A lousy start at Boonex

A total newbie here, ready to make my idea of web site a reality. I'm an older guy, know no codes, nothing about WordPress, Dolphin and what not, until very recently when I started researching online. Last night I talked to Boonex online chat, telling him what I had in mind in my web site and asked him if those are possible / attainable with Dolphin Pro 7.1.6. He said he'll have their tech dept get back to me later that day. So far, nobody did. At the end of the chat, I said to the online agent, "Thank you so much. I really appreciate that." He didn't even bother to type a "Welcome" back to me, or brought the chat to a proper closure, and just disappeared. Australian courtesy or am I been a rude / demanding American?

I was hoping to use their free download version to try out and see if it can create all the functionalities I need for my web site. After reading their "Help" page, I realize the installation was even harder to understand than my doctor's handwriting, more confusing in resolving issues than Bible, to a layman like me. The Help page also explicitly indicates that they are web development company so not high on Support. Their staff proved they're also low in common courtesy. In other words, "WE DON"T CARE!"

My first dealing with Boonex ended up discouraging.

So this forum is my last try. The following are my questions regarding my web site:

Video Chat
For a multi-users chat in a chat room, what’s the max # of users that can chat at any given time? Can they all see one another in real time video image, or just their usernames? Can there be a host (main) user for each of this chat sessions and do a presentation to other users in the chat room using photos / pdf files / videos / audio /  white or black board to show the host’s writing? During the session, can two users engage in a private video chat without been seen and heard by other users in the room?,

And when I have several (or more than several if it will get to that) chat room sessions like this happen all at the same time, and happen constantly every day, will there be any technical issues? Is that even possible?

Is a video private chat only available in a chat room or can they be initiated directly from between two users maybe from their profile or somewhere on the site ?

Video Sharing
If I let users upload their videos freely to my site, will there be any safety concerns as well as storage, playback on different browsers / mobile devices, etc (if I’ll get lots of users, that is)?

Whenever a user uploads a video, I’d like it to show up not only in the user’s profile but also on a separate page that’s specifically created for listing all videos uploaded by users. On this Video exclusive page, members can search through videos by member profile info (age, gender, city/ state/ country, sexual orientation, what they’re seeking, etc.), uploading member’s location, or even video content category.

And when one clicks on a video, it will open up a new window that plays back (only) that video with the uploading member’s photo, and allow viewer to vote / like / share / comment? And I can place banner ad / Google Adsense on the page.

Can all these be possible with Dolphin 7.1?

Can I have banner ads / google AdSense on all pages, including chat rooms and the mass email I send out, or can they only be on certain pages?

For the Mass mailer, can I group members and mass email by groups?

Can I change he looks of the web site? Does the Premium plan include different looks of the web site or do I have to pay extra for that?

(End of my web site questions)
------------------------------------------------------------

My web site idea uses lots of video chat and video sharing, and according to my search online, Dolphin seems to be the one that really has those functionalities. If you know of any other options, please advise.    

Under their Server Requirements, it includes,

"Server Requirements for Media Streaming

Some of Dolphin's features (such as Flash Chat, Flash IM, Boards, Video Recorder, Video Comments) require media streaming capabilities. To use those, you need to make sure that the following requirements are met:

• VPS or Dedicated server is generally required in order to be able to install and run RMS (Ray Media Server). You would need access to the root or administrator account on the hosting server.

• JRE (Java Runtime Environment) ver. 1.6 or higher should be installed.

• Ports 1935, 1936 and 5080 should be open on the server.

• Allowance of at least 15 KB/sec for media streaming for each user. "  

I'm sorry to hear you've had a hard time. I'll try to answer your questions.

1. The max number of users depends on the server. You'll need RMS for audio/video chat, but there's also an RMS-free version of the Flash apps in the market that uses P2P instead of the RMS server. Users can broadcast video or only audio, and users can view their broadcasts from the chat interface. There's no "host", but users can create rooms (and password-protected rooms), which are automatically removed when all users leave them (this can be changed from within the Flash apps settings). For one-on-one, start a video chat with the user from their profile or a simple messenger chat. There is also a whiteboard module, but document sharing and presentations isn't really what the chat is for.
2. 1. Technical issues? Sure. If the server can't handle the number of users, there will be issues. If the RMS server needs to be restarted, connections will drop. No such thing as a perfect system.
   2. As noted above, one-on-one is available from the messenger module (not the simple messenger). You can start a video chat from their profile or via the simple messenger, and it's the same as the main chat - text, audio, and video options.
3. With the HTML5 module installed, Dolphin will convert videos into several additional formats to allow playback on virtually all devices. Just make sure that module's installed, or else all you'll have is a Flash player that doesn't work on mobile. Videos uploaded before you install the HTML5 module will not be reconverted to the needed formats - only new videos. Storage: average video is about 5-10 MB (for each format), longer videos will be larger, shorter ones smaller. Dolphin converts the uploaded video into FLV, M4V, and WebM. So a server with 250 GB disk space may not be a solid idea for a media-heavy site - a server with 1 TB+ is much better. Safety-wise, what do you mean?
4. 1. Already there. Videos module has its own pages to browse and search for videos, view albums, etc. You can also view a user's albums from their profile, and if the timeline module is installed, new uploads will also be posted to their wall. You can also upload photos, videos, etc. directly to the wall.
   2. Already there (albeit in the same window). All that's already on the video view page, although the Google banners would need to be added to the template files.

