I know that we have a lot of knowledgeable folks here that know this crap.

A buddy of mine wants to set up a forum, using either a new web domain/host or his company's existing domain.

He (and I) know very little about his this is actually installed, run, etc...what's needed?

Can this be done with a host like I have for my domains like Moronthrottle.com?
Does he need a real box of his own with it's own static IP?

help

thanks,
-sean

Have him check out Vbulletin. You have to buy it but it's not THAT expensive and it is commercially supported.

I have a forum for my business that has been running for 2 months now with 700 members and no issues.

I was able to register a domain, get a hosting account set up, and then install the software via FTP to the server. The Vbulletin configuration application does all the rest.

I am using ICDsoft as a web hosting service and it has been great!

http://www.Elisetalk.com uses Vbulletin... if you want to see what you can do with it.

And to answer more of your questions... you can add Vbulletin to your existing domain... as long as it can support PHP and MySQL databases.

You would either... a) add a link on your existing webpage that points to the folder on your web browser where the main forum page is located or set up your main page to be the forum start page.


The instruction manual for Vbulletin is very straightforward and well developed

The easiest solution is to use a web host that supports a forum. For example, my company has hosting plans with options for forums, blogs, and a dozen other add-ons that can be activated just by requesting it.

Or you can research and choose a forum software package and get a web hosting package that supports ASP, PHP, or whatever platform it requires. For example, Web Wiz Forums is a great package that is free and runs on ASP so you can install yourself on any hosting platform that supports ASP.

Depends on how deep you want to get into it.

if you just need a server, I have a linux server that I can share....

its a Static IP too, and has been up for around a year and a half without a hitch.

b