It's not the hosting space FireAnt - its the fact the DotNetNuke dodgy modules will do things to a server you never thought possible!  Like.. bring it to a grinding halt - and it doesn't stop until you turn off that module or site.  I only have 2 clients on my 3 servers who are able to upload modules - and the agreement is that they contact me first before uploading and we discuss the module and purpose.  And I only have a couple who can ftp because of their large files - over 3.5gb of files, not the volume, but the fact they are print quality files.

I've got three servers and just bought another one - and it's a big investment - Dual 3.2 dual core xeons & 8GB of ram, raid 5, dell server with good warranty, and more specs than I've seen on several other servers.  However, it won't change the fact that I won't let clients have host access to their site on this box.  It doesn't mean they can't have what they want, but it does mean that I like to know what they want, so their modules don't affect others.

I think companies that offer the DotNetNuke hosted environment for a couple of dollars are pitching to the smaller sites where they don't need host access and can be better controlled. I know that GoDaddy does single installs - one code base per client (I could be wrong at this point in time but believe this to be the case) and only admin access without even ability to upload skins.  This gives them much more assurity in backup management and performance.

For me, if I get enquiries about developers wanting hosting, I tell them to go elesewhere and use someone else's server for testing, not mine and they seem to understand. 

You can stack more sites on a php/linux box than a DNN hosted box in my opinion, that's why you can factor out dollar per client better.

EG - I was working with a UK company in reference to setting up DNN sites, and they offered me a free site - which I didn't need but I thought OK - let's live the hosted client experience, and OMG.. that site never ran.. 6 weeks to finally work out why it wouldn't run with security being the major one (they didn't have permissions set) and then in the fleeting moment they got it right - it never ran... and then I asked a few more questions and found out that my one and only DNN site was sitting on a box - a cerelon with 512mb of ram and 756 php sites... and just one DNN installation managed to bring it to a stop they said, but I wonder if it was the fact it was on an already stacked server - 756 sites .. that was profitable.. .  The site in the end, never really worked, but gave me a good example on how other people approach hosting.... and how much you can get away with - what a profitable server that would have been, even if the clients were paying $2.00 per month.. in advance. 

Nina Meiers

Well you have raised some interesting points, but for me, I guess I'm lucky - I don't have limits on my client sites, I could care less if I've got the room, but then it could also come down to the cost of the hdd.  Some hosters are moving to SATA 7200 hds, rather than the cost of SCSI 100000 hdd, just because of the cost of the HDD, which if you add the ram and the HDD can add up to 25% of the machine cost then divide that by total outlay - it's a decision I guess.  However, you know some of the DotNetNuke databases can get HUGE.. GIGS some people have mentioned... so that must count in the space as well.

I did learn a bit about the differences between SCSI & IDE or SATA drives, it's not just speed. Someone told me that if you set fire to a server, the HDD could have a chance to have data extracted from it due to how the HD is actually created, but that was getting into a whole new level of knowledge that I felt was way out of my scope but very interesting to know about should I be party to a Technical Trivia night... perhaps.

However, if it's mission critical, everything counts, but I guess what I look at is backup and the ability to get back online should a disaster happen, and if the data centre burnt down, wow, alot of people would be affected.  At the end of the day you have to look at where you're positioned and where you want to be in the market place.. I know my direction and for me I'm moving to DNN only server setup, becuase that's the area I'm in, but general hosters often have to consider so many other elements when deploying a web hosting solution for a broad audience.

This is again, an interesting and subjective topic, and is different depending on which hat you are wearing!

Nina Meiers