when site get huge they get there own servers right??? well how big does it have to be? how many unique visits do you have to have? and where do they get the servers? thanks.

Depending on which host you use, the need for a server can be different, when your site constantly gets downtime because you are over bandwidth, then you need a server, usually a host will ask you to purchase your own servers when they realize that resources are low because of one person, you can get a server from virtually any respectable host, I recommend The Planet good linux server, media temple is a rip off, dont ever pay over $ 300 a month for a server, no matter how "qualified" it is

i wouldn't really say media temple is a ripoff without experiencing it. sure, they're expensive, but for good reason, though their dedicated virtual servers are the same price as anywhere else: $50 a month. it's just when you get to the extremes of their hosting packages that you're looking at $750 a month. sites like adobe.com and sony.com are hosted at media temple on their "nitro" server, the most expensive one. they're so expensive because their servers run flawlessly, even under constant strain and bursts of traffic. the only time i've ever experienced downtime (checked my logs to make sure) was about a month ago when they were upgrading my cluster to their new technology. lasted about a whole of 20 minutes, in the dead of the night.

deciding on getting a dedicated server isn't limited to only your traffic. it may also be because you want root access to your server to install programs, you want your own name servers, or you just want the freedom to use it as you please without the burden of having other sites you've never even heard of using your resources.

by the way, this probably should be in the webmasters' corner, right?

Topic moved to Webmasters' Corner.

Yea, Mediatemple has nice shared and VPS plans, but the dedicated servers are way over what they should be, yes they are nice, but Im pretty sure getting a $200 - $300
from surpass or hostgator will probably amount to the same thing, adobe and sony dont really have a budget for anything, I mean (mt) is a respectable host, but I think they are more about selling their brand ( if you know what I mean?) hahaha

oh and to the OP, the price of a server also depends if you get management for a server or not. Usually if you dont get management, you have to update PHP and MySQL, add a control panel software, etc. If you do not have an IT management team, I would rather pay extra for management, but of course some host provide management with their offering price, like surpass :]

not to get into a sprawl about which is better than which, but i was looking at the dedicated servers at the planet, and the servers they offer that are "comparable" to media temple's run well over $1000 per month. it just seems outrageous at media temple because they boast it on their front page while you have to dig to find the planet's. media temple offers quad core processors, the planet offers only dual core (while they do offer much more hard drive space). media temple's hard drives are 300GB 15,000RPM, but i don't see anything about the planet's. i'd assume their 300GB drives are 7500RPM and the 73GB drives they offer are 15000RPM.

end rant. ;)

...by the way, i know that media temple also offers a "partnership," where depending on how much traffic you receive, you can add a link to media temple and get free servers. it's not one of those referral programs where you have to get people to sign up; they just give you free hosting.

edit: i just realized this thread is coming off to be that there are only two places out there. in reality, there are hundreds. most hosting companies that offer basic shared plans will also offer dedicated servers.

haha yea,

some other good places are surpass, hostgator, xlhost.. yea thats all I know :]

thanks for the replies but i though you buy a server and take it home, is that possible? or is it possible when your severs from your host are to getting to small?

for home servers, read this topic. to sum it all up, it's a bad idea to host a site from home unless you have experience with web servers (maintaining and updating) and blazing fast internet connection (high quality business class, T3 & up).

most big businesses actually buy their hosting from a hosting provider, even when they're on dedicated servers. it just takes all the hassle out of having to pay for extremely fast internet service and the cost of maintaining the server.

well thats good to know, hooking it all up seems kinda hard. thanks for the link.