Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites? Matt
I use my own machine. =-)
Darren VanBuren ------------------------- Sent from my iPod
On Nov 26, 2008, at 9:08, "Matt Browne" matt@matthewbrowne.com wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites? Matt _______________________________________________ MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
dreamhost.com. Useful for me 'coz I'm not deep-techie enough to want to build my own installs (they do 1-click) and unlimited traffic/webspace/domains on my package.
Downsides? They occasionally have slow-downs in service, but if you point out your site isn't getting enough juice they can be persuaded to move you to a less-loaded system.
Regards, Mike
On 26/11/2008, Matt Browne matt@matthewbrowne.com wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites? Matt _______________________________________________ MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
I second the Dreamhost rec. 1-click install *and upgrade* is very convenient, and actually up to date.
But I just play with stuff, I don't have a wiki that actually has any significant traffic.
Brianna
2008/11/27 Mike Maughan mike@maughan.co.uk:
dreamhost.com. Useful for me 'coz I'm not deep-techie enough to want to build my own installs (they do 1-click) and unlimited traffic/webspace/domains on my package.
Linode for me. Good VPS and a good price. I've got a bit of a small wiki farm for development.
~Daniel Friesen (Dantman, Nadir-Seen-Fire) ~Profile/Portfolio: http://nadir-seen-fire.com -The Nadir-Point Group (http://nadir-point.com) --It's Wiki-Tools subgroup (http://wiki-tools.com) --The ElectronicMe project (http://electronic-me.org) -Wikia ACG on Wikia.com (http://wikia.com/wiki/Wikia_ACG) --Animepedia (http://anime.wikia.com) --Narutopedia (http://naruto.wikia.com)
Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites? Matt
A2Hosting. Very loaded servers but.. really cheap!
2008/11/26 Daniel Friesen dan_the_man@telus.net:
Linode for me. Good VPS and a good price. I've got a bit of a small wiki farm for development.
~Daniel Friesen (Dantman, Nadir-Seen-Fire) ~Profile/Portfolio: http://nadir-seen-fire.com -The Nadir-Point Group (http://nadir-point.com) --It's Wiki-Tools subgroup (http://wiki-tools.com) --The ElectronicMe project (http://electronic-me.org) -Wikia ACG on Wikia.com (http://wikia.com/wiki/Wikia_ACG) --Animepedia (http://anime.wikia.com) --Narutopedia (http://naruto.wikia.com)
Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites? Matt
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
I would second a vote for dreamhost. The 1-click install of MediaWiki is great if you don't know what you're doing, and if you do know then you can also get shell access on their most basic account.
The servers are fairly loaded but if you find your wiki gets popular, you can switch to their virtual servers which allow you to adjust the amount of CPU/Memory used.
If you are interested in signing up then I have a promo code *IGLOO2 *which gives the maximum discount. I do recieve a cut each time someone uses this but it should also discount things more then if you just went to the homepage and sign up.
Thanks,* *
Samuel Richardson Freelance Web Developer www.richardson.co.nz | 0405 472 748
Have you added your business to the Melpedia yet? http://www.melpedia.com.au
On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 4:08 AM, Matt Browne matt@matthewbrowne.com wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites? Matt _______________________________________________ MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
Good tip on DreamHosts they look pretty good. I like the idea of having a SVN repos hosteed as well. That could save me some trouble :) Any more suggestions/recommendations on hosts?
Matt
2008/11/26 Samuel Richardson sam@richardson.co.nz
I would second a vote for dreamhost. The 1-click install of MediaWiki is great if you don't know what you're doing, and if you do know then you can also get shell access on their most basic account.
The servers are fairly loaded but if you find your wiki gets popular, you can switch to their virtual servers which allow you to adjust the amount of CPU/Memory used.
If you are interested in signing up then I have a promo code *IGLOO2 *which gives the maximum discount. I do recieve a cut each time someone uses this but it should also discount things more then if you just went to the homepage and sign up.
Thanks,* *
Samuel Richardson Freelance Web Developer www.richardson.co.nz | 0405 472 748
Have you added your business to the Melpedia yet? http://www.melpedia.com.au
On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 4:08 AM, Matt Browne matt@matthewbrowne.com wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki
sites?
Matt _______________________________________________ MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites?
I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
Peace, Troy
Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
Troy Wical wrote:
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites?
