Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Genuinely unlimited webhosting, advice needed

[null83]

Hi all, sorry to invade your forum but I have been overwhelmed by information on the net and have need for some informed advice!

I am after some webhosting and anticipate that I will need the following:

- Unlimited bandwith! I anticipate that, during the first month of my website being put up I could easily have over say, 100gb+ of data being downloaded, it may be less but I don't want to take any chances - I need to know I have an unlimited amount as it could, potentially, surpass 500gb over the month. I suppose that if unlimited wasn't possible then I'd be wanting 5000gb to be absolutely comfortable that I definitely wouldn't reach any limit.

- About 1gb of webspace, even this could easily be less - I will not be uploading any particularly large files - the main emphasis is on distributing small files to many users

- My webspace will be based around flash and so will not need any 'features' as such, just basic webhosting will be fine, no e-commerce features or anything like that.

I'm not a business but am fully aware from the research I have just done at how much of a 'fallacy' unlimited webhosting is generally. I am willing to pay for a 'business' class of service provided I get what I want. Realistically, I am willing to pay around £50GBP or $100 for a RELIABLE solution. If, however, the solution I'm after is not possible at this price range I'd consider paying more.

I am not concerned at all about the location of the hosting as long as it is reliable - I am anticipating a global interest though I am located in England. I would imagine US-based hosting might be preferable? I am unsure on this....

To clarify the point is that I will have several small files (10-15mb each time approx.) that I will want to be available to many users. Perhaps there is some sort of solution for doing this while tying it to my webhosting?

Many thanks for all help, it is truly appreciated,
Neil

[IH-Rameen]

Firstly... unlimited bandwidth, regardless of how genuine cannot exist until we have pipes with unlimited capacity. Until then, forget unlimited bandwidth, it will only cause you problems in the future. This is not an opinion, but a fact....

Secondly, a site pushing 100GB to 500GB is not suitable for a shared hosting package. You at least will need a VPS...

Your budget of $100 seems fine. Keep dedicated servers into consideration as well...

One thing people do is over estimate the bandwidth they will need. What made you believe you will need at least 100GB bandwidth? Do you really need it so early on?

Do some searches here for reviews to find a decent host. Then shoot some presales questions to that host, to make sure of response times and to see if they know what they are talking about. Let them know the type of site you will be running and ask them if that is ok, and what they can do ensure the smooth running of a site with such large bandwidth usage...

If the host is comfortable with your site, and you feel they are not just after your money but genuinely care that you have a good experience with them, then that is a good indication to go with them...

Good luck

[Siropel]

If your content is legal you should have no problems at that budget.
Also check the host's (if you are going shared) TOS to see if they allow downloads (some don't).
If you know how to manage a linux server I suggest you get a dedicated server (from layeredtech maybe, I have a dedicated there too) or you can get someone to manage it. With a dedi you can expect to get about 1000GB tranfer.
I also saw some new managed solutions like http://www.thegridlayer.com but I don't really know how they are or how will they suite your needs.
Good luck, welcome to the forum and keep us updated

[null83]

Originally Posted by Siropel

If your content is legal you should have no problems at that budget.
Also check the host's (if you are going shared) TOS to see if they allow downloads (some don't).
If you know how to manage a linux server I suggest you get a dedicated server (from layeredtech maybe, I have a dedicated there too) or you can get someone to manage it. With a dedi you can expect to get about 1000GB tranfer.
I also saw some new managed solutions like sfsdfsfs but I don't really know how they are or how will they suite your needs.
Good luck, welcome to the forum and keep us updated

Thanks for the responses. As is obvious I am quite new to the idea of webhosting though consider myself technically able. The idea of learning how to manage a linux server doesn't bother me as long as I am left with what I want.

Ok, I'm about to go research the hell out of dedicated servers now as this seems to be the only way I'm going to get reliability and the amount of bandwith I want - it's also in my price range it seems. My main points of research would be:

a) How do you access the 'space' i.e. you'd have to upload through linux? Or is there any scope for a simple ftp style - drag and drop? ( )

b) Can this be linked to a domain URL or would you have to use some sort of forwarding?

Thanks again.

[Techark]

Originally Posted by null83

Thanks for the responses. As is obvious I am quite new to the idea of webhosting though consider myself technically able. The idea of learning how to manage a linux server doesn't bother me as long as I am left with what I want.

Ok, I'm about to go research the hell out of dedicated servers now as this seems to be the only way I'm going to get reliability and the amount of bandwith I want - it's also in my price range it seems. My main points of research would be:

a) How do you access the 'space' i.e. you'd have to upload through linux? Or is there any scope for a simple ftp style - drag and drop? ( )

b) Can this be linked to a domain URL or would you have to use some sort of forwarding?

Thanks again.

Honestly if you have to ask those questions you have no business getting a dedicated server and trying to manage it yourself. You will be hacked in the first week.

