Hy everyone,

i would like you to share with me your experience in managing a server when you are a newbies.

I'm a reseller (with my own name servers) and my business grow rapidly (65 domains since 2 month). I need more and more bandwidth. I need adult contents allowed too (just 2 web sites but i need it).

I would like to use a dedicated server but i'm totaly new to this, i actually work with whm/cpanel witch is more then easy since i don't have to manage the server at all.

I was thinking to order something from rackshack.net because their prices are great, and i know that they use some control panel (Ensim, Plesk and Cobalt Raq4) but when i read their forum theirs a lot of people saying to stay away from those servers if your are a newbies.

So, my question is, can i manage the server with ONLY the control panel or if i need to work on the root and be the god of Linux?

Important point: i need control panel (no matter witch one) for all my clients.

What do you think is the best solution for me?

Is it better to order a managed server or if it's not that hard to manage?

Thank you
can-us

Managing is not too hard.
Troubleshooting and tweeking is the hard part.

Adult contents will attract tons of hackers and password crackers to your server. Not just that, adult sites tend to be bandwidth moongers as well as tons of bandwidth theft.

As for your other question, dont be lazy...you will need to be some god in linux eventually and not just be a god in the control panel as you will need to install and implement security parameters as well as manage. ie. denying Ips etc, expanding child processes, killing processes.


For newbies, I would go for Plesk and not Cobalt, as with Cobalt, you can be sure you will be telneting/sshing into the server more often. Also, you have more freedom in choosing your hardware components with plesk than Cobalt.

Cobalts Raq4s are starting to get outdated, while the Raq XTR is still too expensive.

Hosting is a technical business. You really need to have administrative knowledge in order to run a server. There are far too many "hosts" out there that rely on their pretty little GUI's to control everything. Then the minute something doesen't work the way it's supposed to, they don't have a clue how to troubleshoot, & fix the problem.

I'm not saying this to scare you (well actually I kind of am), but to inform you. My advice is get a managed server, or get yourself a good admin to help you out. Get yourself a server and don't put any clients on it. You can do this at home even. Install your OS, and install all of the software setup some test accounts, and start breaking stuff. This in my opinion is the best way to learn. Don't do it at the expense of your clients!

-Dan

Dan is right,

If you are just starting off with dedicated go for a managed server , i will suggest rackspace.com . You will learn a LOT over there and when you are ready to do things on your own you can shift.

I remember 2 years ago when we were relatively new to dedicated servers, we put first box at rackspace, After learning and experimenting the later boxes we have at catalog.

Rackshack is not the right place to have your first ded server., because it is an unmanaged server.

Also Plesk is good, Very easy to manage, and i would say that it is the most stable control panel available.

I am not sure if you will find even one post here that says that my Plesk Broke, But you will find lots with cpanel issues.

Regards,

How often can you expect problems?

How likely is it for something to go wrong on a dedicated server?

I mean, can you always expect something to go wrong, where you need to reinstall something, or restore a backup? Or does this kind of thing only happen after maybe a couple of months?

What kinds of problems can take place?
How likely are they to happen?
How often can they happen?
Why do they happen?
What can be done to prevent them from happening?

Also, how many clients would everyone recommend be put on a server like rackshack 300gig bandwidth 1gig duron 512mb ram etc.....

Thanks
Anayet

You can expect a problem whenever there is one. For the most part, the servers on the box should run ok (I'm not talking about crackers, etc.) -but your users will screw something up, and files get corrupted and flogged just like your home computer.

I have the smae amazement of servers/computers that I have of cars. I mean, with so many parts, etc., I'm actually surprised they work so well.

Somethign can go wrong the moment the server is put online. Something can get screwed up the first week or month or never (though I'd have to say you're lucky if you never have anything go wrong).

Problems? Well, I don't think you want to know that, as you'll never use a server if that gets discussed in depth. Everything from HD failure, configuration issues, cracking, corruption, etc. I don't think you want to go there, as I said.

"What can be done to prevent them from happening?"
Know your **** or hire someone who knows your ****.

I'll leave the rest for others...

anyone know if RackShack would actually help you get your server back up if it was down (like configure it or something). Or would they just answer questions you had about your server being down?

Technically they would not help configure it but they do go beyond what support level they are supposed to offer. It is an unmanaged server so you are on your own.

All they need to do and for the most part actually do is a system restore they format your hd (you lose all data) and reinstall the software on the system.

Even though I would not get a server with a control panel, it makes life easy for people with no Unix experience. For this reason I will not say that they are completely unneccessary.

However keep in mind that the control panels come in various flavors. I recommend using the demo sites of each before making your mind. You might be inclined to take advantage of 30 day money back offers to test control panels, but the time you spend may cost you more than that ( you'll need to do dns changes etc ).

Another thing you have to keep in mind that some control panels are more or less than what you would call a 'control panel'. A good example is the Ensim Control panel. If you get a dedicated server with the Ensim control panel, you're in for a surprise. Ensim is a Virtual Private Server system which happens to have a web based control panel interface. If you don't need it, you don't want it.

Also if you have a control panel but you're not using it, remember that you're still bound by it's limitations. For instance, most control panels, will overwrite the custom changes you make directly on the config files.

*NoComment*

would the Cobalt RaQ4i be easier to handle for complete newbies?

I think the Cobalts are decent for newbies. Set up of accounts is easy, the admin panel for you is pretty easy to follow, is decent (though not complete) for end-users (meaning it lacks a few things such as db admin and stats that are worth a damn). These things can be added however, some free, some paid.

Overall, it still helps to have an understanding of things, but there are forums such as this one and others, cobalt users mailing lists, and really helpful people willing to help which can get you through the majority of the common problems that will crop up.

i think from the messages here and the price, i'm pretty sold on the cobalts at rackshack, but there sold out right now? anyone here know if there getting some new ones and when?

Originally posted by Anayet
How often can you expect problems?

How likely is it for something to go wrong on a dedicated server?

I mean, can you always expect something to go wrong, where you need to reinstall something, or restore a backup? Or does this kind of thing only happen after maybe a couple of months?

What kinds of problems can take place?
How likely are they to happen?
How often can they happen?
Why do they happen?
What can be done to prevent them from happening?

Also, how many clients would everyone recommend be put on a server like rackshack 300gig bandwidth 1gig duron 512mb ram etc.....

Thanks
Anayet

Expect the worst, if you're not prepared to handle it don't put yourself in the situation.