Looking at hosting for a forum, and the best DB sizes I can find are 150mb unless I go for a dedicated server.

I'm looking to start small on hosting, and think a dedicated server is OTT for what may not get many visitors.

Can anyone help me figure out a scaling for forum size v hosting requirements? Settled on using phpbb as has the functions I'll need, and the add-ons for my budget.

Edit: will just be using straight posting and emoticons. No uploads or attachments.

Anyone?

Quite hard to guess - maybe you could try setting up a local copy of MySQL and PHP (is you use something like WAMP it should be straightforward) and configuring a forum on it? You can then see how much space that takes, and then extrapolate post-size and member-size (so to speak) based on your estimates of how busy the forum's going to be.

When you say forum hosting, are you looking at "no-cost" options?

I gave you all of the information i had in my PM.

How many records do you have and what sort of load do you think you'll be placing on it?

Do you have a workload profile, such as accesses vs size of each request?

A DB above 150MB will be hard to find on a shared host, as once you start getting DB's much bigger than this, you start to run the risk of eating a lot of CPU time.

Most people will decide that if they cut you off at something small (150MB) then you are not going to be a risk to the other customers on the shared solution.

If you want cheap to start with, then host it on your ADSL line from a home server.

Edited 29 September, 201015 yr by cheezemonkhai

I gave you all of the information i had in my PM.

Again, thanks Alex.

Now I'm looking at hosting, I cant get bigger than 150mb unless I go dedicated - which is an expense I cant carry.

If you want cheap to start with, then host it on your ADSL line from a home server.

Sadly, against ISPs terms.

My thoughts are posts would be quite long due to the nature of the forum, so would assume this would be the killer. Just looking for a benchmark so I can figure how big things can get before a dedicated box is needed.

Unless anyone knows any forum friendly hosts?

Again, thanks Alex.

Now I'm looking at hosting, I cant get bigger than 150mb unless I go dedicated - which is an expense I cant carry.

Sadly, against ISPs terms.

My thoughts are posts would be quite long due to the nature of the forum, so would assume this would be the killer. Just looking for a benchmark so I can figure how big things can get before a dedicated box is needed.

Unless anyone knows any forum friendly hosts?

not knocking your set up, but I think you need to find a better isp then

Plenty who it isn't a problem for.

not knocking your set up, but I think you need to find a better isp then

Plenty who it isn't a problem for.

aye, but for only £5 can't grumble as don't have many other options in our exchange.

Once sky get there kit in over the next few months I'll jump to them.

Now I'm looking at hosting, I cant get bigger than 150mb unless I go dedicated

I've got shared hosting form Heart Internet which doesn't have this limitation (no idea what the limit is though) - that's about £9 a month.

A forum I run has been open a year and the database is over 150MB, its closer to 250. It has over 550 members. This a based on vBulletin 3.8.

Edited 1 October, 201015 yr by E1uSiV3

A forum I run has been open a year and the database is over 150MB, its closer to 250. It has over 550 members. This a based on vBulletin 3.8.

How many posts out of interest?

I've asked Heart, and they say the limit is 500mb. Thanks for the tip Rob.

How many posts out of interest?

I've asked Heart, and they say the limit is 500mb. Thanks for the tip Rob.

PM'ed you back bud.

Thanks.

Seems 150mb can actually run quite a big forum.