Servers for forums?

[Doug]

Hi there,

Here's my problem. I have a fairly large site (1500 member forum, 7,000 unique hits per day, MySQL powered CMS) that is now way too big for its reseller account and needs a semi-dedicated or dedicated server.

From your experience, what's the best host for a site that's fairly MySQL/memory intensive? My budget is low (under $140 per month) and I don't need support for many things.

Who's a good host for a site like mine? *This seems more like a WHT topic, but I think it's better to post it here.*

[A_Jelly_Doughnut]

$140 per month will let you into about any sort of configuration you can imagine (besides load balancing)

Browse the dedicated offers at WHT and also the VPS offers.

[bear]

Layered Tech if you don't need it managed. You can get a decently configured box with WHM for $120-ish. Add some extra RAM and you should be good to go.

[Doug]

I don't really need *much* management, but I do need some. I also would prefer a company where I can call or email them at say, 1 AM and actually have someone answer.

[bear]

You might consider then getting one like that and hiring a management company? Not a huge increase in monthly cost, and they can take care of your issues for you.

I've found in a few of these managed dedicateds (the ones that are close to the cost of non-managed anyway) that their idea of management is using /scripts/upcp or WHM and that's about it.

[Doug]

Hmm, which server management company would you recommend? I just need someone who can keep up with things like Kernel/cPanel updates.

[bear]

I have no experience with management companies, sorry. I manage my own boxes. I'd heard of a number of folks using this approach to save on managed fees, so thought to suggest it.

[cyberturk]

serverwizards are quite good. I used one time security pack.

also you can buy a managed-vps then upgrade a dedicated. 512mb ram vps can handle your site i think.

[adb22791]

A VPS will definatly creak under all that load, and with all the variables a VPS might not be the best option (you might get put on a heavily loaded node, etc). I would go for a dedicated. A company you might want to check out is Softlayer (http://www.softlayer.com/). Although they are fairly new, they are apparantly very competent, and have a giant list of features (including serial console, remote reboot ports, and a private network). I don't think they are managed per-say, however they do have 24/7 live support (available by phone, live chat, or a ticket system). You could also check out Steadfast Networks (http://www.steadfastnetworks.com). They are managed, offer 24/7 support, and are an overall great company (with 7 years to back that up).

Going with a cheap host and outsourcing support doesn't make sense, because your 3rd party management company cannot help you if the server goes down with no response and you need to wait 30 minutes for a reboot ;).

[SoftWareRevue]

FU's host (http://www.burst.net) has some pretty nice pricing on managed dedicated servers through their Nocster site (http://www.nocster.com/servers.shtml). ;)

[Asad_N]

I would recommend getting a dedicated box with the following healthy configurations:

- AMD Athlon 3000+ / Intel P4 2.8
- 1.5GB ram
- 40/80GB SATA or even better SATA II @ 10,000RPM

But there are certain variables you need to consider. I can give you an idea if you can tell the following:

- Members active at off-peak and peak times
- Are members more of posters (like in spam-type topics)?
- How much is the normal execution time on topics, forum view and index? (remove un-necessary hacks and any CMS/portal that increases execution time)

Layeredtech with a server management/optimization company would be a good match for you.

[Doug]

I decided to go with a server at LayeredTech. I'm splitting the server with a Linux administrator I've known for a while so he can manage it. :)

The server is:

Dual Core 3.0GHz w/ 2mb cache per core
2GB RAM
2x150GB SATA 10K RAID1

And is pretty reasonable w/ LayeredTech. I'll end up paying the same I am for a VPS and a reseller account (site is split between the two) and get a lot more. It should be plenty for my site and the other sites on the server will be HTML sites mainly.

Thanks everyone for your help. :)

[Asad_N]

Good step! All the best with your sites and server :)