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  1. #1

    Question The "I need a good host" topic....

    Alright, I'm running a fairly large Forum community. There's a few requirements to the forums I'm using (IPB 3.0.x) posted below. I'd like something with unmetered *if such a thing is possible* bandwidth, but don't care about the space (So long as it can hold 5 gigs or so). Also need a database that doesn't have a limit (I think anyways, not entirely sure how this works still....perhaps someone can explain how forums use databases? meh, doesn't really matter I suppose.) Anyways, we always have at least 5 users online, and up to around a few hundred at any given time. A host that supports that kind of traffic is a must. Also must be a month-to-month plan. I don't like the 'pay up front for 12 months' thing, because I'm stuck and if I try to cancel all of the fees come up and such, just not the way I work sorry.

    Alright, so the IPB requirements for those who don't already know:

    1. PHP 5.2
    2. -GD3 Extension
    3. -SPL Extention
    4. -DOM XML Extension
    5. -JSON Extension
    6. MSQL 5.0+


    Any help appreciated!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
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    West Michigan, USA
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    9,687
    Budget? That's a huge issue.

    --Tina
    ||| 99.999% Uptime SLA!!!
    Plenty of space and bandwidth to fit your needs!
    www.AEIandYou.com - - (WP Friendly - Premium Reseller Hosting and Cheap Dedicated Servers)

  3. #3
    Anywhere from $5 to around $20 a month...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
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    Swellyville
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    2,341
    Quote Originally Posted by AH-Tina View Post
    Budget? That's a huge issue.

    --Tina
    Yup that is true. As always, you get what you pay for, especially in the web hosting industry.
    <<< Please see Forum Guidelines for signature setup. >>>

  5. #5
    Well I was looking at a few sites in particular:

    iweb.com/web-hosting/compare/ -The 'all inclusive' package.
    hostmonster.com
    fatcow.com

    I was considering GoDaddy until I read several reviews, and then threw it out of the window.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Riverview, FL/Concord, NC
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    TBH, GoDaddy is a great company, You will find that with a company of that size, alot of ppl hate them. They are like the Microsoft of the Web Hosting industry.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    4,332
    Well since you have checked on GD's review, you may want to check on the legitimate reviews of the other providers that you have listed above. Do make sure you avoid those "top 10" sites as they are normally full of affiliate links and fake reviews.
    [ James Lee - Cloud & Web Hosting Specialist 10+ Years WHT Veteran]

    [ Magento Performance Consultation by Magento Master ]

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    10,629
    If your FORUM is quite large, I would avoid such hosts that offer *Unlimited* as part of their packages. I used Bluehost for a starter forum 'phpBB 2.0.12' and it ran incredibly slow and it really got to me.

    I would recommend searching for a Host that does not over-crowd their servers as this can increase your performance of your IPB Board. Do take into account that even if you do choose a Shared Account their is no guarantee that it will be fast or slow, Depends on how much CPU and Memory is being consumed by other members.

    I personally would recommend ditching Shared and moving to something where you are bound to get that little extra boost, Such as 'Semi-Dedicated' Hosting or even a VPS.
    If your site was only small then their would not be too much of a big deal, Though you must take into account that PHP scripts such as IPB do take up a bit of a resource such as vBulletin and phpBB.

    Sean
    l Dedigeeks Shared Wordpress Dedicated Established 2006
    l Leading AUSTRALIAN Hosting Provider Sydney & Melbourne Datacentres
    l cPanel/WHM R1Soft Backups 24/7/365 Support SMS Hosting Alerts*
    l www.dedigeeks.com Managing Director Service Superstars

  9. #9
    What does it mean when its a "Virtual Private Server" I realize that these are cheaper then dedicated servers, but what exactly is the difference, and is it in my price range? The community itself is rather new, but the users I have known for a long time. We developed this community to produce free games for the PC, and for general Role-playing.

    Let me see, in the last month our statistics where:

    4gb Transfer used
    700/1000 Megs space used (500 is for IPB 3...so 200 MB used)

    And while we only have 26 users, most of those users are online quite often. So if anyone has a solution that might work for us, that'd be great.

    And I already knew the 'avoid the top ten' sites thing, I intended on that from the start.

    Also, yes I did read the Announcement topic, and used the site...without anything gained from it.

    And does anyone have feedback regarding awardspace.com ?
    Last edited by Nowe; 07-13-2009 at 10:33 PM.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Nowe View Post
    What does it mean when its a "Virtual Private Server" I realize that these are cheaper then dedicated servers, but what exactly is the difference, and is it in my price range? The community itself is rather new, but the users I have known for a long time. We developed this community to produce free games for the PC, and for general Role-playing.

    Let me see, in the last month our statistics where:

    4gb Transfer used
    700/1000 Megs space used (500 is for IPB 3...so 200 MB used)

    And while we only have 26 users, most of those users are online quite often. So if anyone has a solution that might work for us, that'd be great.

    And I already knew the 'avoid the top ten' sites thing, I intended on that from the start.

    Also, yes I did read the Announcement topic, and used the site...without anything gained from it.

