The migration of SurvivalBlog’s web server to Sweden is complete. The new dedicated server is now humming along nicely with 5 Terabytes of available bandwidth, utilizing very fast dual-quad core processors. The kinks have nearly all been worked out. Now that the DNS propagation has been completed, SurvivalBlog is also back to a #1 ranking when you search “Survival Blog” in the major search engines like Bing, Yahoo, and Google.
We are now down to just one sticky issue with McAfee anti-virus software displaying a false malware warning when SurvivalBlog is visited. This is because our server’s IP address falls in the numeric range of our new web hosting company, IT-Staden AB (aka “Server Connect”) in Hudiksvall, Gävleborg, Sweden. (They are located about 170 miles north of Stockholm.) It seems that there had been some past indiscretions by some Swedish or Russian hackers that had been customers of the same web hosting company. Rather than pinpointing the particular IP addresses of the “bad boys”, McAfee’s software takes the sledgehammer approach and displays the warning flag for anyone using servers in large blocks of IP address numbers. I will be contacting McAfee about getting this rectified. For now, you can just ignore McAfee’s malware warning message, but only when you visit SurvivalBlog.com.
Several readers have asked: “Why did you get a server in Sweden?”
In a nutshell, these were our reasons:
- First, and foremost, we needed to find web hosting in a country with a stable, neutral government that is not “Beholden to Holder.” (Yes, SOPA/PIPA/ACTA–or something like it–is still a concern.)
- We needed a reliable server with high uptime. (Sweden has very reliable hydroelectric power, ane Hudiksvall is well removed from major European pupulation centers.)
- Lower cost for monthly bandwidth.
Update (2015): We later migrated to a dedicated server in Holland.