[LightDestory]

As the title says I would like to suggest to improve our VPS plan page with a ComboBox* for each VPS plan that lists every OS available for the interested plan.
For example when I got my OpenVZ VPS I requested a OS that wasn't available, so on the VPS was installed the latest available Os that could match my request but it didn't work for me and I had to open a ticket.
This solution can help us to choose a VPS also regarding the available OS and prevent Support Ticket to request a change of OS, like mine.
This feedback should work over OpenVZ and no-panel VPSes, VPS with a dedicated panel doesn't need any information because the user will already know what it is available.
* ComboBox is the formal name of a interface component that on raw HTML we can refer so the <select></select> tag. I don't know if MyBB introduces a sort of better implementation such as "drop-down" elements.
Regards,
LightDestory.

[deanhills]

Warning:  rant coming ...

Great idea but who is going to do all of the hard work? Not only will it be hard work to set it up, but even harder work to maintain as sponsors don't do the OS on a one-off fixed forever basis.  One will have to periodically go back in to check through the panels to update the records.  And then there will be inevitably your bright sparks in the Forum who will make it sound as though you're not doing "your job", making inquiries, creating yet more work to answer their inquiries, as though it is your job to do and you're not really doing your job right, if it is not perfectly maintained.   Or worse, make inquiries without referring to the information.  Simply because it's supposed to be there.

For example.  Do you know what hard work it was to put together the VPS Holders List?  This also started as a suggestion a year ago.  So I did it.  And I'm maintaining it.  But how many members in this Forum are really referring to it?  And how many members really appreciated the effort that went into it?  Not only was there a lot of effort to create that Holders List, but I also have to maintain it every month and update the records.  I can't see how the effort that went into creating the list is justified by the lack of interest in it after it has been created.  

Worst of all, I'm almost certain if we do a research the majority of members don't pay attention to OS when they check out the VPS Plans.  Their eyes are in the majority fixed on the specs.  So this project will only benefit a very tiny minority of power users.

Don't get me wrong.  I think it's a great idea.  But it is very labour intensive  If you can figure out a way where there isn't work involved, then let's do it.

[LightDestory]

Warning:  rant coming ...

Great idea but who is going to do all of the hard work? Not only will it be hard work to set it up, but even harder work to maintain as sponsors don't do the OS on a one-off fixed forever basis.  One will have to periodically go back in to check through the panels to update the records.  And then there will be inevitably your bright sparks in the Forum who will make it sound as though you're not doing "your job", making inquiries, creating yet more work to answer their inquiries, as though it is your job to do and you're not really doing your job right, if it is not perfectly maintained.   Or worse, make inquiries without referring to the information.  Simply because it's supposed to be there.

This would be very sad, the community should respect the staff's effort that makes this community great and functional as it is.


I think that every effort should be only appreciated because... well no one owe you anything.

Don't get me wrong. I think it's a great idea. But it is very labour intensive If you can figure out a way where there isn't work involved, then let's do it.

Well, we can say that all OpenVZ 6 or 7 VPS shares the available OS and they are almost fixed and listed here:

• OpenVZ 6 list
  
• OpenVZ 7 list
  

Regarding KVM with no panel... Well I don't know. How do you manage them?
Most of the providers have a service called "Custom ISO mount" so I can think about that if you are not paying for it, you have a fixed ISO choosing list.
IF these list are public I or some other developer can develop a simple crawler to get them and provide an API with JSON response to Post4VPS.

[deanhills]

OK understood thanks for your response @LightDestory.  Let's wait to hear what other members say.  It is obviously a very good idea.  Like with VPS 9 we know about the Ubuntu limitation - but it is not generally known.  Hopefully that will be sorted during the KVM change.  Let's see what others think about the idea, and I'll then do this as a long term project.  Possibly in rough first - maybe create a Thread with the info (under construction) in the VPS Discussion section first.  And let it evolve from there and drop in place eventually.

[youssefbasha]

I agree on lightdestroy's idea.
I was surprised that my VPS doesn't support CentOS 7 till Dynamo contacted the support and installed it for me

[tryp4vps]

I have to say I disagree with this particular suggestion. Because there is no easy way to automate the process of making an OS list for each VPS plan and keeping it updated.