You should really try the demo site:

• URL: demo.boonex.com
• Username: admin
• Password: dolphin

Yes. You can either edit one of the main template files, or use the banner tool in the admin panel to insert a banner (which takes HTML, and can be used to inset Google ads) and place it on the site. For mass mailer, kind of. You can either send a message to all subscribers (non-members who signed up via the newsletter block on the homepage) or site members. Create a message and select it to send, and you'll be shown options to filter recipients by a few things, including age, gender, location, and membership level. Dolphin uses templates, so it can be changed to look however you like. You can design a new template based on one of the default ones or download a template from the market. You can also hire somebody to develop a custom template for you. Dolphin comes with two templates by default, Uni and Alt, and a third, responsive template (Evo) will be added in 7.2. More templates, free and paid, are available in the market.

A BoonEx certified host will know the requirements for Dolphin, and will be able to set you up with a server that meets all the requirements. If this will be a new install, I'd recommend shared hosting to start - many hosts on that list offer RMS for their shared customers, and others also offer RMS hosting for those on other hosts that need it. When you start to outgrow shared, I'd recommend you start looking for a dedicated server.

I recommend you play with the demo site to see if Dolphin does what you need.

Edit: Forgot to add the disclaimer that I'm one of those hosts.

In addition to what Nathan said above^.

I recommend https://www.zarconia.net/ if you don't want hosting headaches.

Also, Disclaimer that I'm not affiliated with them or any other hosting provider. I have just spent enough time on the forums to know some stuff.

Thanks to both replies. 

Hi Nathan,

"The max number of users depends on the server. "

Could you be more specific? perhaps an example. 

"You'll need RMS for audio/video chat, but there's also an RMS-free version of the Flash apps in the market that uses P2P instead of the RMS server."

How / where can I get that? Does that mean I should go with a hosting company that uses that? And which one? That way I don't have to worry about restarting RMS server.

I logged in to admin demo and under Modules, I did not see anything that reads "HTML5 module." So where can I find that and have it installed? 

Video storage - I have seen hosts that offer unlimited storage but none of the recommended hosts offer that. Since video sharing is a key feature in my web site idea, this will be a problem.

Safety concern - when allowing members uploading videos / audio freely, will there be any risks for viruses / malware / hackers?

In my original post, I forget to ask about this:

From their help page,

"Recommended Server Setup

Since Dolphin is a resource-intensive platform, it is very important to "fine-tune" your server. In some cases (for popular sites) you may have to setup clustered servers, and/or a remote database server. Alternative "web-server" software, such as nginx may also be beneficial to your site performance."

Do I need to worry about this? I don't understand this. 

Hi Prashank25,

Thank you for the recommendation. I'm wondering why you recommended zarconia besides the fact that they can install for me? How does it fare compared to other recommended hosts? If I have to move my site elsewhere for whatever reason later down the road, are they good on that? Why nobody mentioned those big names like godaddy? I'm just curious?  

Thank you.

1. It depends on the server's hardware. A small dual-core server with a few GB of RAM won't be able to handle the same amount of users as a server with plenty of RAM and a fast CPU. RMS can be configured to use more hardware for better performance on larger sites. For the P2P versions (see: http://www.boonex.com/m/rms-free-chat for chat), this doesn't matter, as it's all handled by the users.
2. RMS is available here: http://www.boonex.com/downloads - it's the media server. You'll need a VPS or dedicated server to install and run it, as it requires root access. You can check with your host to see if they have an RMS server for their customers to use on shared servers. All BoonEx certified hosts should have it, and be able to install it on their VPS/dedicated servers - ask them first. We also have RMS available for shared, and it's standard issue on our dedicated servers. For restarting RMS, I mean for cases such as where a new domain needs to be added or the configuration updated. For a dedicated RMS instance, it's rarely touched once fully configured.
3. HTML5 module is a special module. All it does is act as a switch to tell Dolphin to convert to some extra formats and show the HTML5 player if necessary. Because of this, there's no options or menu entry in the Admin Panel. You can install and uninstall it from Admin Panel > Modules > Add & Manage. It's already installed on the demo site.
4. Unlimited storage is a gimmick - the expectation is that nobody will ever use more than XX GB. We cap our disk space limit on shared at 150 GB for our largest plan. We did the math and decided this was the most amount of disk space an account can use without issue. I just checked, and we actually have a few accounts on our servers with 90+ GB used. By the time you start to hit this limit, you'll likely have too many active users for shared, and will need to move to a VPS or dedicated server with more disk space and more resources.
5. I don't see how. The uploaded file needs to have a whitelisted extension, and when uploaded, it's processed by Dolphin and converted into other formats and bitrates. The converted files are the ones actually used and accessed by users. The only risk for malware would be with the files module, but you can require approval for new entries and check them first (e.g., send the file off to VirusTotal).
6. The server should indeed be optimized for Dolphin, and meet all requirements and also offer PHP cache options like APC for better performance. A certified host will have their servers setup to meet these requirements and run Dolphin without additional tweaks. TBH, I've never seen a site that needed to be clustered. You'd need to have quite a large site to start worrying about that. That said, you don't need to use a certified host, but you will have the best results and support for Dolphin. Make sure you show the requirements to your host of choice so they can confirm if Dolphin will run without issues.

