How do I find a good host for vBulletin?

michaeljvbull · 03-18-2007, 12:45 PM

I have not yet downloaded vBulletin, but hope to do so soon. My first question is how do I find a good host? I expect it to take me at least 6 months to generate any activity, so should I start with the least expensive option and then upgrade, or is there some minimum requirement?

Code Monkey · 03-19-2007, 07:40 PM

You should find a host that will allow you to run vBulletin as your first priority. Make sure they offer up to date PHP and MySQL installations and don't have a prior history of harrassing vBulletin or other heavy PHP sites.

Emraith · 03-23-2007, 03:32 PM

I've been using 1and1 for over 2 years now. Their cheapest plan is $2.99/month(although I believe its supposed to go to $3.99/month soon). $4.99 for the next package up. A ton of storage, bandwidth, and 10-25 mysql databases included. You can always go up to the next level package with minimal hassle in the admin panel of their site.

The only issue i'm aware of having with them was a few weeks ago, I was unable to access the site on/off for a few hours. Great speeds uploading/downloading on there too.

Code Monkey · 03-28-2007, 11:11 AM

Something that Cheep can't be good. You get what you pay for.

@michaeljvbull Have you purchased vBulletin yet?

da420 · 03-30-2007, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emraith

I've been using 1and1 for over 2 years now. Their cheapest plan is $2.99/month(although I believe its supposed to go to $3.99/month soon). $4.99 for the next package up. A ton of storage, bandwidth, and 10-25 mysql databases included. You can always go up to the next level package with minimal hassle in the admin panel of their site.

The only issue i'm aware of having with them was a few weeks ago, I was unable to access the site on/off for a few hours. Great speeds uploading/downloading on there too.

The problem with 1&1 is their plans are un-realistic, and they, like all cheap hosts will throttle you down, or suspend your account if you end up using a lot of resources on their server. Not to mention your up s**t creek once your database reaches 100MB as that is their database limit, and you will be looking for a new host anyways.

I highly suggest JaguarPC. I have never had a problem with them, and their support is great.

Also, WebHostingTalk Forums - Web Hosting Discussion is an excellent resource at finding your next host. That's where I found JaguarPC.

Ignicoccus · 04-05-2007, 11:54 PM

You can't run vbulletin on a shared server, thats my opinion. We have a dedicated managed server from domainfactory (germany) which is expensive but very very good. They offer excellent support and the machine is running very fast !

Doc31 · 04-06-2007, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Code Monkey

Something that Cheep can't be good. You get what you pay for.

@michaeljvbull Have you purchased vBulletin yet?

you are right about that. I have also noticed some webhosts dont like it is you have a huge database to run forum software. im with 250host , and have been for some years. and i agree you get what you pay for.

michaeljvbull · 04-08-2007, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Code Monkey

Something that Cheep can't be good. You get what you pay for.

@michaeljvbull Have you purchased vBulletin yet?

No, I haven't purchased vBulletin yet. Busy time at work, but it's just a matter of time.

Code Monkey · 04-08-2007, 09:36 AM

Let us know when you do and don't be afraid to ask questions. You can also purchase it through our affiliate link if you so choose.

The host I have been using for four years now is Fluid Hosting: FreeBSD and Windows Hosting they are the best IMO and take really good care of their customers. They are vBulletin friendly and use it themselves for their customer forums.

michaeljvbull · 04-15-2007, 05:27 PM

Thank you for a specific referral.

Fluid Hosting looks very much like Host Excellence. Has anyone had any experience with this host?

Taipa · 04-23-2007, 02:09 PM

I am also looking for a good vBulletin host, for a planned board that I hope will one day grow to be at least medium-sized.
I currently run two very small vBulletin forums, but since they are small, private forums I don't have to worry so much about high-end hosting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignicoccus

You can't run vbulletin on a shared server, thats my opinion.

This seems to be the opinion of many people. Would you even suggest a brand-new board needs a dedicated server, or is it something most boards just "grow into"?

michaeljvbull · 04-24-2007, 05:17 AM

Does anyone have any experience with:

Web Hosting
* Only $7.77/month
* 300 GB disk space (raid storage)
* 3000 GB per month bandwidth
* 75 MySQL databases
* PowWeb web hosting.

Code Monkey · 04-24-2007, 07:07 AM

Powweb was the worst nightmare I ever had. I left them after a month even though I paid for more.

|Acheron| · 05-27-2007, 11:34 AM

I've heard mostly bad things about PowWeb as well. iPower was a nightmare for me also.

As stated above, you get what you pay for. Of course not everyone can afford the $150/mth+ a dedicated server would likely run you.

I'm sure by now you've found hosting but for anyone else who may read this later on - look into getting a VPS. A VPS can handle plenty of traffic and would offer just about everything a dedi does in terms of what you can install, etc. Personally I have been using PowerVPS for the last 2.5 years and I think they're great. There are other out there as well though - just Google 'VPS hosting.' It runs me $480/year when paid annually.

vgevolution · 06-18-2007, 03:19 PM

I, too, am looking for a reliable dedicated server package. I'm concerned about bandwidth issues, though. Does anyone have a link to a bandwidth calculator? For example, if I wanted to host a 50MB podcast that is downloaded 1000 times over the course of a week, what kind of connection should I look for? Is 100Mbps enough? If this download happens each week, how much monthly bandwidth would I need? A calculator or a formula I can use manually would help me greatly. Thanks!

residual · 06-19-2007, 05:30 AM

Bandwidth Calculator (Calculate Monthly Bandwidth Usage, GB/month) will help ya out vgevolution!

vgevolution · 06-19-2007, 07:27 PM

Nice, that will suit my needs for now. If you find any more, send 'em my way.

FixedBit · 06-19-2007, 10:32 PM

Only posting this since I too was looking for a good host that did not cost a lot and still had what I needed without being "over crowded".

I host my support system and forums with Web Hosting | URLhost and they give you for 3.95 a month (cheap, but not useless hosting) 15 gigs of transfer and 750 megs of storage. You can also step up if you need more.

I have host fixedbit.com there for months and never had a problem. I would suggest like some others say, stay away from 1&1 for most anything advanced, I usually would only recommend them to someone that just needed a static page host or for just some images and needed it simple menu driven.

I know this doesnt follow the line of the dedicated server hosts that this thread was moving towards but they do offer a VPS plan also but never used one.

m_k · 06-25-2007, 01:40 AM

I have had very good experiences so far with ResellerZoom for smaller sites - amazingly good customer service 24/7. Stay away from their VPS division ModVPS though.

Start small if you don't have a lot of traffic yet - no sense in spending money you don't have to when starting out...

Torqued · 07-02-2007, 11:25 AM

I've had very good luck with A Small Orange for the past couple of years and have referred several people to them in the past (and they've been pleased with ASO as well).

DiverTree · 07-03-2007, 11:12 PM

have any of you guys worked with mjwebhosting? the guy really knows what hes talking about and in my opinion is the best costomer service ive ever witnessed. he runs his own vBulletin message board too, so hes more than familier with the inner workings and requirments. i cant say there are better host out their or worse ones as its the only host ive ever used. when i email him, he answers ... in the last year my site was down for three hours once because of a problem on his end, but we all have technical difficulties once in a while. you can start out with the small shared server and keep upgrading to a dedicated server. he even offered to set my board up for me. lol.

any one else work with mjwebhosting?