Sorry if I post in the wrong forum, but I want to ask about dedicated server, so :)

I am a hosting reseller now, but want to rent a dedicated server in the near future. So, I wonder how I can manage my server? What do I have to learn to prepare for owning my server? Redhat Linux, Apache...? Please share for me your experices.

thanks so much.

You could start off by installing Linux on your own local computer and get a good Linux Administration book to guide you through the various components and services involved.

If you are new to Linux then you have to unlearn all you know about your current operating system and focus on how Linux works and what makes it tick. It is very different from Windows and at times it works contrary to what you know in Windows.

All of these would take time and a lot of practise to learn. Be patient. if you are able to attend classes then sign up with some local university, college or local computer schools which contact Linux administration classes.

Also, you might want to check if there is a local Linux User Group (LUG) near you.
They can help you on your way, have lots of learning material around and tend to be very passionate about their favorite subject ;)

thanks a lot. I am installing Redhat Linux on my PC, running with VMWare on Windows XP Pro. I am really new with Linux, so :) many things to learn.

Unfortunately, I am in Vietnam now, and cannot find out LUG :) Can you please recommend a book, a website or anything for my starting? thanks.

For a wealth of Linux information, please check ou http://www.tldp.org/

tutorials www.linux.org or search with google linux tutorials

So Linux is it all we need then? Is there something else that might help to manage Linux server in ev1 and alike?

If I want to rent dedicated Windows server, then do I need to lear any ASP and those stuff?

Managing a server you need to have the skills and knowledge to manage it.

If it is Windows, you need to know how to manage a Windows server, setting permissions, setting sites, security and all that stuffs. ASP is more towards scripting.

Not to sound mean or anything, but seriously if you need to ask, your far from ready to take the dive into dealing with your own servers.

You need to have *at least* system admin skills on the OS you'll be running. This includes fine tuning the OS, locking it down and knowing it well enough to deal with issues that *will* arise from time to time. On top of the OS skills, you need to learn the apps and protocols you'll be running and using on the server, some of the protocols includes DNS, SMTP, POP3, IMAP, SSH and HTTP etc. Some of the applications that use these protocols are Bind, sendmail, qpopper, OpenSSH, Apache. Running a multi user system that people rely on is a big responsibility that you should not take on unless you are totally sure you can handle it.