Why are servers so expensive and unreliable?

[crama]

8 years ago if you bought a new computer it probably had a cpu proccessor at about 16-66 MHZ, RAM at 4-8 MB, Hard Drive Space at 33-300 MB, and a Modem at 2,400-9,600 kps. Now it probably would have a cpu proccessor at about 1 GHZ, RAM at 128 MB, Hard Drive Space at 20 GB, and you could get a DSL modem.

But over the past 8 years has web server technology had anywhere near the improvement. We should have servers that can host hundreds and even thousands of big traffic websites and with speed and reliability.

If a server could do this(as it should by now), the companies that make them wouldn't be able to sell anywhere near as much off the buying public (hosting companies, big traffic sites, etc..). I think perhaps this is the real reason why servers continue to be a MAJOR disappointment and why there seems to be very little improvement with the technology. http://bbs.adultwebmasterinfo.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[Energy Hosting]

"But over the past 8 years has web server technology had anywhere near the improvement."
Actually, it had exactly the same amount of improvement if not more.
The average web server has components very similar to a home computer, meaning you can put 1.7 GHz CPUs and 4 GB of ram if you want to and have to money to do it. You can make clusters with hundreds of computers.
You can build a Sun server with 30 CPUs. You can make a RAID array terabytes in size.

"We should have servers that can host hundreds and even thousands of big traffic websites"
There are servers like that, it's just that they are very expensive and not cost efficient.

[ProgGod]

Actually we run the bulk of our traffic from one or two of our webservers.. for example PornTrack our counter.. handles 20million uniques, 25million impressions all from 2 400mhz celeron servers. http://bbs.adultwebmasterinfo.com/ubb/smile.gif

We could combine it into one server, but don't because we don't want to place all our eggs in one basket.

Now its running freebsd 4.3 with an optimize kernel and our own custom webserver. But the technology is there, we just may not give it out http://bbs.adultwebmasterinfo.com/ubb/smile.gif

Soon any of our hosting clients will be allowed to run our webserver though http://bbs.adultwebmasterinfo.com/ubb/smile.gif

[ProgGod]

Oh an our server requires about 15megs of memory http://bbs.adultwebmasterinfo.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Simon]

Preston Not every bean in the house can write their own webserver =) LOL.

Simon

[ProgGod]

Hah, but they can host with us and I will let them use it for free http://bbs.adultwebmasterinfo.com/ubb/wink.gif