I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
Real hosting is when it's hosted on a physical box. Either a dedicated server or a shared server. Virtual hosting is where a virtual machine hosts your site. So, your site would have a dedicated virtual machine, but this virtual machine is on a machine that hosts some other virtual machines.
2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck s.vanslyck@spamcop.net
Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
Troy Wical wrote:
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites?
I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
I don't understand how any software could run on anything other than a computer I can point at. How is this in any way virtual? There's gotta be a computer somewhere.
Matt Browne wrote:
Real hosting is when it's hosted on a physical box. Either a dedicated server or a shared server. Virtual hosting is where a virtual machine hosts your site. So, your site would have a dedicated virtual machine, but this virtual machine is on a machine that hosts some other virtual machines.
2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck s.vanslyck@spamcop.net
Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
Troy Wical wrote:
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites?
I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
Yes, but that box pretends to be several different boxes all at the same time. Each of those is "virtual".
On 27-Nov-08, at 10:35 AM, Steve VanSlyck wrote:
I don't understand how any software could run on anything other than a computer I can point at. How is this in any way virtual? There's gotta be a computer somewhere.
Matt Browne wrote:
Real hosting is when it's hosted on a physical box. Either a dedicated server or a shared server. Virtual hosting is where a virtual machine hosts your site. So, your site would have a dedicated virtual machine, but this virtual machine is on a machine that hosts some other virtual machines.
2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck s.vanslyck@spamcop.net
Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
Troy Wical wrote:
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites?
I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
OK. Lemme see if I got this right.
There are two boxes in my living room. One in Larry and one is Curly. Larry is a shared server and Curly runs some virtual servers. On the Larry shared server everybody shares all the same apache settings like memory limits and such, so Mo, Groucho, and Zeppo are kindof in lock step in some (or many) ways. I guess here that the processor itself has to manage conflicts and allocate resources
On the Curly virtual servers, Harpo, W. and Bill C., can "change" the settings of their virtual server in many more ways. One can have a 500Gb memory limit for some process and another can limit his to 5K. The virtual server software manages conflicts and allocates resources.
Ignoring the probably incorrect examples I've given, is that generally correct in concept?
Boris Steipe wrote:
Yes, but that box pretends to be several different boxes all at the same time. Each of those is "virtual".
On 27-Nov-08, at 10:35 AM, Steve VanSlyck wrote:
I don't understand how any software could run on anything other than a computer I can point at. How is this in any way virtual? There's gotta be a computer somewhere.
Matt Browne wrote:
Real hosting is when it's hosted on a physical box. Either a dedicated server or a shared server. Virtual hosting is where a virtual machine hosts your site. So, your site would have a dedicated virtual machine, but this virtual machine is on a machine that hosts some other virtual machines.
2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck s.vanslyck@spamcop.net
Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
Troy Wical wrote:
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites?
I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
Yes, that's pretty much it.
2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck s.vanslyck@spamcop.net
OK. Lemme see if I got this right.
There are two boxes in my living room. One in Larry and one is Curly. Larry is a shared server and Curly runs some virtual servers. On the Larry shared server everybody shares all the same apache settings like memory limits and such, so Mo, Groucho, and Zeppo are kindof in lock step in some (or many) ways. I guess here that the processor itself has to manage conflicts and allocate resources
On the Curly virtual servers, Harpo, W. and Bill C., can "change" the settings of their virtual server in many more ways. One can have a 500Gb memory limit for some process and another can limit his to 5K. The virtual server software manages conflicts and allocates resources.
Ignoring the probably incorrect examples I've given, is that generally correct in concept?
Boris Steipe wrote:
Yes, but that box pretends to be several different boxes all at the same time. Each of those is "virtual".
On 27-Nov-08, at 10:35 AM, Steve VanSlyck wrote:
I don't understand how any software could run on anything other than a computer I can point at. How is this in any way virtual? There's gotta be a computer somewhere.
Matt Browne wrote:
Real hosting is when it's hosted on a physical box. Either a dedicated server or a shared server. Virtual hosting is where a virtual machine hosts your site. So, your site would have a dedicated virtual machine, but this virtual machine is on a machine that hosts some other virtual machines.
