Results 1 to 23 of 23
  1. #1

    VBulletin and Dedi server?

    Hi all,

    I've been sitting on a Hostgator (HG)dedi "elite" server for several years and am still having problems when I get 300+ users in my forum. The forum will start to run very slow, time out and then crash. HG's answer to this?

    PHP script websites like vbulletin aren't typically meant for traffic like that.
    He also mentioned CloudFlare and optimization.

    I can't afford a bigger server and don't know what to do. Optimize my server? My VB is already optimized.

    Any and all help would be appreciated.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Posts
    72
    Configure vBulletin with APC. (Refer to config.php file of vBulletin).
    Replace MySQL with MariaDB. (I've done this and noticed a nice improvement.)
    Configure PHP to handle more connections.
    Cloudflare can minimize your HTML, JavaScript and CSS and caches your images.

    Fine tine your settings, what time-out error are you receiving? What crashes?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2000
    Posts
    2,063
    Which version of Vb is it? If it's Vb4 or 5, it's time to ditch Vbulletin.
    I choose not to use my signature for advertising.

    It doesn't matter how much you claim how important your data is. If it's not backed up, it's not important.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    2,103
    You could get a much better server for your money at another provider.

    An Intel Xeon E3 would contain the same amount of cores and threads as your current, and an E3 are much faster than the 2.5GHz yours currently offers, this will increase speed. Also, having SSD rather than HDD would probably be beneficial also. A CDN will help, it will deliver images, taking the load off the server, so using CloudFlare would be a good option as well.

    Oh, and my final suggestion, use LiteSpeed rather than Apache.

  5. #5
    Thank you all for the input! I don't understand most of it, though I'm "server stupid".

    The version is VB 4.2.2.

    It appears I'm on Linux with PHP Version 5.3.21

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    3,662
    For $279 a month, you could find a significantly more powerful server. You might want to look at migrating to someone who will offer you something with SSDs, more RAM, and a newer processor.

    Did HostGator migrate you to their EIG location? Edit: Can you ask HostGator what the cause of your problems are (CPU, RAM, HDD)?
    SiFuQi.net - Affordable Dedicated Servers in Los Angeles, California
    24x7 Support • Enterprise Grade Hardware • Automated OS Reinstalls
    Check out our reseller program, with a unique two-tiered discount.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Steven F View Post
    For $279 a month, you could find a significantly more powerful server. You might want to look at migrating to someone who will offer you something with SSDs, more RAM, and a newer processor.

    Did HostGator migrate you to their EIG location? Edit: Can you ask HostGator what the cause of your problems are (CPU, RAM, HDD)?
    Agreed.

    Are you a comfortable sysadmin or do you need someone to do that kind of stuff for you? It may be time to start reaching out to a managed host that has a server in your price range, and ask them for migration assistance. WHT runs vBulletin, and it obviously has significantly more than 300+ users on at one time!
    GenesisAdaptive.com · IP Transit and Connectivity, Colocation, & Enterprise IT Services
    █ Available in 9 Metros, 3 Continents, 1/10/40/100G Ports.
    Follow us on Twitter @GenesisAdaptive!
    █ Phone: (309) 807-5261 · Email: leec @genesisadaptive.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
    Posts
    901

    Post HI,

    "Cloudflare can minimize your HTML, JavaScript and CSS and caches your images.

    Just clarifying that we cache more than just images (would also include things like CSS, JavaScript, etc.).
    CloudFlare Community Evangelist

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    598
    Is that 300+ logged in forum members or 300+ online users? If it's logged in members, how many online users do you have?

    Do you have any mods installed? You could try disabling them all to see if that sorts out the issue. If it does then you could disable them individually until you narrow it down to the problematic mod.

    Offloading static files to a CDN could help as well. Or you might install Nginx on your server & serve the static files from that.

    Another way to increase speed is to use a php accelerator / caching.
    ...john2k...

  10. #10
    What are the specs of your current server and what are you paying? Ultimately this sounds more like a configuration issue on the server and any competent tech should be able to diagnose the issue. I would suggest that when you do get near 300 visitors on the forum raise a ticket with them so they can check it at that specific time and see whats happening. Thats really the best way to figure out what is causing the site/server to crash.
    SolaDrive - Enterprise Managed Server Solutions
    Specializing in Managed NVMe VPS & Dedicated Servers in US & UK
    Visit us at SolaDrive.com

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    /root
    Posts
    23,991
    I would recommend in getting litespeed first and configure it with XCache.

    You will see the difference.

