It is now thirteen months since I shut down my attempt at a hosting operation. The final invoice from the colocation facility in Frankfurt has been settled as of today. As far as I know, all creditors have been made whole. I want to thank this community specifically. When I realized the business was not viable, several members here helped me draft the customer migration plan and the transparent shutdown notice. I did not disappear with prepaid funds. I did not sell the customer list. The GDPR-compliant data destruction certificates are available to any former customer upon request. This is a full circle post. I am back to being a hobbyist, and I am content with that.
Paid off server debt from failed host
Hey folks
Pinning this one. Not because we celebrate failure, but because we celebrate doing it right when it happens. 🙂
@Fritz48 modeled what an ethical wind-down looks like. Took longer. Cost more. But everyone slept soundly.
If anyone wants to see the playbook, check the pinned resources thread.
Actually (and I was here for this (back in my day (2019) we had a similar situation with someone running CentOS 7.6 who just ghosted)) the thing that struck me was the migration plan. Most people (myself included (I run NetBSD 9.3 on a toaster in my closet)) would not have thought to negotiate with Contabo for bulk transfer pricing.
What could go wrong: unpaid server debt becomes personal guarantee liability. The colo locks the cage and auctions your drives!
WARNINGS to anyone reading: debt is not just money, it is data custody. Fritz48 did this correctly. 👀
I still recommend fail2ban on any remaining personal machines.
The discipline required to absorb losses rather than externalize them is rare in this industry. I have watched three separate operators abandon their machines and their customers in the past two years.
-- Marcus