Hoorah, our snazzy cPanel theme is back! It took some time ironing out the bugs due to cPanel’s recent upgrade, but its all finished and back up for all of you to use!
On another quick note, we’re making huge leaps with the new website, and it should be up and running before you know it, so look out.
As per our previous post on the MySQL Quota changes, we have now implemented MySQL quotas across the board. This post will try and cover all the details you may need regarding the new quota system.
What is the quota size for databases now?
The quota is currently hard-coded to 256MB. There are no plans to increase this in the future.
What will happen if my database is over quota?
Your database will have the UPDATE, INSERT and CREATE permissions revoked. This will mean that no new data can be added to the database until you reduce the size to less than 256MB.
Will this cause an error on my site?
Unfortunately this is impossible to determine, and fundamentally depends on how your site is developed. Some sites will generate a MySQL error, perhaps related to invalid permissions. Some sites may be less friendly and show nothing at all. If you’re experiencing odd problems, you should first check the size of your MySQL database(s) within cPanel.
I’ve reduced my database size, when will my site/database be working again?
The quota system is scheduled to execute every 5 minutes, so your site/database will be working within 5 minutes of reducing the size.
Will you notify me if my database is over size?
Unfortunately, due to the very dynamic nature of databases, and various limitations within our billing system (currently), we are unable to notify you if your database has had the permissions revoked. We are working to include this, and other account notifications in a future client area, but presently this is something you will need to monitor manually.
We apologise for any inconvenience that this change may cause, and we hope you understand our reasons for implementing this. As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let us know.
Following on from a previous post regarding MySQL usage consumption, we are intending to make changes to MySQL across all shared servers, and implement an effective MySQL quota. This post will contain all relevant information about the upcoming changes.
Why are you implementing a MySQL Quota?
Currently, MySQL databases are not limited in size, nor are they detracted from an accounts disk space quota. Under our Terms and Conditions we essentially implement a “fair usage” policy, and recommend that databases are no larger than 256MB to 512MB in size. Obviously as a hosting provider we need to draw the line between what is deemed acceptable for shared hosting, and what isn’t. Because of the nature of shared hosting, multiple large databases can and will increase MySQL memory usage on a server and can possibly reduce MySQL performance for others. Many customers are unaware of the MySQL information in our Acceptable Usage Policy, and as a result are exceeding (often very significantly) these guideline amounts. To try and keep performance the best we can, we feel that we need to begin implementing a MySQL quota so that databases simply cannot grow out of control on their own.
Our intention isn’t to charge people more (see below) or somehow otherwise inconvenience users, it’s merely to safeguard the integrity of our the servers by ensuring that particular resources cannot be abused or exceeded dramatically at the risk of performance degradation for others.
Why can’t you just combine the MySQL usage with the purchased disk space?
If we do this, and the disk space of a particular user is met or exceeded, MySQL will crash when new data is attempted to be added – bringing the service down for everyone.
What exactly is the quota going to do and what will happen if I reach it?
If a database exceeds our hard-coded quota, the “CREATE” and “INSERT” permissions on a database will be revoked. This will allow your databases to be used (such in a forum, it will still be accessible and readable by others), however new content (such as new forum posts) will be unable to be added and will generate a MySQL error upon query.
This quota is based on single, individual databases, and is not account bound.
The system will be 100% automated, so reducing your database size will cause the system to reinstate the relevant permissions within several minutes of making the changes.
What quota are you going to implement?
We are going to implement a 256MB quota, and modify our AUP Accordingly.
How do I know how big my databases are, and whether I’m at risk?
If you login to cPanel and access the ‘MySQL Databases’ screen, it will inform you how large each database is. Our investigations have shown that this quota limit will affect less than 1% of our hosted sites, so it is very unlikely to cause you any issues at all.
What do I do if my database is too large?
In many cases, the size of your database can be reduced by simply pruning old data. If you run a forum for example, deleting very old posts beyond a certain time period can clear up significant amounts of space.
I don’t want to delete old data, is there anything I can do? Can I upgrade to the Ultra plan and still use it?
I’m afraid not. If you are unable to bring your database size to below this new quota (256MB), you will need to seek an alternate method of hosting said database. In this instance we would recommend a VPS/Cloud hosted solution or Dedicated Server. Please contact us for possible options if you wish to persue hosting with us.
Please note that this quota is global and is not attached to particular accounts. If you are on the Ultra package or the Starter/Blog package – you will receive the same 256MB quota. Upgrading your package will not remove or increase this quota.
When will you implement this new quota system?
We will be bringing this new quota system online on February 1st 2010. This should allow ample time for existing customers to take the necessary steps to ensure they are not affected by this change.
As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let us know by either opening a ticket or responding to this blog post.
EDIT:
It seems that in some vBulletin databases, the ‘Attachments’ table can grow extremely large due to vBulletin defaulting to store attachments within the database instead of as files on the server. To remedy this please try the following solution:
“First go to the cPanel’s File Manager and create an “attachments” directory in your site’s offline root directory (the directory that File Manager defaults to) and CHMod it 777. Keeping this directory offline is good for security purposes (no one will be able to view attachments they do not have permission to view). Now go to the AdminCP, expand the Attachments list on the left side and click on Attachment Storage Type. Move your attachments out of the database and into the file system. Here is the path you will want to use, replacing yourCPanelusername with the username you use to login to cPanel:
/home/yourCPanelusername/attachments”
Many thanks to Chad for providing us with this information.
You asked, so we delivered.
All shared hosting servers have been recompiled with XLST support, as well as being upgraded to the latest version of cPanel’s PHP: 5.2.12. This now means that we fully support the Symphony CMS software. Not only that, we also include support for the “zip” option, so you should be able to utilise all of the great features of this software. Enjoy!
We hope you enjoyed our Halloween promotion and found it a little different! Congratulations to all those who won a coupon code and free hosting. If you didn’t win anything this time, don’t fret – there’ll be plenty of other opportunites to bag yourself some discounts or free hosting in the future.
Starting today (November 1st) and running right up until the end of the month (or maybe longer), we’re going to be providing people the chance to try our service for just $0.99. That’s right – we’re now offering the first month of our Starter/Blog hosting package for just $0.99. It’s hard to get any cheaper than that, isn’t it? Now, obviously this doesn’t include domain registration, domain transfer(s) or dedicated IP addresses. It’s simply our Starter/Blog package for $0.99c so that you can get a feel for our service. At the end of your first month, the price will revert back to the usual $2.99/month.
We’ve already updated the order link on our products page to include the discount coupon needed, so there’s nothing to enter. Everyone signing up to the Starter/Blog package from this moment on will automatically receive their first month for $0.99c. When ordering, you won’t see the coupon immediately, but simply choose ‘$2.99 – Monthly’ and on the next page the coupon will apply and it’ll be reduced to just $0.99c.
So, please help spread the word, and let people know they can try the awesome this* hosting for a ridiculously low price!
