Forum Hosting *EXTREME*

TWD_Tony · #1 (**permalink**) 29-06-2006, 04:14 PM

Hosting even a small forum (either php or asp powered) requires more server resources than a normal HTML website - everything is stored in a database (usually) and these database queries are what causes the extra server load... Every post & thread is just an entry in a database table and when you view every thread or post on a forum the software has to construct the page from the database...

Ever wondered how the REALLY BIG forums cope with their hosting needs?

http://www.big-boards.com/servers.php

The "big boys" are running multiple servers for the web side of things and some are even running multiple servers for the database... There is some SERIOUS MONEY being spent in keeping these communities running!

brian · #2 (**permalink**) 29-06-2006, 04:47 PM

Yes, those server clusters must cost - but think about the revenues they must generate, also.

brian · #3 (**permalink**) 29-06-2006, 04:51 PM

ADDED: Hell, Gaia Online with 80+ servers ...

!!!

TWD_Tony · #4 (**permalink**) 29-06-2006, 05:18 PM

I know - a frightening amount of sever power and cost involved!

triumph · #5 (**permalink**) 30-06-2006, 03:17 AM

I think Digital Point is in the process of getting new servers. It does more than just forums though, but I think the cost was like $100,000 usd.

It is amazing how much a big forum can use up. Probably one of the lowest bang to revenues for web sites. But I love my forums.

ninikins · #6 (**permalink**) 04-07-2006, 10:20 PM

i didn't realise that, to be honest. That's a helluva lot of cost. Thanks for the link - elightening