2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck s.vanslyck@spamcop.net
Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
Troy Wical wrote:
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
> Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their > Mediawiki > sites? > > I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
Here's how I look at it:
SHARED SERVER (Cheapest): You buy one or more accounts from an ISP to host your domain(s). There may be 500 other user accounts on that same machine. You have no root access and have resource limits like total disk space, monthly bandwidth, number of databases, email accts, ftp accts, etc...
DEDICATED SERVER (most expensive): You lease an entire machine from a service provider. For an unmanaged system (what I have), the provider puts it online with the software you order and gives you the keys. You have complete root access to the machine and no one else has access it to unless you so permit. You are completely responsible for managing the server.
VIRTUAL SERVER (middle tier cost): Your website is very popular and you are either exceeding your disk or bandwidth allocation, or your ISP is going to kick you off because you are using too much CPU and hurting his other 499 users. A dedicated server is too expensive or complicated for you to manage -- or maybe more power than you need. The next viable option is a VIRTUAL SERVER. Instead of there being 500 indiv. user accounts on the machine, there may be 10 total virtual servers. To you, it appears that you have a dedicated server and have much of the control as if you owned the whole machine. You can host as many domains, or use as many resources, as your account allows. The actual root-type capabilities depends upon the virtual server software being used. I believe Virtuoso is a popular package. Find an ISP that provides virtual servers and see what system they provide and google for more info on capabilities.
-----Original Message----- From: mediawiki-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org [mailto:mediawiki-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Steve VanSlyck Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 12:18 PM To: MediaWiki announcements and site admin list Subject: Re: [Mediawiki-l] Who do you use for Hosting?
OK. Lemme see if I got this right.
There are two boxes in my living room. One in Larry and one is Curly. Larry is a shared server and Curly runs some virtual servers. On the Larry shared server everybody shares all the same apache settings like memory limits and such, so Mo, Groucho, and Zeppo are kindof in lock step in some (or many) ways. I guess here that the processor itself has to manage conflicts and allocate resources
On the Curly virtual servers, Harpo, W. and Bill C., can "change" the settings of their virtual server in many more ways. One can have a 500Gb memory limit for some process and another can limit his to 5K. The virtual server software manages conflicts and allocates resources.
Ignoring the probably incorrect examples I've given, is that generally correct in concept?
Boris Steipe wrote:
Yes, but that box pretends to be several different boxes all at the same time. Each of those is "virtual".
On 27-Nov-08, at 10:35 AM, Steve VanSlyck wrote:
I don't understand how any software could run on anything other than a computer I can point at. How is this in any way virtual? There's gotta be a computer somewhere.
Matt Browne wrote:
Real hosting is when it's hosted on a physical box. Either a dedicated server or a shared server. Virtual hosting is where a virtual machine hosts your site. So, your site would have a dedicated virtual machine, but this virtual machine is on a machine that hosts some other virtual machines.
2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck s.vanslyck@spamcop.net
Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
Troy Wical wrote:
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their Mediawiki sites?
I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
_______________________________________________ MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
SliceHost offers a pretty nifty VPS service (comparable to Linode's, I think). Not a lot of hand-holding (beyond some good tutorials), but no crap to get in your way if you know what you're doing.
At this point, the only significant difference between a proper VPS and a dedicated server that I see actually favors the VPS: With a VPS, you can instantly adjust your resource allocations without the need for any physical hardware changes; with a dedicated server, you're locked into your configuration unless you want to pay your host to send someone to physically swap out the parts.
I wouldn't look at VPSes as somehow below dedicated servers, since a VPS can be just as fast as a dedicated machine (or faster in the average case, since VPS hosts are generally going to have monstrously beefy rigs). Rather, they're more flexible alternatives that have the physical hardware abstracted away from your concern.
On Thu, Nov 27, 2008 at 12:34 PM, Momma mommahatesspam@gmail.com wrote:
Here's how I look at it:
SHARED SERVER (Cheapest): You buy one or more accounts from an ISP to host your domain(s). There may be 500 other user accounts on that same machine. You have no root access and have resource limits like total disk space, monthly bandwidth, number of databases, email accts, ftp accts, etc...
DEDICATED SERVER (most expensive): You lease an entire machine from a service provider. For an unmanaged system (what I have), the provider puts it online with the software you order and gives you the keys. You have complete root access to the machine and no one else has access it to unless you so permit. You are completely responsible for managing the server.
