Questions regarding Backup Space and "Bots"

Hi!
I just found this insane offer using Google. After reading all the information I could find, I still have some questions:

1. Can I upload movies to my Web site for private use (only me downloading them), would I have to do this in Backup space?
(Background: This would be a brilliant extension to my iPod Touches limited Space. Of course I plan on having them in a secured directory - something like htaccess - because they are copyright protectet, but legally owned by me)

1.1 If movies are not allowed, are audiobooks allowed?

2. I read something about a cpu minute limitation. I plan on having one or two perlscripts being called once a hour, that fetch some web content and wait for it a lot. Do you believe they would be too much for this limit?

3. Are there still promo codes, that give you 150$ rebate if you sign up for 5 year prepay? (I think, I found some in the Internet anywhere, but you never know if they are still valid)

Thanks a lot,
lionstarr

1) Uploading copyrighted material to your web space even for personal use is questionable. If it's password protected and such, it's most likely not going to raise a flag.
1b) As for your backup space, anything goes, content-wise. It's considered private and should be used as such.

2) CPU minutes are largely ignored. Very few users actually hit the limit, which usually consists of maxing out the server resource. A periodic cronjob isn't a problem.

3) There are promo codes around. Check dreamhost.com for any offers they're offering, or just read people's sigs here for the standard first-year promo code.

-Scott

Ok, thank you very much for the informative answers.

Can I access my backup space from the web? Or only per FTP?
Question 1 was more a question of if I would overuse the "unlimited" traffic, by up- and downloading videos. Could you tell me, if that would be the case?

Thanks very much,
lionstarr

Backup space is FTP/SFTP/rsync only.

I doubt you'll overuse your "unlimited." However, as I think about it, webspace is really supposed to be for web use only, and it sounds like you're using it more like personal video storage space. That's why they gave us the 50 gigs of backup space.

If you own the copyright to those videos, then you can make a case that they're available for for web viewing by your privileged users. If you don't own the copyright, then they shouldn't be on a webserver.

-Scott

You can run cronjobs that "fetch some web content" without any trouble.

The "and wait for it a lot" needs more discussion.

How To Install PHP.INI / ionCube on DreamHost

Well, no problem with having that in the backup space.

The thing is, I would like to run my blog on this server. But using so much features for nothing else seems to me like throwing them away.

So let me reform my question: Is it ok for me to upload media that I bought to the backup space, and is it ok to use this for streaming media to my iPod (I think FTP works).

Concerning the and wait for it a lot: This means, they have execute times like 1 or 2 minutes, because they make like 10 requests and sleep a few seconds between each of them.

Edit:

In reply to:
Don't forget, there's an even more amazing deal going on right now too! (Expires 2/10/2009.)

^^^ what does this refer to? Edited by lionstarr on 02/10/09 08:38 AM (server time).

1 or 2 minutes should be fine. Wouldn't be any need to sleep between requests either.

I have no idea about the amazing deal you've quoted.

"(Expires 2/10/2009.)" <- looks like pressure advertising crazy

How To Install PHP.INI / ionCube on DreamHost

Thank you very much. This sounds better and better. So still the question about the media cleared.

If you prepay e.gg. for 5 years, are you able to pay yearly, when this 5 years are finished?

I made some recherche and it turns out I didn't mean promo codes, I meant invitations... Do they still exist?

In reply to:
If you prepay e.gg. for 5 years, are you able to pay yearly, when this 5 years are finished?

Yes, you can switch over to annual after your first 5 year hitch is up. Remember, though, that autorenew will renew you for 5 years unless you change your plan, which I think you should only do in your final year. You can also just remove your credit card from your account, which won't actually change your autorenew settings but which will actually prevent the renewal from occurring, if that distinction makes sense. In such a case, your account would be temporarily disabled until you changed your plan and made payment.

In reply to:
I made some recherche [sic] and it turns out I didn't mean promo codes, I meant invitations... Do they still exist?

Yes, they do exist but since these are one-use invitations, you're unlikely to find them posted on an open forum. You'll probably have to PM a member or ask that a member PM you to arrange for an invitation.

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Questions regarding Backup Space and "Bots"