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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
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    What to look out for a web host for a forum?

    What should I look out for if I'm looking for a web host for a forum? Bandwidth? Speed? Space?

  2. #2
    One guess would be to make sure that the webhosting company will allow you to run a bulletin board. Some hosts might be skeptical because it might take up resources.

    Yes, in my early days I signed up for Simplenet which at the time did not allow custom CGI's to be run unless I paid them money to go over my CGI's, after which they might not be accepted in the first place.
    Walter Landman
    Simplicato - Email Hosting

  3. #3
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    Aug 2002
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    Not only if they allow Board, but what kinds of board as well. Many ban some types of boards (i.e Ikonboard, UBB in many cases).

  4. #4
    wlandman is right, bandwidth, space, speed have very little to do with running a board, it is, does the server have the resources, CPU and ram.

    A host can give you all the bandwidth, space, and be the fastest on the net, but if the server can't hold the resources it is useless.
    L. James Prevo - President/Owner
    Prevo Network, LLC - http://www.prevo.net
    Est. 1999 - Month to Month Billing!!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
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    Atlanta, GA
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    I would look for their speed, and uptime. It would have to be the most valuable topics of hosting a forum-based site.

  6. #6
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    Oct 2002
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    But you can't tell things like speed rite? They never do mention their speed, only space and bandwidth.

  7. #7
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    Originally posted by ipporek
    But you can't tell things like speed rite? They never do mention their speed, only space and bandwidth.
    Send them an e-mail and ask them

  8. #8
    Depends on many factors. How many concurrent users you will have, whether it is php or perl, how many posts you will have and how much space you need for it, etc.

    As a general rule, I find hosts get a bit upset once forums start transfering about 10-15gb/month, because this also means they are becoming more popular and requiring more server resources which is the main issue.

    Smaller forums can run just fine on a shared account, just double check with them first. Find out what their servers run as far as CPU and RAM, etc.

  9. #9
    Is it technologically feasable to use generate HTML from the bulletin board? This would definately lower server resources.
    Walter Landman
    Simplicato - Email Hosting

  10. #10
    You might also ask for forum reference accounts. Look at the forums, how complex they are, how many people are on line, and how quickly they load.
    *AlphaOmegaHosting.Com* - Hosting since 1998
    Managed Dedicated Servers and VPS
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  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
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    1,612
    What should I look out for if I'm looking for a web host for a forum? Bandwidth? Speed? Space?
    All three as it mostly depends upon the forum itself....

  12. #12
    Originally posted by wlandman
    Is it technologically feasable to use generate HTML from the bulletin board? This would definately lower server resources.
    how would that lower server resources?

    everytime there is an "action" on the board a script runs.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    Posts
    474
    Prince -- I believe he was referring to the use of images like -- there goes a little bit of bytes. If 200 members used about 2-4 a day, and for about a year it builds up.

    Am I right? Just say yes, LOL

  14. #14
    Images affect bandwidth, not system resources.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    79

    Re: What to look out for a web host for a forum?

    Originally posted by ipporek
    What should I look out for if I'm looking for a web host for a forum? Bandwidth? Speed? Space?
    all of the above. go with a php board as cgi ones use up too much resources. try yabbse or phpbb.
    uhhh...

  16. #16
    Definitely bandwidth ... forums suck up alot of bandwidth fast ... and some cash since you'll need a server if your forum becomes mega popular ...
    Web Hosting Stuff - Over 10,000+ Hosting Companies Listed
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  17. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    53
    I'd say try to get a look at the load average of the server.

    A lower load average would obviously mean more resources for your board when it needs it.

    You'd probably have to email the provider to get a look at the load average.
    UpNIX Internet Administrator
    --
    http://www.upnix.com

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    36
    Forgot to mention that I'm planning to have the forum using PHP, so it'd be boards like phpBB, invision board etc.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    36
    Any recommendations?

  20. #20
    Invision board is pretty easy to set up and mod, and relatively light weight..... so far... One thing that has bit me in the butt is the number of concurrent MySQL connections. Some hosts set this limit at 20, which seems to be far too low if you have an active board even if you have peak times of 30-40 users online at one time. Be sure you get that info up front.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    36
    Concurrent MySQL connections? There's never any mention of that in the plans the companies offer.

  22. #22
    Nope... I have learned the hard way that it is a question that does need to be asked.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    36
    Just thought of what I'd want in a web host, and decided that speed, 100MB disk space to start, at least 1 GB bandwidth, preferably unlimited POP e-mail accounts (but not a must), and at least 1 sub-domain is roughly what I'm looking for. And of course the web host must support MySQL and PHP4, and allow forums. So, any recommendations? Oh ya, just for the record, I'm located in Singapore.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Posts
    190
    A host with zlib (gzip actived and enabled). What is GZIP? The GZIP zips up the content of your forum and sent to you visitor. Your visitor browser then unzips and see the content. This process is transparent to your visitors.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    36
    Which one?

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