While the processing power of a EC2 t1.micro server sucks (benchmarks have shown it is slower than a Nokia N900 phone), network performance is well-known to be exceptional for EC2 servers throughout the spectrum of their offerings. Here's a ping test from my home computer with a ADSL connection in Ottawa, Canada to 194.8.15.1, one of the Dukascopy web servers.
PING 194.8.15.1 (194.8.15.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=1 ttl=242 time=149 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=2 ttl=242 time=134 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=3 ttl=242 time=135 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=4 ttl=242 time=148 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=5 ttl=242 time=135 ms
--- 194.8.15.1 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 received, 0% packet loss,
time 4003ms rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 134.364/140.579/149.726/7.053 ms
Then the same test from a EC2 t1.micro instance located in Dublin, Ireland (closest Amazon EC2 server location to Geneva).
PING 194.8.15.1 (194.8.15.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=1 ttl=243 time=40.9 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=2 ttl=243 time=41.2 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=3 ttl=243 time=49.0 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=4 ttl=243 time=41.2 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=5 ttl=243 time=41.2 ms
--- 194.8.15.1 ping statistics ---
5 packets transmitted, 5 received, 0% packet loss,
time 4005ms rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 40.961/42.728/49.013/3.154 ms
Exceptional, indeed. With the monthly pricing of a t1.micro going for around \$12/month, there are few reasons not to get a remote server to run your trading system rather than pray for your home internet connection to remain reliable 24/7.
Update with ping test from Berlin courtesy of commenter Holger:
Ping wird ausger 194.8.15.1 mit 32 Bytes Daten:
Antwort von 194.8.15.1: Bytes=32 Zeit=43ms TTL=244
Antwort von 194.8.15.1: Bytes=32 Zeit=43ms TTL=244
Antwort von 194.8.15.1: Bytes=32 Zeit=43ms TTL=244
Antwort von 194.8.15.1: Bytes=32 Zeit=43ms TTL=244
Ping-Statistik 194.8.15.1:
Pakete: Gesendet = 4, Empfangen = 4, Verloren = 0 (0% Verlust),
Ca. Zeitangaben in Millisek.: Minimum = 43ms, Maximum = 43ms, Mittelwert = 43ms
Update April 12, 2011: I've been using Rackspace Cloud (#2 cloud server provider, after Amazon). Here's the ping result from their London, UK server.
PING 194.8.15.1 (194.8.15.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=246 time=69.2 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=246 time=69.6 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=246 time=68.8 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=246 time=66.6 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=5 ttl=246 time=68.5 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=6 ttl=246 time=64.6 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=7 ttl=246 time=68.5 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=8 ttl=246 time=69.1 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=9 ttl=246 time=66.6 ms
--- 194.8.15.1 ping statistics ---
9 packets transmitted, 9 received, 0% packet loss,
time 8012ms rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 64.677/67.986/69.617/1.573 ms
Update April 26, 2011: I'm testing Quickweb Germany's VPS.
PING 194.8.15.1 (194.8.15.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=247 time=15.4 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=247 time=15.3 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=247 time=15.2 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=247 time=15.3 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=5 ttl=247 time=15.1 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=6 ttl=247 time=15.2 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_seq=7 ttl=247 time=15.4 ms
--- 194.8.15.1 ping statistics ---
7 packets transmitted, 7 received, 0% packet loss,
time 6000ms rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 15.152/15.306/15.463/0.116 ms
Update September 2013: DigitalOcean offers $5/month 512MB server plan with 20GB SSD. I've used them exclusively for other work. Here's a ping test from one of their Amsterdam servers.
PING 194.8.15.1 (194.8.15.1) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=2 ttl=245 time=21.5 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=3 ttl=245 time=22.4 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=4 ttl=245 time=22.6 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=5 ttl=245 time=21.5 ms
64 bytes from 194.8.15.1: icmp_req=6 ttl=245 time=22.4 ms
--- 194.8.15.1 ping statistics ---
6 packets transmitted, 5 received, 16% packet loss, time 5013ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 21.540/22.142/22.686/0.484 ms