'Unlimited'

[Cookie1988]

Hey, i was just curious on the 'unlimited' diskspace and bandwidth. How much exactly is 'Unlimited' Obviously there is no such thing as unlimited, so what is the catch, what is the real limit?

Thanks in advance

[Andrew_M]

There isn't any limit to the disk space and bandwidth.

But.....

There are limits to resource usage.

Here's what HostGator TOS says:

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.

The use of more than 50,000 inodes on any shared account may potentially result in suspension. Accounts found to be exceeding the 50,000 inode limit will automatically be removed from our backup system to avoid overusage. Every file (a webpage, image file, email, etc) on your account uses up 1 inode.

Read more here: http://www.hostgator.com/tos.shtml

[Cookie1988]

Originally Posted by Andrew_M

There isn't any limit to the disk space and bandwidth.

But.....

There are limits to resource usage.

Here's what HostGator TOS says:

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.

The use of more than 50,000 inodes on any shared account may potentially result in suspension. Accounts found to be exceeding the 50,000 inode limit will automatically be removed from our backup system to avoid overusage. Every file (a webpage, image file, email, etc) on your account uses up 1 inode.

Read more here: http://www.hostgator.com/tos.shtml

Yes i took a little read at that but i dont really understand what it means, what would 25% of the systems resources be? What is an inode?

[GatorDavid]

Hello,

25% of system resources would be, for example, 25% of the CPU. If the server's performance is being degraded, and we can pinpoint a site that is using a disproportionate amount of the CPU, we will have to disable the site to keep the server stable.

An inode is 1 file or directory. So if you have 50,000 webpages, that's 50,000 inodes. Many people don't reach this limit, and the people that do reach that limit do so from thousands of spam emails through their catchall.

[Cookie1988]

Originally Posted by GatorDavid

Hello,

25% of system resources would be, for example, 25% of the CPU. If the server's performance is being degraded, and we can pinpoint a site that is using a disproportionate amount of the CPU, we will have to disable the site to keep the server stable.

An inode is 1 file or directory. So if you have 50,000 webpages, that's 50,000 inodes. Many people don't reach this limit, and the people that do reach that limit do so from thousands of spam emails through their catchall.

Ah right, well theres no chance of that ever happening, but still, there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth, are you telling me that if i made a website that became famous over night and started using huge amounts of bandwidth, id still be expected to pay the basic $4.95/pm?

[Keith W]

Originally Posted by Cookie1988

Ah right, well theres no chance of that ever happening, but still, there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth, are you telling me that if i made a website that became famous over night and started using huge amounts of bandwidth, id still be expected to pay the basic $4.95/pm?

The bandwidth wouldn't be the problem in that scenario, using to many system resources though may be a problem with a popular site

[gwyneth]

Originally Posted by GatorDavid

An inode is 1 file or directory. So if you have 50,000 webpages, that's 50,000 inodes.

But in that case, if the user had created no directories, wouldn't the account total be 50,025 or something (the directories automatically created along with the account)?

[Cookie1988]

Originally Posted by Keith W

The bandwidth wouldn't be the problem in that scenario, using to many system resources though may be a problem with a popular site

Oh right i see, so how much exactly would 25% of resources total up to? Im trying to get a rough idea on how much exactly that is, if bandwidth and diskspace really is unlimited then we need to look at this 25% resources. How much bandwidth would 25% of resources take? Or does resource not even take into account bandwidth? Sorry with all the sutpid questions but im really new to all of this :/

[GvilleRick]

The resource usage varies greatly according to the type of site. A static HTML site would use fewer resources than a CMS driven by a database. If a site uses too many resources it is suspended so that other sites on the server do not suffer because of one user. The cPanel template that HG has developed has tools to help you to see your resource usage. The best thing to do as a new user is jump in and learn as you go.

[phototristan]

If we do go over, is our account totally deleted or is it just turned off temporarily until the CPU usage goes back down, or what?

[GvilleRick]

If the account causes problems it is generally suspended and an email sent to advise of the suspension, if I recall correctly. This is why you should use an email address not connected to your domain so that in the event of problems with the domain you can still receive email from HG.

[phototristan]

thanks, how do I change my email address in the account?

[GvilleRick]

I'm not sure where it is in the new HG cPanel but there should be an option for Contact Information in Preferences or something similar.

[dewt]

Originally Posted by phototristan

thanks, how do I change my email address in the account?

If you are on the new HG cpanel then it is under Hostagator Links Billing System

[Misterpat]

I'm sorry to bump an old thread, but I still don't understand the unlimited diskspace. If I'm limited to a certain amount of inodes, isn't that limiting my diskspace?

I'm not complaining, I just don't want to go over my limit and have my account suspended. I have been here about a week now and I'm already up to 62,000 inodes.

Originally Posted by Misterpat

I'm sorry to bump an old thread, but I still don't understand the unlimited diskspace. If I'm limited to a certain amount of inodes, isn't that limiting my diskspace?

I'm not complaining, I just don't want to go over my limit and have my account suspended. I have been here about a week now and I'm already up to 62,000 inodes.

We do not actively look for accounts over inodes. The only way you would be suspended is if there were resource issues due to the inode usage. For example, creating and deleting thousands of files at one time via a script.

The only "active" consequence to going over inodes is that we will not backup your account automatically each week. If your files were lost, we would be unable to recover them.

[striddy]

Originally Posted by Misterpat

but I still don't understand the unlimited diskspace. If I'm limited to a certain amount of inodes, isn't that limiting my diskspace?

50,000 small files = little disk space used.
50,000 large files = much disk space used.

Best to read the TOS.

7b.) INODES
The use of more than 50,000 inodes on any shared account may potentially result........

[Misterpat]

Originally Posted by GatorJay

We do not actively look for accounts over inodes. The only way you would be suspended is if there were resource issues due to the inode usage. For example, creating and deleting thousands of files at one time via a script.

The only "active" consequence to going over inodes is that we will not backup your account automatically each week. If your files were lost, we would be unable to recover them.

Ok, thanks for clearing that up.

Just so I know, what kind of script would create and delete thousands of files at one time?

Thanks for the quick reply.

Originally Posted by Misterpat

Ok, thanks for clearing that up.

Just so I know, what kind of script would create and delete thousands of files at one time?

Thanks for the quick reply.

That was only an example. I doubt that any turn-key or commonly used program out there would do this.