[cloudrck]

Originally Posted by null83

Thanks for the responses. As is obvious I am quite new to the idea of webhosting though consider myself technically able. The idea of learning how to manage a linux server doesn't bother me as long as I am left with what I want.

Ok, I'm about to go research the hell out of dedicated servers now as this seems to be the only way I'm going to get reliability and the amount of bandwith I want - it's also in my price range it seems. My main points of research would be:

a) How do you access the 'space' i.e. you'd have to upload through linux? Or is there any scope for a simple ftp style - drag and drop? ( )

b) Can this be linked to a domain URL or would you have to use some sort of forwarding?

Thanks again.

By your the questions you asked I would suggest some sort of managed solution. I wouldn't jump into anything without knowing much about it. If you want to use a Linux distro, install it on a computer somewhere. We don't need your server rooted and used as a DDOS server.

Take a look at http://aplawrence.com/Tests/Linux/q0836.html

[Justin]

null83,

I'd have to agree with Techark, your best bet would be to at least initially either go with a managed vps or a managed dedicated. If you've never managed a *nix server previously you're going to want to be sure your server is secured properly as otherwise you'll run into many problems in the not so far future.

[edu4vision]

I think, managed VPS or dedi with a competent management team (PMS recommended) and also a Control Panel to cut the learning curve short.

A control panel... it's high likely you will need it.

If you never heard of it before, popular control panel are like Cpanel & WHM (I use it, user friendly), Plesk, DirectAdmin, etc.

They will serve as a GUI for some of your admin task..

[theheavenly]

Hi
There is nothing could be said as unlimited bandwidth. Might be the host can provide you more than the mentioned and also receiving payment for the one they provide you. So unlimited criterias cannot be given by anyone in the hosting.

Thanks,

[null83]

Originally Posted by edu4vision

I think, managed VPS or dedi with a competent management team (PMS recommended) and also a Control Panel to cut the learning curve short.

A control panel... it's high likely you will need it.

If you never heard of it before, popular control panel are like Cpanel & WHM (I use it, user friendly), Plesk, DirectAdmin, etc.

They will serve as a GUI for some of your admin task..

Sounds good, this certainly needs more time than I've given it so far.

Are there any good guides or books that you might recommend for someone new - I just need enough to gain some sort of fundamental knowledge - anything you'd think I'd find useful would be great.

Thanks again for the responses, ****ing jungle this web hosting stuff is.

[edu4vision]

For starter, google "WHM/CPanel demo"

You will learn how to use Cpanel. That's the basic. You will learn how to create ftp account, set and access webmail etc.

On server management, you got to the spesific thread here in WHT and read the tutorial parts. Books? Do you have time to read books? Good. For me, it's too thick.

[cloudrck]

Mind you, learning Cpanel or any control panel is not at all learning Linux, if anything goes wrong with cPanel (trust me, it will), you'll be lost. You will still fail to learn how to secure your server. Which will hurt you in the long run.

My advice is learn how to use a costly control panel last.

There are tons of sites for UNIX/Linux administration.
http://tldp.org
http://www.linux.org/lessons/beginner/toc.html
http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/
These forums have a lot of info as well.

Thanks again for the responses, ****ing jungle this web hosting stuff is.

That's putting it mildly.

[null83]

Ok, I'm pretty sure this is what I want:

w ww.rackforce.com/windows_virtual_servers/dds200-w_windows_virtual_private_server.html

The 'dds200-W' is pretty much going to cover my needs I reckon.

You talk about it being 'hacked' - does the 'FortiGate Firewall Intrusion Protection' anything like stop hackers or is it just fancy sounding? Anything glaringly obviously concerning there that I might not have noticed?

I am just about to check out those bits of information you've sent me so cheers for that. I appreciate that there is a guru-like quality to your responses so I will return when I've gathered my thoughts on this...

Thanks again!

[Energizer Bunny]

Originally Posted by null83

You talk about it being 'hacked' - does the 'FortiGate Firewall Intrusion Protection' anything like stop hackers or is it just fancy sounding? An

One think : Hackers cannot be stopped use whatever you can to delay them a bit, firewalls can protect againt noob hackers but if someone really want to hack you , i doubt you can do anything against that.

But if you are just starting out go with webhosting that can provide you with some custom plans most hosting companies can here. So contact them ant let them know.
I doubt you can with 1 gig space go over 5TB bw in a month.

[extras]

I think you should go to expensive shared account with smaller hosts.
I mean, those who posting in WHT.

You have budget for them, and some of them are very nice and competent.
(Not all, though ....)
Then, you don't have to bother about managing server, at all.
They will even help you in running forum or other things.
It would be much more comfortable for you.

Still, I'd recommend getting a backup host, too.
Cheaper hosts can be used, for less than $10/month.