    Specially 4 U
    Reseller Hosting: Boost Your Websites | Fully Managed KVM VPS: 3.20 - 5.00 Ghz, Pure Dedicated Power
    JoneSolutions.Com is on the net 24/7 providing stable and reliable web hosting solutions, server management and services since 2001
    Debian|Ubuntu|cPanel|DirectAdmin|Enhance|Webuzo|Acronis|Estela|BitNinja|Nginx

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    129
    How big is your database?

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Datacenter
    Posts
    4,414
    You say you've been sitting with them for several years.
    Maybe it's time to change / upgrade hardware? Just a thought.

    Off course it would be useful to first find the exact bottleneck and get new hardware based on that.
    » www.InstantDedicated.com - Online in no time
    » Dedicated Servers in [EU] Netherlands + Belgium with DAILY support, also on weekends
    » 3.2 Tbit/s Network AS49453 with only 100 Gbit/s uplink backbone
    » 1G/10G/40G/100 Gbit ports available | 99,99% Network Uptime goal

  14. #14
    For $279 a month, you could find a significantly more powerful server.
    Actually, I can no longer afford that. I was told my budget is being cut to $150/month.

    Did HostGator migrate you to their EIG location? Edit: Can you ask HostGator what the cause of your problems are (CPU, RAM, HDD)?
    Unknown. They say the problem is with Vbulletin software - not their server. This has been there answer for ages...along with telling me to cache. When I told them that things slow down and sometimes crash when I get 300+ users, their latest response was:
    "PHP script websites like vbulletin aren't typically meant for traffic like that."

    Are you a comfortable sysadmin or do you need someone to do that kind of stuff for you?
    I would LOVE to have someone do it. I'm not comfortable at all as a sysadmin. My knowledge does not extend pass basic HTML/CSS. I thought that that's what a "managed" server was with Hostgator, but apparently not.

    Is that 300+ logged in forum members or 300+ online users? If it's logged in members, how many online users do you have?
    I actually enforced "login" as I thought that would help - in other words, "guests" can no longer view the forum - they must sign in. I thougth that would help, but I see no difference. So the answer is 300 users logged in + 200 guests at any given time.

    Do you have any mods installed? You could try disabling them all to see if that sorts out the issue. If it does then you could disable them individually until you narrow it down to the problematic mod.
    I have also tried this, but do not notice much difference. The mods I use are:

    • Archive Tripwire

    • Forum Runner

    • GlowHost - Spam-O-Matic

    • Multiple Account Detection & Prevention

    • Real ip detection

    • Spambot Stopper

    • Tapatalk

    • vbStopForumSpam


    Offloading static files to a CDN could help as well. Or you might install Nginx on your server & serve the static files from that. Another way to increase speed is to use a php accelerator / caching.
    This is where I get the "deer in the headlights" look

    What are the specs of your current server and what are you paying?
    I am on the Pro Dedicated server @ Hostgator for $279.

    Ultimately this sounds more like a configuration issue on the server and any competent tech should be able to diagnose the issue. I would suggest that when you do get near 300 visitors on the forum raise a ticket with them so they can check it at that specific time and see whats happening. Thats really the best way to figure out what is causing the site/server to crash.
    I have dones this NUMEROUS times. I get different answers from different folks each tme. One of the main things I get is to cache (which is enabled in VB). They once changed the number of "max user connections" and that helped with crashing and data errors, but the site is still very slow when there are 300+ users.

    How big is your database?
    Not sure?

    Maybe it's time to change / upgrade hardware?
    Hence my visit here Maybe I need a sysadmin that can look at it. Maybe there are a couple of settings that would fix the problem. I just don't know.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Posts
    3,662
    For $150, you can definitely get an E3-1230 with 16 - 32 GB of RAM and some small SSDs (one, maybe two). The problem is, you *realistically* won't be able to get a managed server with cPanel at this price. I think you're going to have to use two companies to do this. Get your server from one with cPanel and get management from someone cheap. A few places will manage a cPanel server for $30 a month. This isn't the greatest fix, but it definitely works for a lot of people.

    The server itself should give you a considerable boost in performance, so you'll probably get to 300, but you're going to need optimizations based on your specific needs.
    Last edited by Steven F; 01-15-2014 at 01:22 PM. Reason: a word
    SiFuQi.net - Affordable Dedicated Servers in Los Angeles, California
    24x7 Support • Enterprise Grade Hardware • Automated OS Reinstalls
    Check out our reseller program, with a unique two-tiered discount.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Posts
    55
    I agree with previouos opinions: for 150 usd per month you cand find much better dedicated server (AND BETTER SUPPORT) than yours current.

