A few quick details

[pc70]

While I am very familiar with the Vbulletin style forums and there functions, and I am very interested in purchasing a license for this software, I have a few questions. I apologise if they seem very simplistic but as I would not be the administrator I would rather have answers from the sales team rather than take someone elses word for it.

I have a website already with domain name and an appropriate amount of webspace for my current needs. I have noticed you need to test compatibility with the server you are using, how is this achieved?

How much approximately is MSQL space for an average forum?

Which option is most appropriate for a moderately busy forum?

Having never used forum software before I am completely unfamiliar with the software or approximate costs involved in setting one up and maintaining it, if there is some sort of relevant guide or FAQ someone can point me in the direction of I would be most grateful.

[Gomjaba]

I think MySQL space is a big issue with vbulletin since EVERYTHING is stored in it, even pictures etc. (can be configured) ..

Anyway, I can give you my two examples (forums) :

http://ut2007world.com - Threads: 2,999, Posts: 33,021, Members: 1,144
MySQL size 67 MB

http://prison24.net (new and fresh) - Threads: 198, Posts: 198, Members: 6
MySQL size 5.06 MB

The size increases very quickly, so always check with your hosting if they actually allow big databases and if the database size depends on your hosting size .. What I mean : Some hosting companies give you 100 MB Webspace which includes the databases and some have it always seperate ...

As for the cost, it depends on your hosting, but the forum itself :

http://www.vbulletin.com/order/

[pc70]

I see so the actual cost involved in MySQL space just involves aquiring database space from your host, excellent. I'll make sure to double check your points with my webhost.

So the only costs associated with it are the installation, the forum software and the appropriate amount of space.

Is there any particular advantage to the owned license as opposed to the owned license?

Thanks very much for the information.

[Colin F]

Peter,
The costs you'll have are usually the domain name, hosting, and the vBulletin license. As you already have a domain and a web host, all you'll need to look into is the license.
The leased license is for those people that need a forum for a short while, like a project or similiar, that can't pay $160 at one time, or that aren't sure if vBulletin will fit their needs, and want to evaluate it before buying an owned license.
If you're in none of these situations, I'd recommend an owned license, as this is cheaper after only 2,5 years.

[pc70]

Right thank you.

I am as I stated familiar with Vbulletin, it is definitly the one I would choose in terms of software so I will just investigate how much extra space I will need with my host and compatibility issues.

As someone with a fairly nontechnical background I assume you recommend installation? If so I will garner the details involved with that process when I decide to purchase.

Thanks again for the information.

[Colin F]

Actually, installation is rather easy. If you have a fully nontechnical background I'd recommend it, but in your situation, I'd try to do it myself, and if it doesn't work, you can still order the professional installation service later on.

[pc70]

Fantastic, well there are people who I have in support who could provide some measure of technical assistance and if it is easy then I should have no problems.

Obviously it supports ads as I have seen, I assume they are easy to integrate and just fit in with the general website theme around the forum.

[Colin F]

Yes, the entire style can be easily edited using the Style & Template Manager.

[feldon23]

One of the few webhosts which measures MySQL separately from web hosting space is 1and1.com. You'll notice that I strongly discourage people from using this webhost because of this arbitrary limitation.

If you do have 1and1 webhosting, there are steps you can take to stay within the absurd 100MB limit, such as turning on Fulltext searching and Attachments in Filesystem which keep the search index and attachments out of the database.

After 5 years with 75,000 posts, my forum is still under 100MB if you exclude the search index and attachments.