Dean has been spending substantial amount of his time for this community. We should not add him too much burdens requiring manual updates.

For the same reasons, the maintenance of the VPS Holders List should also be stopped.

[LightDestory]

I have to say I disagree with this particular suggestion. Because there is no easy way to automate the process of making an OS list for each VPS plan and keeping it updated.

Dean has been spending substantial amount of his time for this community. We should not add him too much burdens requiring manual updates.

For the same reasons, the maintenance of the VPS Holders List should also be stopped.

As already said, OpenVZ available oses are almost already listed and they don't change at all. See my previous message.
Regarding KVM, the topic gets a bit complicated and I don't have much data to purpose a solution but as I have previously mentioned, there must be a OS list because if you don't pay for "Custom ISO Mount" service then you have to choose from a list given by provider.

If these lists are publicly available it is easy to create a scraper/crawler to automate and update the listing.

This post wasn't intended to create troubles and excessive work to @deanhills and the other staff. 

I don't know much about @Dynamo (If I am not wrong, he coded the Point system of this forum) but it should be possible to automatize the Holder list using a custom PHP announce/page that reads record from a very basic database table.

[deanhills]

As already said, OpenVZ available oses are almost already listed and they don't change at all. See my previous message.
Regarding KVM, the topic gets a bit complicated and I don't have much data to purpose a solution but as I have previously mentioned, there must be a OS list because if you don't pay for "Custom ISO Mount" service then you have to choose from a list given by provider.

If these lists are publicly available it is easy to create a scraper/crawler to automate and update the listing.

This post wasn't intended to create troubles and excessive work to @deanhills and the other staff. 

I don't know much about @Dynamo (If I am not wrong, he coded the Point system of this forum) but it should be possible to automatize the Holder list using a custom PHP announce/page that reads record from a very basic database table.

Thanks @LightDestory. Also thank you to @tryp4vps. @LightDestory, this is a great suggestion and I know the intention is to serve the Forum and provide an additional service to VPS Holders. I personally support it. Let's see what Dynamo thinks about this. I know Dynamo likes to work on projects like these over the summer - although that was when he still was a student. Not sure what his current project priority status is, except as far as I know his next project was to create admin panels for the VPSs that don't have admin panels. I think that project is probably outranking the current suggestion. But there are always a few ways of doing something, if Dynamo sees it as a viable project. We may consult you about this once he has time to work through the suggestion.

[rudra]

having an available os list is futile and unnecessary work too.

on kvm systems,
you can install almost anything from iso on hdd by a little searching on Google.. i always download the netinstall image on storage after partitioning and go from there.

[LightDestory]

having an available os list is futile and unnecessary work too.

on kvm systems,
you can install almost anything from iso on hdd by a little searching on Google.. i always download the netinstall image on storage after partitioning and go from there.

Please thing about it and read all the conversation before reply.
As I have already stated, this suggestion applies well to OpenVZ VPSes because these VPSes have LIMITED CHOOSE and currently only someone that know about OpenVZ 6 or Virtuozzo 7 (OpenVZ 7) wiki can find the available OS.

Fortunately VPS providers are starting to leave OpenVZ 6 virtualization: some, like VirMach, is switching over KVM, others are upgrading to Virtuozzo 7 (because it is still a very good cheap and overselling solution).

Regarding your suggestion about 'netinstall image'... how can VPS holders without Control Panel do it? Do you know how many VPS that uses KVM virtualization comes without Control Panel? 
I will liste them for you:

• 2x VPS 6
  
• 7x VPS 9 (Soon when VirMach will finish its upgrading)
  
• 1x VPS 17
  
• 2x VPS 18
  

For at total of 12 VPS out of 32 VPSes. Currently you have to ask staff which OS are available to use and then ask again to install it for you. If you know already what OSes are available you can short the communications and increase the efficiency.
As I have already said, this feedback isn't intended to add much work, we are talking about low frequency changing lists: OpenVZ lists are likely freezed, "Custom ISO Mount" is not a service that all can use, for example VirMach doesn't provide on Post4VPS's sponsored VPSes, so KVM list can be see as fixed list that doesn't change so often.