    Also solution like " Configure PHP to handle more connections" sounds logical. Some time ago I had a problem like your, with worpdress. At that time I just bought my first dedicated server, it was quite powerful, but my site with 1500 users per day was very slow.

    And support configured PHP to handle more connections. After that I've got speedy WP-site instead of slow one

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by m4rks View Post
    I agree with previouos opinions: for 150 usd per month you cand find much better dedicated server (AND BETTER SUPPORT) than yours current.

    Also solution like " Configure PHP to handle more connections" sounds logical. Some time ago I had a problem like your, with worpdress. At that time I just bought my first dedicated server, it was quite powerful, but my site with 1500 users per day was very slow.

    And support configured PHP to handle more connections. After that I've got speedy WP-site instead of slow one
    I agree, also, you can buy an un-managed dedicated server with Linux CentOS and buy and ask a cPanel provider (buycpanel dot com for example) to install it for free in your server, then you can manage it from the control panel, is not really different from HostGator IMHO.

    Also write here the currently server specs from host gator (CPU, Ram, etc..) and remember to take a full backup of your forum data (FILES + DATABASE) before switch to another server.
    Last edited by k0le; 01-16-2014 at 03:32 PM.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Posts
    55
    Yep, making backup before migration to other server - first rule of any webmaster. Any problems? You can open your backup and fix situation.

    Without backup you can lost all your sites at moment.

  19. #19
    For $280/month you can get a much better server, with a faster processor, SSD drives, and just better overall server specs then what I can only imagine the older hardware you are running on now.

    My suggestion would be either to ask HostGator to upgrade you to a newer server for free, and if they dont move to a provider that can offer a much better server and manage it for you. My guess is that with most providers you will see that you are still far under the $280 you are spending now.

    That or go with an unmanaged server and get someone to manage it for you, however I tend to not recommend this as the third party management company will never have as much control over the server as the actual provider will. Best of luck with your search!
    SolaDrive - Enterprise Managed Server Solutions
    Specializing in Managed NVMe VPS & Dedicated Servers in US & UK
    Visit us at SolaDrive.com

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    598
    Quote Originally Posted by gsk8 View Post
    This is where I get the "deer in the headlights" look
    Essentially what it would do for your current situation is offload that work from your server. That way your server resources can be focused on doing other things faster.

    I'm really starting to wonder if maybe your HDD simply is no longer up to the task. I run a vB almost as busy as yours (along with 4 other vB forums on the same server) and have found that putting MySQL on its own hard drive can help a lot. Offloading static images to a CDN as well. More RAM might be helpful as well.

    Also... you mention that you've been running from your current server for a few years.... When was the last time your server was rebooted? Before you go doing that I would suggest you have a recent full backup downloaded or stored off server.
    ...john2k...

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Posts
    536
    Yea, the first step I would take, is changing hosting company.

    In the mean time, I would see if an opcode cache is enabled in php, VBulletin recommend Xcache, which I run on my server and it lowers load quite significantly and speeds the site up.

    If you need a hand at all, I'll help you out, (for free!) I've run Vbulletin forums since 2002ish.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Dhaka, Bangladesh.
    Posts
    300
    move to another provider(highly recommended). then you will have better service, cpu, ram, disk etc.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Posts
    88
    I also have a pretty big vBulletin forum and recently upgraded my server with an SSD, since then everything loads like 3x faster.

    I'd recommend you to move to a new company. You can get a much better server for a lot less than what you're paying. If you ask me, I recommend Limestonenetworks, simply because I've been with them for over 4 years and they have been amazing ever since.

    Also, if you will only host that one forum in the server, I don't really see the point of paying for cPanel. I myself am using a dedicated server with Webmin, apache, mysql and csf firewall on it. Webmin it's extremely easy to use and it has everything you need. I don't consider myself a linux pro, but installing the basic things to run your website and securing the server is no hard task at all.

    Would be nice to know how large it's your database and the filesystem. Are you storing attachments in the database or fs?

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 13
    Last Post: 05-18-2011, 12:27 AM
  2. Replies: 10
    Last Post: 07-02-2009, 12:43 AM
  3. Is it good idea to use Home-server as Dedi.Server?
    By Giorgi in forum Dedicated Server
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 01-07-2008, 09:27 AM
  4. In need of a VPS/Dedi - vBulletin experts
    By crk91 in forum Web Hosting
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-07-2007, 01:14 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •