Hello,

Anyone here setup Windows 2000/2003 hosting service. What would be the best way to start it up?

Would you use AD-intergrated DNS?

Any tips/guides would be wonderful.

Thank You.

I would setup 3 servers, 1 Pri DNS server, 1 Windows Hosting Server with Sec DNS, 1 Email server. This will allow room for expansion in the future. To cut cost, the email server can be Linux for eg Qmail, Exim or Postfix

Everything would be Windows based....I may in the future add 3rd DNS as Linux.

Would you have DNS intergrated with AD?

Here is the "servers" that I have:
1 - Dual Intel PIII 900 with 512 RAM
1 - Intel PIII 550 with .... i think 256 or 512 RAM
2 - Intel PIII 333 with 128 RAM
2 - Intel P200 with 100 RAM
2 - Intel P166 with 100 RAM
2 - Intel P133 with 100 RAM

Hard Drives are:
60 G (7200 RPM)
20 G (5400 RPM)
30 G (5400 RPM)
40 G (5400 RPM)
2 x 10 G (5400)
2 x 8 G (5400)
2 x 4 G (5400)
3 x 2 G (5400)

You need a DNS server that supports Automatic Update in order to use DNS with AD,

You could get away with having 2 servers, Primary DNS on the same machine as IIS. Then Email and Secondary DNS on another machine.

In theory you could even get away with 1 machine and get someone else to host your secondary DNS Server, This way you can spend less initially but be prepared to split things over 2 servers once you start getting some customers.

You can use Microsoft DNS which comes with windows 2000 if you want but I would recommend Simple DNS Plus.

Is there any particular reason why you want to use Active Directory? you dont need to create a Domain initially and can get away with having each windows server a standalone server.

But I think its best to start of with AD if you are planning on getting a good number of servers because its easier to manage everything. If you are ever planning to use AD I would suggest you start to use it from the begining.

I would like to have clients on different boxes.

Scripting on a high-end server
HTML on low-end server

I do want to keep some of these computers as workstations too....

I would like to use AD cause of the Dynamic Updates and also I was hold that AD could act as a central area to create accounts. If an account needed to be created I could create it in AD and webspace (IIS), email (Exchange) and ftp would all be created at once.

I do not know how true that is though.

Correction: Those were

1 - Intel PIII 550 with .... i think 256 or 512 RAM
2 - Intel PII 333 with 128 RAM

not
1 - Intel PIII 550 with .... i think 256 or 512 RAM
2 - Intel PIII 333 with 128 RAM

Where should I put what?

Where should DNS1, DNS2, IIS1 (for Server Side Scripting + Client Side), IIS2 (ONLY Client Side Scripting, [HTML]), Exchange go?

Is there a way that I can sync IIS data onto another computer via a cross-over cable (direct network connection @ 100MB).

Just feel that these servers cant support many domains....esp using Windows, unless your rack space is cheap, try getting more powerful machines, with the current servers use mainly for DNS or firewalls.

Go to Microsoft and find their service provider section (http://www.microsoft.com/serviceprovider/) and they have a guide you can download for their best practices on setting up a windows webhosting environment using either AD or standalone server as well as migrating to AD if you start off with a standalones.

hth,
J

Originally posted by webpromo
I would like to use AD cause of the Dynamic Updates and also I was hold that AD could act as a central area to create accounts. If an account needed to be created I could create it in AD and webspace (IIS), email (Exchange) and ftp would all be created at once.

I do not know how true that is though.

I don't think you would want to use Exchange for email. Exchange's strengths are in its collabrative tools (calendaring, contact management, shared folder, etc...) which arent going to be used by run of the mill hosting customers. If you are going to pay for the Exchanged licenses for resale though you should definately market the distinction between that and standard SMTP services.

If you just want good, cheap email servers for Windows go with mailenable. Very, user friendly, scalable, and the basic version is free. (http://www.mailenable.com)

J

Originally posted by jbigelow
Go to Microsoft and find their service provider section (http://www.microsoft.com/serviceprovider/) and they have a guide you can download for their best practices on setting up a windows webhosting environment using either AD or standalone server as well as migrating to AD if you start off with a standalones.

hth,
J

Hi, I am actually reading up on that right now. I wish MS had a Word or PDF format for this....would like to print it out.

Originally posted by boonchuan
Just feel that these servers cant support many domains....esp using Windows, unless your rack space is cheap, try getting more powerful machines, with the current servers use mainly for DNS or firewalls.


What does everyone else feel about this specs?

Originally posted by jbigelow
I don't think you would want to use Exchange for email. Exchange's strengths are in its collabrative tools (calendaring, contact management, shared folder, etc...) which arent going to be used by run of the mill hosting customers. If you are going to pay for the Exchanged licenses for resale though you should definately market the distinction between that and standard SMTP services.

If you just want good, cheap email servers for Windows go with mailenable. Very, user friendly, scalable, and the basic version is free. (http://www.mailenable.com)

J

Windows 2003 now ships with its own POP3 Server - not that I have actually tried it yet lol

Originally posted by webpromo
Hi, I am actually reading up on that right now. I wish MS had a Word or PDF format for this....would like to print it out.

IF you right click on a node you can print that node and the subnodes if you want :D

Originally posted by delirium
Windows 2003 now ships with its own POP3 Server - not that I have actually tried it yet lol


Yeah, 2003 finally got the email treatment but I went with mailenable anyway. I thought the built in service to be pretty flimsy, that seemed to be the conclusion of others as well
http://weblogs.asp.net/owscott/archive/2004/01/25/62822.aspx

m2c,
J

Originally posted by jbigelow
Yeah, 2003 finally got the email treatment but I went with mailenable anyway. I thought the built in service to be pretty flimsy, that seemed to be the conclusion of others as well
http://weblogs.asp.net/owscott/archive/2004/01/25/62822.aspx

m2c,
J

I thought it would be crap so I never bothered to even try it lol :D

No body has really commented on the "server" specs and the setup of the:

DNS1, DNS2, IIS1 (for Server Side Scripting + Client Side), IIS2 (ONLY Client Side Scripting, [HTML]), Email Service

What should I use for SPAM protection for my customers?

Free software is always good ;-)

Just use the RBL lists it blocks quite well, spamassassin is good provided your server can take the load which is quite heavy.