December 02, 2010
How to Determine Bandwidth Requirements – The Fudge Factor
The majority of web hosting providers offer a plethora of hosting plans that include varying amounts of server resources, amongst the most important of which are bandwidth and disk space. Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred to and from your web server at any given point in time, while disk space is the amount of storage space available on the server. While it may be relatively simple to determine how much disk space is needed initially based on the size and amount of files you'll be placing on your web site. Estimating bandwidth needs is a bit more difficult, especially for the novice webmaster. Fortunately, there is a new formula called the fudge factor that can help anyone determine the appropriate amount of bandwidth for their hosting plans.
Understanding Web Traffic
Before learning how to use the fudge factor to calculate your bandwidth requirements, it is first necessary to learn the various aspects of web traffics, and how web servers deal with a large amount of visitors. The simplest analogy to explain this concept is to think of web traffic as being similar to actual vehicle traffic. Bandwidth is basically the number of lanes on the highway, while site visitors each represent the vehicles. Thus, inadequate bandwidth creates a similar effect to a cluttered traffic jam – it slows down site traffic, causing pages to load slowly and affecting the overall performance of your site. Using the following calculations can help you keep your web traffic flowing smoothly, thereby encouraging your site visitors to return to your site.
What is The Fudge Factor?
Before calculating your bandwidth needs using the fudge factor, it is important to note that web hosting providers list bandwidth capabilities in terms of monthly allowances, so keep in mind that the goal is to figure out how much bandwidth you'll need during the span of an entire month. The fudge factor is simply an attribute added to the end of the calculation that allows room for error. In most cases, the fudge factor is 1.5 (which allows for a an error of 50 percent), however if you're afraid of your calculation being more off than this then you may want to make the fudge factor 2 or even 3. The following calculations should help you determine how much bandwidth is needed based on the type of site you own.
Bandwidth Calculations
If you're planning on operating a basic web site the the following calculation may be useful:
Average Page Size x Average Daily Visitors x Average Page Views x 31 x Fudge Factor
If you're planning on operating a site that offers a lot of daily download, then the following calculation may be useful:
(Average Page Views x Average Daily Visitors x Average Page Size) + (Average Daily File Downloads x Average File Size)] x 31 x Fudge Factor
In the above calculations, the number 31 represents the maximum number of days in a month, while the fudge factor leaves room for error.
Popular Links
Categories: General |
Tags: bandwidth,
disc space,
data transfer,
calculate your bandwidth,
inadequate bandwidth
Post comment: