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  1. #1

    Looking for Space & Bandwidth for simple media file hosting...

    Hello all,
    I have been looking through these informative forums and find I still have some questions about good ways to address a need for reasonably fast and reliable media download hosting. The website presence would be a small 10-20 page site providing links to the media files. E-mail accounts are not needed. The bandwidth would start off modestly with dozens of downloads per day but will likely increase to 100's or maybe even 1000's + with time.

    The specifics are as follows:

    ~100MB space for several dozen media files, mainly swf right now, that will be downloaded individually in no particular pattern or order.

    If there is an advantage to not hosting the site as well as the media files, that can be accommodated as the site can be hosted elsewhere.

    High reliability and speed are priorities but not absolute requirements. Cost is, as usual, an issue with additional cost acceptable if there is practical benefit.

    Based on what I have gleaned from this forum I am thinking that getting a plan from one of the less expensive providers, e.g. dreamhost, hostican, etc., would be adequate to begin with and allow for flexibility to adjust if it becomes necessary, i.e. walking away from a low cost plan has minimal downside.

    The questions I have:

    -What sort of typical download speeds can I reasonably expect?

    -Are there bandwidth / access cap issues that I should be aware of (I realize these are primarily specific plan policy issues but just in case there are some general rules)?

    -Are there any issues, insights, etc. regarding the approach I outline above? Is this a reasonable way to go about this or am I off my rocker?

    -What did I overlook on this site? Any links to other useful threads, sites, etc. are both welcome and appreciated.

    -I know everyone asks but: Which host providers would you recommend and why?

    Big thanks to everyone for your helpful suggestions and info -- very much appreciated --

    SpispopD
    ---

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Milton, Florida
    Posts
    786
    1.) Depends on the Host -- I've heard good and bad from the hosts you listed -- Ask both of them for a "Test Link / File" to download and try for your self.

    2.) Most places, IE: DreamHost, from what I heard, will suspend you if you are using too much resources. They have to protect themselves somehow..

    3.) Only suggestion I have is to get something that will give you about 1GB of space and 50GB Transfer - this will give you lots of room to grow on (download wise) as well as room to grow with (space wise)..

    4.) I haven't dealt with media sites other than Arcade Sites -- which require alot more space

    5.) No one can recommend the "Best Host" as there is no such thing. There is only a "Host that works Best for them."

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Northern Europe.
    Posts
    2,573
    Space is NO problem nowadays. Many hosts will give you 100s of Gigs for less than $10/month (this goes for several that I regard as well-reputed).

    AND -- Not only DH but EVERY host will have to protect their shared servers from overload. For instance, HostGator has this in their TOS:
    .....7a.) Resource Usage
    User may not:
    a) Use 25% or more of system resources for longer then 90 seconds. There are numerous activities that could cause such problems; these include: CGI scripts, FTP, PHP, HTTP, etc.
    b) Run stand-alone, unattended server-side processes at any point in time on the server. This includes any and all daemons, such as IRCD
    ....

    Just an example. Every host will enforce a policy of this kind.

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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Annapolis, Maryland
    Posts
    353
    As all of your questions have been answered, I will simply recommend TrexHost.com mate - just look @ their reviews =)
    \\\\ High Performance Business Grade LiteSpeed Hosting
    //// Shared \|/ Reseller \|/ Dedicated \|/ Custom Tailored Solutions \|/ Domains \|/ SSL Certs
    \\\\ get WIRED \|/ general(AT)wiredwebwork.com \|/ 240-670-HOST
    //// True Quality 24/7 support(Chat, Email, Ticket) 9-5 est. phone support

  5. #5
    platinumn23, nadabrahma, and WebhostMike,
    Thank you all for your informative responses, comments, and suggestions.

    I do have a followup question: After looking through a variety of offerings I find that the "Terms of Service" stipulations can be tricky to interpret: That is, what do the numbers, percentages, times, etc. mean in terms of limitations put on the site operator. Is there a relatively straightforward guide to how to read and understand a TOS?

    A related question: Are there any TOS offerings to definitely avoid or is this always a matter of context?

    Thanks again for all your help,

    pisopopD
    ---

  6. #6
    Hi! Pretty much all hosts will have something similar, because they have to protect their other clients that will also be on the server. They have to be fair in the resources. As far as context, almost every TOS will have something similar and the wording may change but you should see it somewhere. TOS's are hard to read and it's sometimes tricky, because everything isn't spelled out to make it clear. If there is anything about server utilization or resources, I would pay close attention to it.
    Bobby - PreciselyManaged.com - Precision Hosting Solutions
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Milton, Florida
    Posts
    786
    I would say, go with a smaller host who would be willing to accommodate you rather than to just take your money and suspend.. The down side to this is that some smaller hosts do not offer 24/7 on staff support..

    Last year, I purchased two arcade sites, both hosted at host gator.. One got suspended for going over resources (kinda figured this as I advertised this arcade more) while the other didn't get suspended..

    After that, I went with a smaller host, and for the life of me cant remember the name, and I didn't have a problem at all..

    After about a month, I bought my first Dedicated Server and have been adding more ever since to host my own Arcade Sites.

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