software. Web Hosting Diary.
4. Your Favourite Control Panel? Reseller Board.
5. Post here, your favorite Control Panel. WebHostingTalk Forums.
6. Hosting Obzor
7. Control Panels. Steadfast Community Forum.

External links

• H-Sphere home page
• Positive Software Partner page
• H-Sphere community forum
• H-Sphere Documentation
• Increasing H-Sphere Security - link is also found at http://www.psoft.net/HSdocumentation/sysadmin/index.html General Info section