Curious about server load on a modded vbulletin forum

Moonclamp · #1 05-09-2006, 10:49 PM

Hi,

I am looking for a new host for our (highly modified) vbulletin forum.

At the moment we have from 20 to 70 users online at any given time. Each page executes about 18-22 SQL queries ... (There are also a few scheduled tasks that run in the background checking for subscriptions etc.)

We currently use about 10-20 gigs of data transfer per month. We are growing all the time ... so all this may double within a year.

Could hostgator handle this lot on a shared account? ... I've read about a few people getting their site suspended and want to make sure that this won't happen to us.

We can't afford any dedicated solutions just yet.

Moonclamp · #2 05-09-2006, 10:57 PM

Oh and persistant connections are turned off, of course

Serra · #3 05-09-2006, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonclamp

Could hostgator handle this lot on a shared account? ... I've read about a few people getting their site suspended and want to make sure that this won't happen to us.

HG doesn't suspend for high traffic or bandwith usage. The worst that should happen is your site exceeds the connection limit and users get connection messages instead of pages views. Sites that get suspended are normally doing something wrong, such as running scripts that exceed processor limits or spamming. There is no warning for those types of problems, so they always come as a shock.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonclamp

We can't afford any dedicated solutions just yet.

You don't need a dedicated server, they have semi-dedicated for $75.00 (or so) a month. That would be a good plan for you.

With 18 connections per page load, I doubt that you would be able to get much use out of shared hosting. That is a lot of queries. If those happen over the space of 5 or 6 seconds, then you'd only have enough connections for about 10-15 pages loading at the same time. With 70 users online, that would be cutting it close.

Shared hosting isn't really designed for that type of use. Shared hosting is best for websites that have content, static or dynamic. If you are going to push the server that hard, it is difficult for HG to get 500-700 accounts per server, so they try to limit what you can do. You are far better off starting with semi-dedicated. They don't suspended semi-dedicated users very often and you have to do something fairly bad to get suspended.

If you are going to run a forum that uses tons of connections and is very busy, you'll need a bigger account than a shared account. The good news is that HG offers that. The bad news is that you'll think twice about it because of the price. I can tell you that other hosting companies treat forum users far worse than HG.

Moonclamp · #4 05-09-2006, 11:14 PM

Thanks for the fast response.

Our current host, in the UK, charges £40 per year for a similar set up to yourselves ... That's about $80usd. According to them we are already putting pressure on the server, but monitoring the server loads tells us differently so we just think they are overselling.

However, it's a free, unsupported site ... None of us would even considers spending $75 a month to run it and none of the hacks can be dispensed with as they are all integral parts of the site now.

Back to the drawing board I guess.

Serra · #5 05-09-2006, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonclamp

According to them we are already putting pressure on the server, but monitoring the server loads tells us differently so we just think they are overselling.

The server load is only really part of the equation. It is how you are loading the server that is important. mySQL connection limits that HG uses are specifically designed to reduce server load. Because in the shared environment, everyone has to have resources shared, there has to be limits. mySQL connections can really bring a server to its knees if too many users are over taxing mySQL.

For example, I have a server load on my server that is floats around 50% of the CPU. However, I have one client that is using a lot of mySQL and my reports show that site is using far more resources than my other clients. It is fairly clear if they use many more resouces, they are going to be a problem. My server load is still only 50%, but they do stand out.

Users like yourself are not really wanted by shared hosting companies because you really limit how much they can sell. They could get 20-30 sites that pay the same as you do, but combined use the same resources. It isn't that they are trying to over sell, you are trying to over use. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but for around $8.00 a month, you aren't going to be able to get much of a $300.00 a month server. Just your little $8.00 share. Bandwidth and storage are only part of what you get, forums often exceed CPU before they run out of bandwith or storage.

It is a shame that you can't get a free ride, but that isn't the way it works. I suspect you will have problems with what ever hosting company you choose if you plan to run that site and pay less than $75.00 a month.