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H-Sphere is a web hosting Automation Control Panel for shared web hosting services. It is currently available for Linux, Unix and Windows environments and works with MySQL, PostgreSQL and Microsoft SQL Server databases. H-Sphere is a scalable multiserver web hosting solution. H-Sphere has been written in Java and works with any SQL-compliant database. It runs only industry standard software.^[1]

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

• According to a comparative web-hosting control panels analysis of Cpanel, Ensim Pro, H-Sphere and Plesk,^[3] H-Sphere has been assigned the highest rating in terms of security and reliability.
• 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."^[4]
• 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.^[5]

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.
• H-Sphere installation, upgrade and configuration procedure can be complicated and requires competent system administrators. Once installed and configured, however, H-Sphere works smoothly.
• 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.^[6]
• On a single server mode H-Sphere consumes more server resources than other major single server control panels. ^[7]
• H-Sphere control panel interface extensively uses JavaScript. Some reviewers regard it as a disadvantage.^[8]
• 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.^[9]

Competing software

• Baifox
• cPanel
• DirectAdmin
• Hosting Controller
• ispCP
• ISPConfig
• Lxadmin
• Plesk
• SysCP
• Webmin
• VHCS

See also

• Swsoft owns Positive Software, the maintainers of H-Sphere
• Graphical web-based web-hosting control panel

References

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