Service Level Agreement

As described below, DesignHost's SLA provides commitments based upon goals in three key areas:

  1. Network Service Availability: The DesignHost Network will be available to Customer free of network outages for 100% of the time.
  2. Network Service Latency: The average monthly Latency (speed) of the DesignHost Network will not exceed 95 milliseconds round-trip.
  3. Network Packet Loss: The average monthly Packet Loss (reliability) of the DesignHost network will not exceed 1%.

Network Service Level Agreement

This Service Level Agreement (SLA) applies only to DesignHost customers receiving service within the contiguous United States who are (i) customers of DesignHost point-to-point and T1/T3/OC3/OC12 services, (ii) virtual private server and GeoHost customers, or (iii) colocation and dedicated server customers. This SLA does not apply to other customers of DesignHost, including, without limitation, those with Dial-up, xDSL, ISDN, and other hosting products not specifically listed in items (i), (ii), and (iii).

This SLA provides Customers with certain rights and remedies regarding the performance of the DesignHost Network. The "DesignHost Network" means the DesignHost owned and operated Internet Protocol (IP) routing infrastructure consisting solely of DesignHost measurement devices at selected DesignHost points of presence ("Selected POP's") and the connections between them in the forty-eight continental United States. The amount of credit available per month is subject to a cap described below.

 

Hardware Replacement Guarantee for DesignHost's Servers and Equipment

DesignHost guarantees the replacement of any faultering hardware component within a four (24) hour window from the time one of its technicians verifies its need for replacement. Notwithstanding DesignHost's ongoing monitoring of all hardware, Customer assumes sole responsibility for notifying DesignHost of any interruption of service from such failure. The 24-hour Hardware Replacement Guarantee begins from the point of diagnostic verification of hardware failure after Customer has duly notified DesignHost. Should hardware replacement require longer than 24 hours, Customer will be notified, and a pro-rated credit of his monthly service fee will be applied to his account.

 

Power Guarantee

DesignHost guarantees that electrical power will be available 100% of the time (excluding scheduled maintenance). Included in this guarantee are all power systems including UPS equipment, power busway, batteries and PDU systems. Power supplies of individual servers are not included under this section, but are covered under Hardware Guarantee.

 

Latency Guarantee

DesignHost is committed to keep Average Round-Trip Latency on the DesignHost Network to 95 milliseconds or less. "Average Round-Trip Latency", with respect to a given month, means the average time required for round-trip packet transfers between Selected POP's on the DesignHost Network during such month, as measured by DesignHost.

If Average Round-Trip Latency on the DesignHost Network for a calendar month exceeds 95 milliseconds, then upon Customer's request (in accordance with the procedure set forth below), DesignHost will issue free 1 month credit to the Customer.

 

Packet Loss Guarantee

DesignHost is committed to keep Average Packet Loss on the DesignHost Network to 1% or less. "Average Packet Loss", with respect to a given month, means the average percentage of IP packets transmitted on the DesignHost Network during such month that are not successfully delivered, as measured by DesignHost. If Average Packet Loss exceeds 1% during a calendar month, then upon Customer's request (in accordance with the procedure set forth below), DesignHost will issue free 1 month credit to the Customer.

The terms of this SLA relating to Average Round-Trip Latency and Average Packet Loss will take effect the first full calendar month after Customer's first use of the DesignHost Network.

 

Access Fee Definitions

The Access Fee for all Customers is the base monthly access fee paid by Customer for use of the applicable DesignHost service at the amount of data transfer allowed each month without additional charge, excluding set-up fees, fees for additional services, and for server and other types of options. Such excluded fees will vary by the type of applicable service, and could consist of fees for local loop, custom software configuration, extra and/or burstable bandwidth, add-on components, extra IP addresses, hourly support charges, electricity when an additional fee is charged for such an item, and managed services.

 

Measurement

DesignHost will periodically (every 15 minutes on average) measure the DesignHost Network at Selected POP's using software and hardware components capable of measuring application traffic and responses at such Selected POP's. Customer acknowledges that not every POP may be covered by such measurements, that such measurements may not measure the exact path traversed by Customer's packets, and that such measurements constitute measurements across the DesignHost Network but not other networks to which Customer may connect. DesignHost reserves the right to periodically change the measurement points and methodologies it uses without notice to Customer. Measurements for latency and packet loss will be posted to a Web site designated by DesignHost and made available to Customer.

 

How to Request a Credit Per This Service Level Agreement

Customer must first report a loss of service by opening an online support ticket via the DesignHost Client Area with information on the nature of the outage. To request credit, customer may open a second online support ticket within 7 days via the DesignHost Client Area. This must reference the first support ticket number. DesignHost will credit Customer only from the time and date stamp of the initial support ticket submittal, and only if commensurate with the definitions of service outages in this agreement. To insure the privacy and security of both the Customer and DesignHost, reports of outages and requests for credits per this Agreement must be completed via support ticket only. Requests via e-mail, telephone, fax, physical mail, or any other means will not be processed.

 

Exceptions

Notwithstanding anything in the SLA to the contrary, Customer shall not receive any credits under this SLA if customer has been delinquent on any bills or payments within the past 90 days, or found in violation of any DesignHost Terms of Service.

Notwithstanding anything in the SLA to the contrary, Customer shall not receive any credits under this SLA in connection with any failure or deficiency of the DesignHost Network caused by or associated with:

  1. Circumstances beyond DesignHost's reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of any governmental body, war, insurrection, sabotage, embargo, fire, flood, storm, strike or other labor disturbance, interruption of or delay in transportation, unavailability of or interruption or delay in telecommunications or third party services, failure of third party software or inability to obtain raw materials, supplies, or power used in or equipment needed for provision of the Service Level Agreement;
  2. Failure of access circuits to the DesignHost Network, unless such failure is caused solely by DesignHost;
  3. General telco failure;
  4. Scheduled maintenance and upgrades;
  5. DNS issues outside the direct control of DesignHost;
  6. Outage or error of any DesignHost measurement system;
  7. Excessive traffic/load on Customer's server(s) which impedes server performance;
  8. Customers' acts or omissions, including without limitation, any negligence, willful misconduct, or use of the DesignHost Network or DesignHost services in breach of DesignHost's Terms and Conditions and Acceptable Use Policy, by Customers or others authorized by Customers;
  9. Denial of Service (DoS) and/or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) (malevolent efforts of a person or persons to prevent DesignHost's or Customer's (or clients of Customer's) servers or service from functioning efficiently or at all).

General

DesignHost reserves the right to change or modify this SLA at any time effective upon the posting thereof on this website. Except as set forth in this SLA, DesignHost makes no claims regarding the availability or performance of the DesignHost Network or DesignHost services.