Quick Tips, Notes & Trivia

The "must read" page for everyone who's new to Dolphin and BoonEx.

• Multi-Domain License
• Hosting

Hosting

Hosting is the single most problematic issue that we face each day with regard to support concerns, and there it is – right up front! A ballpark estimate is that upwards of 70% - 80% of problems that support deals with on a daily basis could be eliminated by obtaining hosting that meets the software needs. Basically this means PAYING ATTENTION.

Hosting appears to be regarded as simply an "oh yeah – need that" kind of last minute grab when considering using our software, but it is one of the single most important decisions that you have to make and bears heavily on the success or failure of the installation and correct operation of your site. The lure of "cheap" hosting will pull you into a trap as much as ignoring it completely and simply viewing it as an afterthought. BIG, BIG mistake – both times! You'll save a buck and sink your ship before the launch. We cannot overemphasize the importance of getting this right the FIRST time. You paid good money to license the software you are using. Don't ruin everything and lose valuable time and installation position by getting substandard, afterthought hosting.

Most hosting companies, and some on our recommended list, do not publish all of these little pieces of needed information on their websites and you will need to copy these requirements and send them to any prospective hosting service to find out if their servers can host the software. You might be surprised at what is not available or allowed and that famous saying - "the devil is in the details" really applies here. For example, this little item in the specs: "allow_url_fopen also must be On" if not set correctly will keep your site from communicating and registering licenses - even if you have paid for them. OR, ...if XML and XSL extensions aren't there - no forum or groups because you will see nothing but gibberish when using some browsers. One little thing missing can cause a lot of trouble so be sure that ALL items listed are available. Can’t say it enough... these are MINIMUMS, and you need to meet or beat them all.

BoonEx has invested no small amount of research into arranging approved hosting that you may choose from to assure you of correct server needs and even brings some discounts among the majority of them. Nevertheless - check things out thoroughly even with these hosting providers, because a few do not offer Media Server hosting for full A/V functionality for Flash apps - and most will require that you purchase a higher cost plan than the basic one. Be warned! You need to investigate this on your own and should not assume that everything will work with just any plan, because you will only be disappointed and further delayed on installation. Some people don't want full media functionality and they have it the easiest, because they can pick ANY plan from ANY recommended hosting company and it's going to work just fine! To sum this up... "if you ain't got it - we can’t make it work no matter how positive we think or feel about it." Thinking positive is great but that won't cut it here, and you will face time consuming delays on installation while we move ahead with others in the queue and await your revised hosting arrangements.

Please, at least look at our suggested hosting and see if they can't meet your needs/cost requirements. They offer autoinstallers to install your software on the hosting that you choose, and at least one of them offers support and customizing services, as well. That is a powerful inducement and lends peace-of-mind to a decision on where to host. You may access all hosting via this link, which is repeated on the main site hosting page: http://www.boonex.com/hosting/ Be sure to click on the "more info" link located with most of the listings, and check for discounts or coupon codes that are accessed by using the main links as well as info on whether they offer RMS hosting.

Here's a little test to help quickly determine what type of hosting you need. If you wish to use any A/V features in Chat or IM, or have Recorder or Whiteboard function – you will need RMS hosting. Simple... Don't care about that? Then you can use any recommended hosting plan that you see on these pages. You will still have Chat and IM in text mode and the only widgets that you relinquish use of will be Recorder and Whiteboard so, when planning your site, just use this quick method to search out the hosting that you will require. Life should be so simple...