We're looking for a new Virtual Private Server hosting provider. We just tried GoDaddy, but it turns out that $30/m really is too little to pay. (They use an old custom kernel, don't provide kernel modules for a firewall, won't let us upgrade the kernel, and say it is our responsibility to do so under the agreement.) I'm looking for recommendations and a bit more knowledge.
Is is normal to not be able to use stock distro kernels on a VPS? (The OS is CentOS 4.4, which I presume is XEN-enabled.)
What virtualization technology would normally be being used by a VPS hosting provider? Xen, UML, QEMU, VMWare, what?
Am I expecting too much from a VPS when I want to upgrade the kernel? I can do it with QEMU, but that's all I know.
Am I expecting too much from a VPS hosting provider when I want to set up a working firewall?