Happy Holidays from FutureQuest

[Terra]

Happy Holidays to all!

2010 is coming to a close and it has been a interesting year to say the least... All the work we did in 2009, to prepare us for the fluctuations in 2010, paid off and it allowed us to reposition ourselves into a much more viable position... As 2011 is around the corner, this position will allow us to invest (throughout 2011) in upgrading our Community Server hardware to the latest Genesis Class for the benefit of everyone... Most of the work done in 2010 was behind the scenes with building up and improving our infrastructure along with improving our overall stability across the board... We have also been working heavily with improving our 8th Generation Genesis Class server core and it has surpassed all expectations in production usage...

As we head into 2011, we have a few Christmas presents that can be realized now, and a few that will be ready in January, along with a rolling overhaul of Community Servers throughout the year...

So with no further delays, we are pleased to present the following:

Christmas Discount Coupon: (12/25/2010 through 1/5/2011)
50% off all New Annual Packages
25% off all New Monthly Packages
(Coupon code required and Monthly discount not applicable to Resold packages)

Bandwidth Allocation Increases (Effective Jan 1, 2011):

Package	Old	New
Visionary	25 GB	35 GB
Pioneer	40 GB	55 GB
Prospector	60 GB	75 GB
Trailblazer	75 GB	95 GB
Voyager	95 GB	115 GB
Odyssey	115 GB	140 GB
High Capacity	175 GB	200 GB
Managed QuestServer	300 GB	350 GB

Disk Space Increases for Genesis Class:
Last year, we were not able to increase disk space due to physical limits of the hard drives, and the same will be true this year... However, we have devised a plan to upgrade Disk Space for everyone throughout 2011 and this is a departure from waiting until the overhaul is done... As the Community Server's are upgraded to Genesis Class, we will add an upgrade button to the CNC ServerInfo Server Class Identifier... The initial number of upgrade slots available will be 200, and the upgrades will happen on a first come first serve basis... Right now, only domains with a dedicated IP will be eligible as those with a shared IP will need to be handled as a per server group...

The new (Genesis Class) Disk Space allocations (Effective Feb 1, 2011):

Package	Old	New
Visionary	500 MB	1000 MB
Pioneer	900 MB	1600 MB
Prospector	1300 MB	2100 MB
Trailblazer	1700 MB	2600 MB
Voyager	2000 MB	3000 MB
Odyssey	2500 MB	3700 MB
High Capacity	4000 MB	6000 MB

( Packages currently on a Genesis Class Server (GENESIS and NEON) will see the increased Disk Space February 1, 2011, as well as new Packages Activated after that date, and Upgrade Requests will also be accepted after that date.)

New CNC Feature: ApacheIPMgr

We have added a new Apache Global Block IP Manager (ApacheIPMgr), which will allow you to manage a global deny list that will cover both non-SSL and SSL operations in unison... This should help out those that maintain large global block lists, and moves the management to the CNC instead of having to manually edit large lists in your 'xdom/.htaccess' or 'www/.htaccess' file...

This module was a bit tricky to write as the standard Apache mod_access module would try to trump higher denys in higher up .htaccess files... As such, a new Apache core module (mod_FQblock_global) was necessary and it now provides a new directive FQdeny however you will not be using this directly as it is only valid in the "xdom/.htaccess" file... Both mod_FQblock_global and mod_access communicate with each other to ensure that blocking is carried out properly along with Apache properly honoring the mod_access allow directive...

In a nutshell, ApacheIPMgr controls the front door to your entire web site, along with your individual .htaccess file directives controlling the doors within your web site... What I have used it for is to block 'all' access to the site, but allow my IP into certain subdirectories (via .htaccess files) for testing out new code...

New CNC and Package Feature: MySQL access for One IRM (1st Qtr 2011)

We have had many requests to allow MySQL access to one IRM for development work... In 1st Quarter of 2011, we will be adding a new feature to the CNC MySQLMgr module that will allow you to select any one of your IRMs to provide it with MySQL access... The only restriction for this is that you must upgrade your MySQL operations to MySQL 5.x, for which we will provide an upgrade button in the MySQLMgr module to add your site to the MySQL 5.x upgrade queue...

We are looking forward to prosperous growth in 2011 and overhauling our Community Servers to bring forth the advanced features of our 8th Generation Genesis Class for everyone to enjoy!

For now, a wish from the entire FutureQuest Team for a very happy and safe holiday season and for a very prosperous and optimistic New Year!

Terra and The FutureQuest Team

[Tom]

Thank you too, Terra. You've been good folks all these years.

Might I put an upgrade to Questmail on the 2011 list? Times have changed quite a bit since it was first released a decade or so ago, and people desire a great deal more from their webmail client. Yes, I know I have the option to DIY and I have dabbled with failed attempts to install a nicer web mail client - but I just never have the time.

With kindest regards,
Tom

[Terra]

I wished we could have posted up details on that project, however the QM upgrade has been a rough road and it simply isn't stable enough to make any sort of announcement (yet)... However, it is high on the 2011 priority list and we are working steadfast on getting it production ready for mass usage...

[julieA]

Thank you! Futurequest REMAINS the BEST!
-julie ashley
wife of one, mother of ten

[SteveYoung]

Thanks for the MySql on one IRM, we asked about that years ago. We have one site that we were going to test with another vendor, this changes those plans.

This keeps the family together in one package and is much appreciated. It will be a lightweight site and I think fits the intent of your implementing this.

[manfred]

If you take a look into the "Package Allocations" within the QuestAdmin, you will see that there is something a little bit wrong.

Package Disk Space: 2600 MB ( < would be cool)
Extra Disk Space: -900 MB (do I get refund for the "not used disc space" )
Total Disk Space: 1700 MB ( < current discspace )

Manfred

[Bob]

Hello Manfred,

Ooops...

On Feb 1, 2011 we started with the Disk Space increases as noted in the Holiday Announcement and as we have two tiers right now we have had to add some additional parameters for displaying Disk Space Allocations and QuestAdmin has not yet been updated, it is being worked on later today.

But this does provide the opportunity to mention that we are now accepting requests for upgrades to Genesis Class for select packages (200 slots are available to start with).

For those that may require additional disk space now send an email, from the Account Primary contact email address, to Service@FutureQuest.net with your request.

Our apologies for any confusion,
Bob

[hobbes]

200 slots are available to start with

199

[manfred]

I hope 196

[sheila]

Manfred, this disk space display issue in QuestAdmin has now been fixed. All packages should now be displaying correct disk space usage and allowances.