Ok... i've tried to read as much in this forum about dedicated servers but I have a question still...

I am only pushing 20GB /month on my main domain but I have 2 other sites... and this is costing me around $120/month so I'm thinking about getting a dedicated server... mainly because of storage (pic gallery)... and becuase I have ASF and WMV files... I just don't know what to expect.... just for reference... i've been looking at rackshack...

when I join.... do i just get a blank box???. Ultimately, if you guyz/gyals can go back to when you made the transition from shared hosting to dedicated... what was the biggest surprise?? Been on shared hosting for 5 years now... so I am a little technical in nature... but is there a major difference... or will I be up the creek without a paddle...

I read another post about their DURON package and if people are putting over 100 IPs on these boxes then I can safely assume that a 512MB, 1GHZ, 2 hardrives (1 for web and 1 for MySQL) is good enough for me.... but I'm confused... you guyz/gyals who are putting 100... are you running a hosting company?

Is there something I can use to simulate the process? SHould i check out the demo control panels? ANy tips are welcomed...

Just ADDED: any suggestions on partitions... should i have one drive and partition with MySQL and WEB or have 2 drives?

Thanx!

I am assuming that the WEBLOGS are seperated based on IP...

LMAO....

Ohhhh the memories. :) I fealt exactly the same way....Is my server really safe in my hands? Here's the answer:
In my case the server was fine and had everything uploaded that I needed when I got it. Most hosts have simple programs that 'll walk you thru setting it up. I was told to learn a little about Linux, but I still haven't...nor find it that important. It wouldn't hurt if thats the type of server you're looking for. Your main worry should be finding a reliable host. They're not that easy to come by I found out. Other then that, I'd say NO WORRIES....It's not as hard as some would think. Also plan on paying more then $120/month. I'd say triple it if it's a nice system/host you're looking for.

Spiceman:

If you know lots about linux/unix administration, it's a breeze, but by the sounds of it you know very little. I would recommend getting a server with a nice control panel and if thats properly setup, and everything in it's properly setup, aside from re-compiling the kernel, and apache (apache can be a pain IMHO), you can do almost everything through the pretty control panel without having to get your hands too dirty. What you're ideally looking for is a managed, or semi managed solution. With a managed server, the provider will do all of the necessary maintenance for you, and hopefully most of the big stuff, leaving you sitting pretty. With a good semi-managed, they'll let you get your hands dirty, and generally (if it's not deemed as excessive) come and bail you out if you break anything ^_^. If you're interested in either, i'd be more then happy to work with you, but if not, you've got my advice, get a good control panel :D.

Well I don't know what is specifically meant by a "good control panel" ;) - but I wonder how important the control panel is if one is not using their server for mass shared hosting? My server only hosts one main site and a few others (friends and the like) and I will be adding a few more soon. So I am not running a web hosting service from the server. For this situation I find that webmin is perfect. I would not want to have plesk or ensim or cpanel or whatever else on this server as those control panels are for mass shared hosting. And they come at a cost - they take over your system. With webmin, I feel much more in control of my box - which I have to be, because my mail server and delivery is set up in a completely different way to how virtual shared hosting hosts would do it. Webmin just gives me a nice web page front end to help me configure and monitor various services.

That's just my two bob. :)

Yeh,

I use webmin on a few of my boxes, but it's not really newbie friendly. I mean if you want to add a new virtual host in apache, webmin doesen't do much help, it doesen't step you through much, it's like a pretty interface for ssh. Also with webmin i found i had to add extra programs to make stuff smooth, like vqadmin, and a few others to let others control their email accounts and get webmail. For one site operations you don't even need webmin, but if you don't know what you're doing, it wont save you much time =\

Hi,

My client has two dedicate servers. Within 6 months, both boxes have been hacked due to security breaches. We always ended up reinstalling the whole server and of course data is loss.

I want to tell you that managing the server is not the faint of heart, but of course I'm not questioning your willingness to learn or abilities. Keeping a server secure is the hardest part, if you want to do simple system administration, you could always use control panels like Webmin, Plesk, or Ensim, but you don't have any control panels to automate security tasks on your server, its usually a combination of some tools and technical skills to keep it secure. Outsourcing the task to a security consultant is an option but that will defeat your purpose of reducing the 120 USD monthly cost.

In my opinion, look for sites that offer high bandwidth hosting plans. They manage and secure the server for you.

Getting a dedicated server to host 100s of domains is not hard to do, its a feature in most Web Server software.

Hope this helps.
Joe

>>
when I join.... do i just get a blank box???.
<<

Normally you get a pre-configured box, apache, perl, php, mysql, email and a control panel.

I moved from shared hosting about 8 months ago after my host decided to terminate my account with no warning whatsoever. So I was in the deep end and had to figure stuff out fairly quickly.

The hardest part I think about moving from shared to dedicated was finding help, finding decent help files and faq's is almost impossible, and finding people to answer all those stupid questions is also hard. Even after 8 months of using dedicated server's I'm still asking stupid questions :-)

Both of the dedicated servers I've used so far have both been Cpanel based servers, the inital setup can be a bit tricky at first if you have to move several sites to your new server.

If you get a Cpanel based machine then I recommend using this help page.

http://www.venturesonline.com/docs/whm/index.htm

If I had known about this help page when I first got my shinny new server it would have saved me a good few days.

Pete

Hi,
I just got my server last week and I am happy with the WHM installed. It's great where you can do almost anything without even having to login to your server to manually do any changes.

WHM for Resellers :
You can limit and control the features for your resellers. The WHM that resellers get are limited and controlled from your main WHM so you don't have to worry, if you made a mistake, just undo it in your main control panel, it's really very easy.

If you have been a reseller using WHM/Cpanel then you would know how to enable the required features for your reseller from your main WHM.

My advice if you are new, create some dummy sites and do some testing and make sure you understand such as:

1)Creating private nameserver for your resellers.

2)Creating reseller packages.

3)Limiting features that your resellers can have.


When you have mastered the WHM, then you can also login to your server and explore how, what, where , those things that WHM did or added the changes for you on your server automatically. Of course you may need some basic Linux knowledge to be able to move about and make changes to some files on your server.

I would also recommend that you sign up with a server provider that have excellent support so that when you don't understand something, you can contact them for help. Also since you are new, it's advisable to get a managed server where they maintained, monitor, and do backups for you. As you will be busy finding customers and don't need any server problems to bog you down. I know it's a bit expensive but it's worth every dollar and know that your server is in good hands by experience people.

Keep on improving your Linux/server knowledge. Hehe :), that's what I am doing right now and for the past months have been reading the posts/threads in WHT and finally had the confidence and decided to run my own server and hopefully can make it.

As the saying:
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step" nobody but only you can decide when that becomes a reality and not just dreams. If you want to progress, you just have to move ahead everyday and face any problems as they come, no venture, no gain, so give it a thought.

Regards

For a dedicated server you could get a RaQ 3 from http://www.4webspace.com (yes its back up now)