Need help/opinions from IT gurus

Stavrose

Stavrose

Fried Yoda
Staff member
OK, i'm an idiot when it comes to networking and servers. I have no clue what a server is even used for. So, with all the websites i'm running, my friend said "why not just buy a server and save yourself the monthly fees?" So i looked at the Dell Small Businesss catalog that i get and found some basic servers for under $1000. Thing is, i don't know if i even need one, and what it does. No clue how to even set it up to host a website, which i why i pay for hosting. So, can any guru give this noob some info as to what a server is, what it does, if i need one, any extra expenses to host a few websites, etc.
 
A Server is more or less a PC (at least the cheap Small Business ones) designed for applications like Web server, Database etc.

If you don't know much about (web)server I would not recommend to host one at home. First of all it would run at your home, so basically share your internet connection, but the biggest issue could be security and stability when having a server at home.

There are so many different and often cheap options out there that are probably a lot cheaper over all then having a machine run at home. At least if you are not the type who likes to play around with Linux, various web software, firewalls and server hardware.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stavrose @ Feb 17 2006, 06:20 PM) [snapback]47587[/snapback][/center]
OK, i'm an idiot when it comes to networking and servers. I have no clue what a server is even used for. So, with all the websites i'm running, my friend said "why not just buy a server and save yourself the monthly fees?" So i looked at the Dell Small Businesss catalog that i get and found some basic servers for under $1000. Thing is, i don't know if i even need one, and what it does. No clue how to even set it up to host a website, which i why i pay for hosting. So, can any guru give this noob some info as to what a server is, what it does, if i need one, any extra expenses to host a few websites, etc.
[/b]
Click to expand...

A Server (the Hardware) is a beefier version of a PC that is built for 24/7 uptime. That's the simplest explanation. What a server "does" depends on the OS you are running and what applications you wish to run.

If you are looking at buying a server and hosting it through your home connection, you will want to check your TOS with your ISP. More than likely they have a clause about you running a server and they can terminate your connection or change you to a higher costing plan.

Other things to consider are the little maintenance items that would be required when running it yourself. Such as Patching, backing up, securing/hardening, a licensing costs associated with what you are running (if necessary). If you think it would save you money overall, do a comparison of costs for a set time and don't forget to include the amount of time you would have to spend doing the maintenance as a cost (unless you work for free) and see which is cheaper.




**If I ramble or confuse or give slightly bad information, I blame the vodka I am drinking.
 
Also take into consideration the uptime of your ISP and utilities. You want 24/7 uptime for your connection, as well as the server, since it does no good to get your own server if no one can access it. Might sound like common sense, but I had a friend that learned the hard way. We get pretty severe ice storms here.
 
yep youll need to research ISP's in your area and see what kind of comercial connection they give and what kind of uptime garuntees they give. Also after you figure out which ISP you would need to see how much bandwidth you would need, and compare the cost of that and what ever server you buy to the amount your bringing in. Plus all the software you would need to buy, and then theres security you would probably need a hardware firewall and or possibly a dmz( its a seperate system that is designed to hide your server from hackers).
I would definatly find someone near you with the experience in those things to help you. I found in the end its more trouble then its worth, and there were too many factors preventing me from running one from home.
 
I actually don't think that is what Stav's friend meant :blink:

I surely don't know how / what you get offered in USA for stuff like that, in Germany though several ISPs / Webhoster offer you a Virtual Server package, where you have root access to a server in their computer center which is obviously connected to their network ^^

and yeah, compared to several single webhosting packages a virtual server often comes with more gizmos, such as more hard disk space, more SQL space, sometimes even with MS SQL instead of mySQL, and cheaper, etc. etc...

so, basically it is just a server computer the ISP / webhoster has at their place and offer you full access to it, which you pay for. they also maintain it and stuff.

try to see what you can find about virtual servers :)
 
Oh ya the virtual servers, and stuff, I just assumed he was using that already. Hehe ya for web sites you might check out virtual servers or a dedicated server. Also make sure which ever package you choose has unmetered(thats the big key) metered is where you are given a certian amount of bandwidth a month.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top