hosting newbie needs dedicated server, i think?

[evolvedance]

Hi there guys. This is my first time posting on hostingdiscussion.com. I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to dedicated hosting or hosting in general. I've been designing and developing mostly php/mysql sites for a good five or six years now, but i don't know a thing about running a server mostly b/c i just never got a chance to really try it. It's something however that I will be looking into quite soon. The most experience I have is running a reseller account with matrixreseller/vortech hosting which uses cpanel and whm.

So, my problem is that I'm developing a database driven music studio site for one of my clients and I'll be the in-house web developer for this and basically the only one who really knows anything about websites. The site will contain a lot of music clips somewhere around a couple thousand maybe and thus will need a lot of space and bandwith. (i'm guessing 50gb space and 150gb-200gb transfer per month) Downloading of these clips however will be limited only to "members" of this website and not the general public. BUt, from my research I figured b/c of the need for a lot of space and bandwith, I'd need to have a dedicated server?

Can you guys please help point me in the right direction?


I also will more than likely learn to maintain and run a server myself so that we can run it ourselves and save a lot of money, but I can't risk rushing through learning and just winging it when the site must go live in late march. argh.

 

[oswazi]

EvOLvE,

With a project like you have described, there will be major utilization of bandwidth and disk space. There are a few solutions you can look into that might save you more money in the long run. The first option that you have explored (dedicated servers), is a good one but only if the following apply:

You have outgrown the benefits or resources of a shared server.
Your Web site uses highly intensive applications, such as ColdFusion, online databases, shopping carts, or corporate email.

The resources of a dedicated server will offer you unparalleled speed and stability.

Your site contains proprietary data. Unlike shared hosting, your data will be physically separated on a fully secured machine, to which only you will have full access.

Your site requires 100% online availability. The dedicated server functions as an unshared machine, immune to any stability issues caused by other sites.

You can find dedicated servers cheap from providers like http://www.managed.com or a little more quality at: http://www.globalwebhost.com . The prices always reflect the quality of the services provided. What you pay for is what you get.


Colocation Solutions:
This solution will allow you to relocate your servers with a Tier 1 Facility (only the best).

Clustering
Prevent certain services, like mail or MySQL from clogging up your resources and slowing down everything else on your server. By implementing a clustered architecture, you are able to spread each of your primary services over multiple servers and ensure that loads are reduced to a minimum.

Load Balancing

When data is accessed by multiple users at the same time, it creates a higher load on the server. When data is accessed by hundreds or thousands of users at the same time, often times the load is unbearable and the server may crash.

High-traffic websites often run best when loads are balanced amongst multiple servers. Mirroring the content from a parent server across multiple child servers, and distributing website visitors across that network allows for much more data to be accessed and distributed without any of the servers reaching a high level of stress. This ensures that load times are minimal and your content is always reachable.

Depending on which region you are in most colo companies can relocate you with the facility nearest to you, or offer you free shipping to and from the facility.

some colo companies that have been hottt lately:
http://www.coloquest.com
http://www.colo4dallas.com
http://www.cologuys.com
and many other but these are the few that have excellent bandwidht in great facilities.

If you have anymore questions please PM me.



Regards,