VIRTUAL SERVER (middle tier cost): Your website is very popular and you are either exceeding your disk or bandwidth allocation, or your ISP is going to kick you off because you are using too much CPU and hurting his other 499 users. A dedicated server is too expensive or complicated for you to manage -- or maybe more power than you need. The next viable option is a VIRTUAL SERVER. Instead of there being 500 indiv. user accounts on the machine, there may be 10 total virtual servers. To you, it appears that you have a dedicated server and have much of the control as if you owned the whole machine. You can host as many domains, or use as many resources, as your account allows. The actual root-type capabilities depends upon the virtual server software being used. I believe Virtuoso is a popular package. Find an ISP that provides virtual servers and see what system they provide and google for more info on capabilities.
-----Original Message----- From: mediawiki-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org [mailto:mediawiki-l-bounces@lists.wikimedia.org] On Behalf Of Steve VanSlyck Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 12:18 PM To: MediaWiki announcements and site admin list Subject: Re: [Mediawiki-l] Who do you use for Hosting?
OK. Lemme see if I got this right.
There are two boxes in my living room. One in Larry and one is Curly. Larry is a shared server and Curly runs some virtual servers. On the Larry shared server everybody shares all the same apache settings like memory limits and such, so Mo, Groucho, and Zeppo are kindof in lock step in some (or many) ways. I guess here that the processor itself has to manage conflicts and allocate resources
On the Curly virtual servers, Harpo, W. and Bill C., can "change" the settings of their virtual server in many more ways. One can have a 500Gb memory limit for some process and another can limit his to 5K. The virtual server software manages conflicts and allocates resources.
Ignoring the probably incorrect examples I've given, is that generally correct in concept?
Boris Steipe wrote:
Yes, but that box pretends to be several different boxes all at the same time. Each of those is "virtual".
On 27-Nov-08, at 10:35 AM, Steve VanSlyck wrote:
I don't understand how any software could run on anything other than a computer I can point at. How is this in any way virtual? There's gotta be a computer somewhere.
Matt Browne wrote:
Real hosting is when it's hosted on a physical box. Either a dedicated server or a shared server. Virtual hosting is where a virtual machine hosts your site. So, your site would have a dedicated virtual machine, but this virtual machine is on a machine that hosts some other virtual machines.
2008/11/27 Steve VanSlyck s.vanslyck@spamcop.net
Wot's the difference between real hosting and virtual hosting?
Troy Wical wrote:
On Nov 26, 2008, at 10:08 AM, Matt Browne wrote:
> Just out of curiosity. Who do people use for hosting their > Mediawiki > sites? > > I've used JaguarPC.com for several years now. Their "gigadeal" package sets the bar in regards to virtual hosting features and cost. Customer service has been top notch and I know several others that have nothing but good things to say about them.
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
MediaWiki-l mailing list MediaWiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-l
Momma's explanation is clear !
I use PHPNet.fr (.org...), it's a french web hosting. For my wikis, I use shared server : no root acces, but 4GB of disk, one domain name included, really good services... for only 30 euros per year :)
2008/11/27 Momma mommahatesspam@gmail.com
Here's how I look at it:
SHARED SERVER (Cheapest): You buy one or more accounts from an ISP to host your domain(s). There may be 500 other user accounts on that same machine. You have no root access and have resource limits like total disk space, monthly bandwidth, number of databases, email accts, ftp accts, etc...
DEDICATED SERVER (most expensive): You lease an entire machine from a service provider. For an unmanaged system (what I have), the provider puts it online with the software you order and gives you the keys. You have complete root access to the machine and no one else has access it to unless you so permit. You are completely responsible for managing the server.
VIRTUAL SERVER (middle tier cost): Your website is very popular and you are either exceeding your disk or bandwidth allocation, or your ISP is going to kick you off because you are using too much CPU and hurting his other 499 users. A dedicated server is too expensive or complicated for you to manage -- or maybe more power than you need. The next viable option is a VIRTUAL SERVER. Instead of there being 500 indiv. user accounts on the machine, there may be 10 total virtual servers. To you, it appears that you have a dedicated server and have much of the control as if you owned the whole machine. You can host as many domains, or use as many resources, as your account allows. The actual root-type capabilities depends upon the virtual server software being used. I believe Virtuoso is a popular package. Find an ISP that provides virtual servers and see what system they provide and google for more info on capabilities.
mediawiki-l@lists.wikimedia.org