Server Requirements Estimate

[Kestryll]

I am getting very frustrated with the various host companies. I've asked both our previous host and current what our server usage was/is so I could get an idea of what we need and neither have answered.
vBulletin told me they meter storage and bandwidth and don't know what the CPU/RAM usage is.

I have been told we need CPU and RAM ranging from 4 to 12 cores and RAM from 8GB to 64GB.

We have a 55Gb database, probably about another 50Gb of storage/programs and are averaging about .9 to 1.1 Tb of data a month.
Should we really need the top end of the CPU/RAM scale?

[Marauder2003]

I asked ChatGPT regarding CPU vs storage speed.

The importance of CPU versus storage media speed for a website server largely depends on the specific needs and workload of the website. Here's a breakdown:

### CPU Importance
- **Dynamic Content Processing**: For websites that generate a lot of dynamic content (e.g., running complex scripts, generating pages on the fly), a powerful CPU is crucial.
- **Concurrent Users**: Handling many simultaneous connections efficiently often requires a robust CPU.
- **Server-Side Logic**: Complex computations or data processing tasks on the server side benefit from a faster CPU.

### Storage Media Speed Importance
- **Database Access**: Websites that frequently read from or write to databases benefit significantly from faster storage media (e.g., SSDs over HDDs).
- **Static Content Delivery**: Serving static content like images, CSS, and JavaScript files can be sped up with faster storage.
- **Boot and Load Times**: Faster storage media can reduce server boot times and improve the overall responsiveness of the system.

### General Considerations
- **Balanced Approach**: For many websites, a balance of both is necessary. If you have an e-commerce site, for example, both the processing power to handle transactions and the speed to access product images and data are critical.
- **Specific Workloads**: If your site is heavily database-driven, prioritize storage speed. If it's CPU-intensive (e.g., processing complex algorithms or serving high-volume traffic), prioritize the CPU.
- **Scalability**: Consider future growth. A balanced approach allows you to scale different aspects of your server infrastructure as needed.

In summary, both CPU and storage media speed are important, but their relative importance depends on the specific requirements of your website. For most general-purpose websites, a balanced approach is recommended.

[ibanezfoo]

Without analytics its tough to know what resources are being consumed. If you are bouncing off RAM or CPU limits then theres your answer. CPU core requirements are generally determined by the app being multithreaded and actually taking advantage of them. Can't really go wrong with maxing out speed, but cores won't matter if you aren't using them. That said most databases I've ever used (SQL, MySQL, Postgres, D3, etc) are multithreaded. RAM is generally better to have more to an extent. If you aren't consuming it theres no reason to pay more. Of course all this applies to the current state. If you expect to scale up then get more, unless it can be scaled on the fly in a virtual environment then it doesn't matter as long as you can increase resources when you need them.

I do find it odd they can't provide metrics. If you have OS access you can run your own metrics.

[command_liner]

Not a surprising result.
Do you really want a consumer grade system, or a more capable system? Probably a mid-range server with a non-cheap configuration will provide
more compute than you think, but configuration of the hardware is not as simple as you think.

Something like the mid-range HP ML350 Gen11 server would be nice.
You can get a system with dual power supplies, multiple networks, multiple CPUs with multiple cores, and good memory options. You want all the
memory slots full -- because memory performance IS NOT constant with respect to DIMM population near the CPUs. Opt for the SATA-type SSDs for
boot (set it up for multi-boot for redundancy) and put the database on NVME. You really do want the Intel processors with the switching fabric
("Gold Processors") instead of the cheaper dual-ring.

It is worth stating this again: you do not necessarily need more memory, but better use of the memory hardware. Fill each slot. So many
configurations get this wrong that a book was written on the topic. See "DDR4 for Dummies".

With 50-60 GB of active database, you are going to run into page table management issues unless you switch to larger pages. But your database
should be able to be configured like that. Similarly, tune your TCP usage in the database to match the card you have and the switch you are
connected to. There is no reason to be sending out 4K packets on the socket when you are running a 100GB dedicated line to the switch.
Server-side TCP fragmentation causes paging storms due to the inherent context switches from small socket writes.

This one is worth repeating again and again: always use maximum compression. Zstd max and wepb max for all content. Spend the time
to get this configured. TUNING REALLY MATTERS.

Not interested in a ML350? You can get the same sort of compute power in a Z8, and the same memory. But it will not have remote
diagnostics and a bunch of the high-availability features. You can buy a well provisioned Z8 refurb on Amazon for the cost of a set of
tires. Throw in a catalytic converter replacement, and you can get a 48 core Intel with 128 GB, a fast 1T of NVME and a 3TB SSD. Compute
power that used to cost tens of billions of dollars is now available for the cost of a plane flight to London. Understanding how to use that
compute power is still somewhat uncommon.

With a mid-range system you have the ability to add enough memory, disk and CPU to have super-provisioned VMs. This is when the hardware
has more than enough disk/cpu/memory to dedicated to multiple virtual machines. This configuration can have very fast recover/restart times.
Redundant hardware with redundant virtual machines. I am not sure if vBulletin and Cloudflare will work this way, but lots of applications
can.

[DrjonesUSA]

I am getting very frustrated with the various host companies. I've asked both our previous host and current what our server usage was/is so I could get an idea of what we need and neither have answered.
vBulletin told me they meter storage and bandwidth and don't know what the CPU/RAM usage is.

I have been told we need CPU and RAM ranging from 4 to 12 cores and RAM from 8GB to 64GB.

We have a 55Gb database, probably about another 50Gb of storage/programs and are averaging about .9 to 1.1 Tb of data a month.
Should we really need the top end of the CPU/RAM scale?

I have an excellent senior engineering resource team that I've been working with for a years. They could absolutely help you with this.
Do you want to speak with them just for an initial consult?
They will absolutely be honest, reasonable, and fair with you, whether you use them or not.

If so, please DM / email me.