Edit: To answer your question (directed at Prashank - thanks for the recommendation!) about moves, we do include a free move with all orders. Whether from another host or to one of our dedicated servers (or from one server to another), we'll take care of it and make sure there are no issues. If you have any questions about our hosting, feel free to send me a PM.

Hi Nathan,

I just tried to send you a PM but failed because my membership only allows me to contact vendor that I have purchased from. So below please find my message to you. 

------------------------------------

Hi Nathan,

Thanks again for your reply. I really appreciate that.

"It depends on the server's hardware. A small dual-core server with a few GB of RAM won't be able to handle the same amount of users as a server with plenty of RAM and a fast CPU. "

So with your hosting, how many members max can chat in a chat room at once? 

"I don't see how. The uploaded file needs to have a ... users. The only risk for malware would be with the files module, but you can require approval for new entries and check them first (e.g., send the file off to VirusTotal)."

What's the likelihood of having a file module risk? You sound like this is not something we need to worry about. And what about hackers? Do i need to worry about that ?

"about moves, we do include a free move with all orders. Whether from another host or to one of our dedicated servers (or from one server to another), we'll take care of it and make sure there are no issues. "

What about moving from Zarconia to another host, either one of those other recommended hosts by Boonex, or non-recommended hosts? 

Since you're so kind helping me out here, I'll definitely consider your hosting service. But I'll need to try out the demo admin first and then look at the whole picture before making my decision.

My main concern is that my web site idea needs to use lots of chat room chats and video uploading. If i'll get lucky and get lots or members, is there a max capacity for a dedicated server? If Zarconia cannot handle the load any more and I have to move to a different host because of the huge size my site has grown into, will there be a host that actually large enough to take my site at the same time also meet Dolphin hosting requirement? 

I know this may sound a bit panaroid, but the last thing i want to happen to me is to have worked  my ass off to built a successful web site only to find out no hosting provider can take over my site because of the software it was powered by. 

Please send me your pricing info. Thank you again.

Sorry, didn't realize you're a starter (and sorry for the delay of this post). You can email me directly at nathan [at] zarconia.net.

1. Depends on the server and kind of site. Are you looking for shared or dedicated to start? Our shared is meant to handle small sites with under 100 users, around 50 in most cases. If this is a new site or one that needs to be worked on, I'd recommend shared. You can use the code FREEMONTH to try our shared for a full month at no cost. Our dedicated servers can handle a range of users and features, depending on the site. I'll describe a little more at the end.
2. The files module allows users to upload files to share with others. If you don't want to offer this feature, don't install the module. You can also set the module to require approval for new entries, so you can check over submissions before they're posted on the site. Always install new updates that include security fixes in a timely manner, and follow best practices for your hosting account (strong passwords, limit access to others, strong A/V protection locally, etc.).
3. We've never had somebody request to be moved to another host. But I suppose we could handle the move, but that's really something the new host should be taking care of. We can coordinate with them to make sure it's an easy experience - we allow cPanel transfers and the creation of full account backups on our shared servers, so nothing is ever locked down like that, and our dedicated servers have full root access. You're in control of your data.
4. Example: our BS1 is meant for sites that have become too large for shared. It's not ideal for media-heavy sites with a lot of videos, as the limited disk space will be used quickly by the site and backups. For such sites, our BS2 would be a better starter server. For hundreds of users and increased RMS activity, one of our Accel or Intel servers would be better. You should start with shared or a smaller dedicated server, and then move up as needed. If your site does outgrow our largest ready-built server, we can setup a custom server with more hardware. But, at that point, it would be more economical to split services like RMS and MySQL off to their own servers. And this would all be down the road.

Please email me if you have any other questions.

@nexnex - I've upgraded your account to Advanced. You can post messages now.

And as for Zarconia hosting... I'd say the difference is that these guys go extra mile to help with your Dolphin experience, as you may see.