views:

314

answers:

6

We are thinking to use Dotnetnuke(ASP.NET) as platform for creating asp.net based social networking site. Surprisingly, Its difficult to find webhost with unlimited diskspace/badnwidth to store/stream lots of photos/videos.

On the other hand, PHP based webhosting companies do provide unlimited diskspace/bandwidth. Check it here

So, I have two questions:

1) Does Diskspace/Bandwidth in webhosting scenario have anything to do with technology(PHP/ASP.NET) and OS(Windows/Linux)?

2) Recommendation of hosting providers with diskspace/Bandwidth for hosting ASP.NET website.

+1  A: 

For something as large as a social networking site, you want to look into your own server.

Ólafur Waage
+5  A: 

The reason you can't find one is because there aren't any hosts who can offer you unlimited bandwidth because it is a finite resource. Check the terms of all these offerings and you will see that they generally mean "there's no arbitrary limit" when they say "unlimited" but that's not the same as "you can use any amount of bandwidth".

Using that list you gave, I went to HostMonster who happened to be top of the list and they state in their terms:

What "Unlimited" means. HostMonster.Com does not set an arbitrary limit or cap on the amount of resources a single Subscriber can use. ...snip ... As a result, a typical website may experience periods of great popularity and resulting increased storage without experiencing any associated increase in hosting charges.

Basically, if you get slashdotted then they won't cut you off. That's not the same as being permanently busy.

What "Unlimited" DOES NOT mean. ... snip ... HostMonster.Com's offering of "unlimited" services is not intended to allow the actions of a single or few Subscribers to unfairly or adversely impact the experience of other Subscribers.

HostMonster.Com's service is a shared hosting service, which means that multiple Subscriber web sites are hosted from the same server and share server resources. HostMonster.Com's service is designed to meet the typical needs of small business and home business website Subscribers in the United States. It is NOT intended to support the sustained demand of large enterprises, internationally based businesses, or non-typical applications better suited to a dedicated server.

If you want as much bandwidth as you will need, you need to pay for it.

Neil Trodden
Or to phrase it simply: There is no such thing as unlimited diskspace/bandwidth.
Daniel Straight
A: 

PHP/MySQL is free as it's open source - the hosting companies can then offer you much more in the way of 'extras' - such as a greater allowance of disk space and bandwidth. The Microsoft stack costs thousands and they have to make that money back!

Adam Pope
A: 

The best solution for your situation seems to be a VPS, all the control you need at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated server.

Keith Donegan
A: 

Look into some of the cloud storage solutions, like Amazon's S3 or Mosso's Cloud Files. It's unlimited space/bandwidth but like everyone has said - nothing is free. The prices are very fair though.

Michael Wales
A: 

very informative

Muhammad