Hardware Requirements

Every PostNuke site is different. The choice of installed modules and components, operating system (OS), database, and other services can greatly alter the needs of a given PostNuke site. Popular websites with a great deal of traffic need a more robust server than a small club site with few hits. As a result, you must take into account how you want to apply PostNuke to your needs and adjust your server's hardware accordingly.

Note

Experienced server administrators should be able to skip down to the "Software Requirements" section, if desired. PostNuke's hardware requirements are no greater than the average server's needs.

Those of you already familiar with the computer hardware and the components usually required to run a server will be pleasantly surprised that configuring a PostNuke server does not require any special considerations. The hardware required to run the other applications, such as the web server and database, is, in most cases, more than sufficient for PostNuke's needs. The majority of professional hosting services have the required systems.

If you have never run a server before, or if you are simply experimenting with PostNuke on your home PC, expect that most modern personal computers can run the software you need. If your system is a few years old, you might need to upgrade. Unless you see any concerns with the requirements mentioned in the following sections, I suggest you try to get things running with what you have, even if you find yourself on the borderline of the recommendations.

CPU and Memory

Your server's CPU and memory are very important to having quality site performance. PostNuke is known to be a bit of a CPU hog at times. If you know your site will be under a great deal of regular load, you might want to consider having a dual-processor server; however, most PostNuke servers run with a single processor, and unless you are certain you have a need for the extra power, just stick with one processor.

You should plan to run at least a 1GHz processor. A Linux install on 1GHz runs very well; Windows XP usually has a little more overhead and might need a respective boost in the processor. 1GHz processors are inexpensive and even if you are upgrading an older system for PostNuke, it should be fairly easy to get a good CPU for an older mainboard.

Note

PostNuke scales quite well with higher-end hardware. One popular PostNuke site, www.flashflashrevolution.com, has more than 375,000 members and more than 13 million page views each month. The site runs on a Dual Xeon 2.0GHz Linux server, which also simultaneously hosts more than 200 smaller sites.

PostNuke can also eat up a server's memory; if you have to choose between upgrading your CPU or RAM, go for the memory. PostNuke can be served on only 256MB, but more is always better. If you are running Windows, consider that Windows XP needs 128MB minimum just to run the main OS with all its features. After you move up to server status, 256MB should be your baseline for Linux, and XP users should consider 384MB. A popular PostNuke site benefits from 512MB, and a heavy server, especially one running multiple sites, is recommended to have at least 1GB.

Tip

1GB of memory might seem like overkill. If you are running a clean install of all your server applications, and nothing else, it might indeed be more than you need. To reduce system requirements, don't bog your server down with unnecessary files, media, applications, shells, and so on.

Memory can be a costly component to upgrade, but the good news is PostNuke running with only 1GB of RAM has been proven to handle impressive traffic numbers. The PostNuke site www.patriotsforpeace.org was mentioned during The Oprah Winfrey Show when the organization's leader appeared as a guest. The website received 21,000 PostNuke page views over a two and a half hour period. The server had been prepared for the traffic with static Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) versions of major pages, including the home page, all of which were not counted by PostNuke. The server load statistics showed neither the static pages nor the separate database server it employed were needed at the time.

It's clear that most single-site PostNuke servers do fine with 512MB, especially if they are running Linux. If you are in doubt, try running with less first to confirm load issues before upgrading. Even if your server is showing some wear, try the options discussed in Appendix A, "Speed Up PostNuke," to get the most out of your existing hardware.

Drive Space

The base PostNuke install itself only requires 20MB of hard drive space. You need extra space for any additional modules you want to install. If you plan to run multiple PostNuke sites, be aware that each site is a separate install and requires an additional 20MB, and most modules also require duplication as each site is customized. A good rule of thumb is to set aside 30MB for any given PostNuke install.

Windows XP and Linux servers both require a couple GB of space for their major OS components. Unless your site is very large, the database is unlikely to consume more than 50MB. A server with a 20GB hard drive is fine for most applications.

Network Connections

Because PostNuke is served up through the type of web server you are running, PostNuke itself does not have any special network requirements. A PostNuke site with modest traffic can be hosted easily on a business-class Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection, just like any other website. As a site's traffic grows, it needs a faster, T1 or better, connection. Intranet sites especially should see no traffic issues.