WordPress MU

If you have used MU on a shared host, please tell me how heavy your traffic was: page views, bandwidth, mysql usage, anything that would get you kicked off of your shared host. I'm trying to find out if this absolutely has to be run on a dedicated server before starting a new project. Please also let me know the host that you ran MU on. Thanks.

Currently im running my WPMU off shared hosting. (since my phpbb3 and picture is using up the dedicated)

Anyways, i have over 200+ registered blogs and its still running smoothly. The only thing that might get you is server usage. But then again, it really depends on your host.

Im running my WPMU on IXwebhosting on a dedicated IP. Started it 3 months ago, and have had no problems.

EDIT: thinking about it, if you cant afford VPS or dedicated, i would at least get multiple mysql hosting and buy the multiple database plugin for MU. That should help alot with shared.

Here's my thinking - if the host is offering 1 TB of bandwidth and 500Gig space for $9.95 you're going to get kicked off / suffer quite quickly.

However, if they're a quality host that's offering 350MB space and 10 Gig bandwidth for the same amount, then I reckon you'll be fine.

My past experience has definitely been that I've outgrown the limits before anyone had a word with me.

Go high rated and low spec.

You can go for VPS, which is a step between shared and dedicated.

emoruffino, for those 200+ blogs, how many are posting?

I got kicked off shared. :D Plenty about it here in the forums. I had a moderately-sized site, but heavy traffic and a good number of blogs in use. (it's a niche site)

I never touched the limits for bandwidth or space. Even at a million raw hits a month, which has been pretty steady or growing slow ever since. (I think I get around 1.3 million hits/mo now.)

I recently wrote a long reply to someone asking about site five, so hunt around for that. Compare it to some of the posts I wrote back in May. That'll give you a great case study. :)

@ andrea_r:
"emoruffino, for those 200+ blogs, how many are posting?'
----

Roughly (i havnt checked them all) 125 of them have fairly frequent updates. (maybe about 2-5 post average a week)

Ah, see when I has 200-ish blogs on a shared hosts, I was getting maybe a hundred posts a day.

It really depends on your requirements I guess. I have my WPMU install on a dreamhost server and I don't expect that I will have more than 50 blogs with more than 50 posts a day. I just got sick and tired of having to backup and update so many seperate installs of wordpress and now this is done in one install with one database. While I am glad I can have some family and friends have their own blog, that is just a bonus up and above the adminstration ease.

If you are heading for the "big time" then I suggest you look at the requirements needed for sure! It is nice to know that I have "some room" before I need to upgrade my host :)

Trent

the reason its so low right now is because we just came out of a private BETA, so we will see what happens lol

Keep us updated emoruffino because I would love to hear how this works out for you!

Trent

lol will do trent... my phpbb3 and image hosting is taking up the dedi, so lets see how long it takes before my shared gets taken down.

I stand corrected. Dreamhost was struggling with the new WPMU install. That is why I moved it over to Media Temple. Question would be for all you techs out there:

Is a Grid Service (gs) account with a Grid Container for mySQL with guarenteed 64 megs of database memory be enough or head up to a Dedicated Virtual (ds) with total server memory of 256 megs be better for a small site with some database intensive request?

Trent

i was all good with blue host for years. though in the last month - when ever there are more than 10 people online posting and commenting - we get the "suspended" message. i look at my time exceeded logs and i see all my processes taking longer than 30 seconds, some of them taking more. nothing in my temp/slow-Mysql logs, so i don't know wtf is going on. i'm a week from buying this service for another 3 years and i don't know if it's the host or my site that causing the issue. this stuff just started a few weeks ago. i've got 6 days to either figure this thing out (maybe it's a recently added mu-plugin, but there's nothing bad in my logs), move to a dedicated box worth more than the site itself or discover some VPS management talent. *ugh*

from what i've read around here, VPS seems the way to go. unfortunately, my Mu is a hobby - not a job. money is always an issue. if i decided to go with the expensive package, i might need to consider *shudder* ads... :-/

D, take a look at how many queries you're processing on page loads.

There are several plugins out there that literally process hundreds of queries on every page load. That may help delay the inevitable a bit, but IMHO, it won't cut it for 3 years worth.

If you're already having issues, think about 18 months from now, and as you gain more users.

Even cutting it down a bit now, if you get a couple popular blogs it could sink ya.

FWIW, take the next week and get onto a better hosting service, then tweak and optimize your site. It might end up a wash in the short term, but in the long run you'll be better off.

Trent - I'd go with the 256.

Thanks andrea_r as I was thinking the same. I just didn't want to move the darn server again, but I guess MT can help me on that one.

Trent

BTW, Luna was spot on. i was using Xiando's mu-admin bar from his social networking suite of plugins. Eliminating that cleared up my entire speed issue. thanks.

Does it change it that much demonicume? I can imagine with nothing but members viewing the site it would, but if "non members" and general traffic are not viewing the blog, the number of queries wouldn't be that high. Just wondering as I also run that admin bar ;)

Trent

youre right, of course. but all my bloggers hop on at the same time. we really dont need a blog site, we need a radio station or a shoutbox, LOL. all we do is pop on each other's blogs and post comments and replies. that admin bar, while cool as all get out, stopped us dead in our tracks with only 20 or so users on at a time. THIS ACCOUNT HAS BEEN SUSPENDED, etc.