    And does anyone have feedback regarding awardspace.com ?
    vps is a virtual private server. You share the server with less accounts and split the resources there for its cheaper then dedicated.
    Andrew Anderson
    Sales Manager
    NerdyHost.com

  11. #11
    The problem with that is that not many companies will offer monthly plans on a VPS, and even fewer within my price-range most likely.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    May 2008
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    Melbourne, Australia
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    I have and do use Knownhost on a Monthly Basis with VPS.. Have had no issues with them what-so-ever. They are sincere and their staff are pleasent and easy to understand aswell as professional.

    It's all about looking.
    l Dedigeeks Shared Wordpress Dedicated Established 2006
    l Leading AUSTRALIAN Hosting Provider Sydney & Melbourne Datacentres
    l cPanel/WHM R1Soft Backups 24/7/365 Support SMS Hosting Alerts*
    l www.dedigeeks.com Managing Director Service Superstars

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    New York
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nowe View Post
    The problem with that is that not many companies will offer monthly plans on a VPS, and even fewer within my price-range most likely.
    I'd stay away from cheap VPS providers, you're probably better off just getting a reliable hosting package
    XeHost.net - Hosting websites since 1999!
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  14. #14
    http://knownhost.com/vps_packages.html

    Well I am actually looking at the $35 plan, as its affordable, even if a bit over what I was looking for. It also is a month-to-month plan, so if I don't like it after a month (30 day guarantee as well) I can simply drop it without affecting anything. Thanks for that info ATH.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    10,629
    Hello Nowe,

    Sure, No worries. Always remember that you get what you pay for. People here may refer you to Shared and VPS, Semi-Dedicated and so forth. By looking at your needs I would scale my way up from Shared to a VPS - Though can I ask, What plan are you on at the moment?

    Sean
    l Dedigeeks Shared Wordpress Dedicated Established 2006
    l Leading AUSTRALIAN Hosting Provider Sydney & Melbourne Datacentres
    l cPanel/WHM R1Soft Backups 24/7/365 Support SMS Hosting Alerts*
    l www.dedigeeks.com Managing Director Service Superstars

  16. #16
    I'm actually hosted with the IPS Community plan for $10 a month. My aunt's getting me an IPB license for my B-day in a week or so. Their plan sucks, although the support and uptime are awesome. Lets just say this:

    1 Gig space
    5 Gigs transfer

    Just isn't enough.


    I was looking at VP2 actually from the site you suggested. Reasonable price.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Melbourne, Australia
    Posts
    10,629
    Bit over-pricy a bit i'll admit, However, That seems to be quite fair back in the day.
    Knownhost are very good, Their uptime and support are second to none In my own personal experience and their plans seem to suit quite well with what we require.

    All in all I do hope that you do choose wisely, Research is always the best key and I am sure you will work upon that and do some research before making and full committment, Though as you say their is a 30-day money back term which is excellent just in-case it does not work out.

    Remember to always read the TOS in regards to refunds aswell.

    Sean
    l Dedigeeks Shared Wordpress Dedicated Established 2006
    l Leading AUSTRALIAN Hosting Provider Sydney & Melbourne Datacentres
    l cPanel/WHM R1Soft Backups 24/7/365 Support SMS Hosting Alerts*
    l www.dedigeeks.com Managing Director Service Superstars

  18. #18
    Thanks for the help again, and I'll continue to research my options. Thanks all for the great feedback and help!

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
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    Paradise
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    I don't see the need of a VPS for your site. You should be fine in a shared host as long as you realized that you wont ever get "unlimited" bandwidth in any plan (shared, vps or dedicated)
    Shared Web Hosting - Reseller Hosting - Semi-Dedicated Servers - SolusVM/XEN VPS
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    DowntownHost LLC - In Business since 2001- West/Center/East USA - Netherlands - Singapore

  20. #20
    I realize that Jedito, and its ok. I need the space more then anything, as we have a new release that we would like to get out soon. The defined space of a VPS as well as the resources of such might be needed in this case.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    57
    A VPS would suit you best mate, purely because the resources used when you peak at 100 users would be pretty decent. A VPS gives you the guaranteed resources so if your site peaks at double that if not more, on the right VPS there won't be anyone kicking up a stink.

    Good luck in your search.

  22. #22
    Thanks Keen.

    Also, anyone care to explain which resources they mean when they state that you cannot use more then 25% of the resources for more then 90 seconds? How would I find that out specifically?

    Thanks, still kind of new to the whole "host my own community" sort of deal.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    57
    You cannot use more than 25% of cpu/ram for more than 90 seconds. So basically if you had a 4GHz cpu and 4GB ram on the server you cant use more than 1GHz cpu and 1GB ram for more than 90 seconds straight, for example.

  24. #24
    Alright, thanks again Keen. (And they're transfering me to an IT department at work? O.o) Anyways....thanks all. Questions answered.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Posts
    271
    Since your forum is very small at current, not many users online you'll be fine with a shared host. Since you have a budget of upto $20/month you have opened yourself upto a good range of decent hosts - although you probably won't have to pay that much per month. You'll be able to find a host with your wanted diskspace too since it isn't too much along with your budget being high. There isn't any need to get a VPS yet; when you do need to it is easy enough to upgrade to one with that host or another.

    If you go through the offers section here on WHT, then come back with some which you like; find reviews (through searching here / google).
    ClanDrive Hosting | The No Fuss Webhost
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