Shared Server or Dedicated Server... Which SSL

Hi,

I have been told mixed things in regards to what type of server we should use for Boonex Dolphin... We are currently on a shared server with Hostmonster and Hostmontser said that server should work for now until we grow larger.. But I have also been told that we should have our own dedicated server.

And which SSL certificate is recommended to prevent spam and virus? We have had alot of spam comments and spam members.

I have Dolphin 7.0.9

http://my420mate.com

As for the spam. This is the most recent topic. On going as of today. http://www.boonex.com/forums/topic/SPAM-everyday-all-day.htm

You should have a dedicated, but if your site is not that large yet, and your not having problems with the shared, then waiting until it is needed should be fine.

SSL is to secure packets sent to and from the website and the clients browser. Used mostly for sites that perform financial transactions or handling of sensitivity data. It does not have anything to do with viruses or spam and will do nothing to prevent it. That is not what SSL is for.

I have a dedicated server and the reason being that I have full controll over my server and don't have to share any resources of that machine. Since I don't have to share any resources, I can serve more people from the server.  so you're right that once you grow bigger, you'll need one or more dedicated servers.

With regards to your SSL question, not sure I understand what it is you mean. If you mean  which authority to buy your certificate from, this should not make a difference, when it comes to spam prevention. SSL is there to prove your website/server is the website/server people expected to surf to and to encrypt any data that is send between the website/server and the client.

For SPAM prevention there are other options and also modules in the market

One thing to realise is that a dedi is going to be a lot more expensive.  So you could wait as you grow and then move when your shared host starts complaining.  Moving from the shared to the dedi is not going to be difficult and we here in the forum can help answer questions on making the move.

Migone1,

Just my 2 cents. Shared is fine on a server optimized for Dolphin. Some hosts have a difficult time handling Dolphin with shared. I have been with through two hosts since opening the site in March. First two, could not handle my site with ten members online, not using chat, just the forums. I am now with Zarconia for two months without issues. As your membership grows of course you will need to upgrade, but you should be earning enough to offset the costs. If not, then that is where you need to concentrate, because if you were generating income you would not mind to upgrade the server.

Here's some advice for spam. I had a problem the first week. I put one human question on the join form, and banned everyone from China which eliminated 98% of spam from entering the site. At least the robot spam, I have very tiny amount of human spam, but I approve every Applicant by looking at their account before activating. Still the only way to be 99.9% is to charge a fee to enter the site. Suggestion, you may consider blocking non members from entering certain areas. For example, I can look at your members list. One option is go into Admin>Builders>Navigation menu> click on the top block and restrict to members only the areas that you wish to restrict. Some spammers will stop hitting the site if they cannot get any information.

SSL certificates, there are different types, Look at Namecheap.com for information. Not saying that they are the place to buy, but you will get educated on the different types and be better prepared.

Hope this helps

 @Itsawhiz - Glad to hear you are enjoying the service :)

I have my site on a shared server but it is set up strictly for only dolphin sites. Everything works fine, including the video chat. It's way cheaper than a dedicated server and it is not overloaded so it is not under a great load like other shared servers.

Dan