Web Server design/Bandwidth

[SanDiegoPC]

When I look at these forums and some others I read like the Corvette Forum (I think based on this same software), I'm always amazed at the number of people viewing the threads. Example: I just came here from the VIDEO CARDS & GRAPHICS forum here. The site displayed 475 people reading that forum at the time!

Multiply that times the large number of forums here in Anand's website and the number of hourly users is phenomenal.

So when building a computer to be a server for a web forum that's getting lots of traffic, what kind of requirements would there be? What kind of bandwidth connection would it require? I've been building computers for years and currently support about 125 desktop and laptop machines all over town.

But this kind of thing amazes me!

 

[Davidh373]

I haven't done much research into the high traffic servers, but I would think at least a t1 connection would be required with real genuine rack servers using multiple server processors (like a Xeon, or Opteron). It is definitely an expensive investment, probably over $50,000. Lots of RAM too.

 

[mfenn]

AT Forums most likely run on a cluster of several web servers that all tie into another clustered database server. Best bang for the buck is around $8-12K per box depending on how good of a relationship you have with your vendors.

 

[SanDiegoPC]

Oh, yea I'm sure it's an investment that costs a bundle. I'm also on an Astronomy (my third expensive hobby .... ) forum where hundreds of users a minute share pictures we have taken with our equipment. I can't even imagine the requirements for that kinda thing. Other than the FLASH advertising on this website, it's all text so perhaps a T1 connection may be enough.

But go beyond that, to a graphically oriented website that is just as busy & it kinda boggles my mind. Of course, the only experience I have to relate it with is building desktop PCs. So it's obviously a completely different game, building a webserver like we're talkin'.

 

[SanDiegoPC]

at forums most likely run on a cluster of several web servers that all tie into another clustered database server. Best bang for the buck is around $8-12k per box depending on how good of a relationship you have with your vendors.

wow

 

[crucibelle]

Here's a little more info on Anandtech's setup: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3881/anandtech-2010-server-upgrade-the-cpus