Hi all.. I just got done reading the topic in regards to how many hours per week you work, spend with your family, etcetera.. I noticed people working nearly 20 hours per day. What is it that you do for most of those hours?

I'm in need of my own dedicated server and have considered starting a small hosting company to help pay for it - and maybe make an honest living down the road. I'm curious at to what it takes...

So what do you do during normal (web hosting) working hours?

Thanks in advance...

Sal

support issues (and solving them)

Support ticket and normal everyday server administration. Support tickets take up the bulk of my time unless there are major server issues.

Support issues... playing Patrician 3 :D
Designing website (customizing to be precise)...

Thank you.. What types of support issues are you normally running into? And how do you handle them?

Could someone also explain to me "everyday server administration"? This is all new to me and I'd like to go into this as prepared as I can..

Thank you very much!

Sal

Right now, I'd suggest if you want to get a dedicated server, go ahead. But please don't put paying customers on it until you're comfortable with your abilities to maintain, and keep that box online. A few easy bucks are nice, but when your mistakes can destroy an online business, and therefore destory the income of real people, think long and hard whether the responsibility is worth it.

Originally posted by akashik
Right now, I'd suggest if you want to get a dedicated server, go ahead. But please don't put paying customers on it until you're comfortable with your abilities to maintain, and keep that box online. A few easy bucks are nice, but when your mistakes can destroy an online business, and therefore destory the income of real people, think long and hard whether the responsibility is worth it.


Well said...

During the early stages, I'll only be hosting friend's sites that have no ecommerce or heavy traffic. They're basically just hobby sites. As I learn how to run a web server, I'll get things going to actually have customers. For now, these are just friends willing to help me out in the beginning..

Otherwise... May I ask again?

Could someone explain to me what "everyday server administration" entails?

Thank you...

Keeping software up to date..
Keeping the Operating System up to date..
Keeping the control panel up to date..
Fixing various server issues (add/remove softwre)
Surfing bug sites to see the latest bugs, and making sure your machine(s) are patched.

etc. . .

Thank you for the examples.. I think this is really important information that will not only help me, but the many others who are considering this endeavor. I'm sure it's crossed the minds of many webmasters who've grown out of shared hosting plans...

Thanks again...