Hi @all,

My first post:

I've been having various thoughts/ideas etc. about websites that I currently have and projects that I want to develop, I think a dedicated server is the way to go and for some ideas the only option. However, I still have reservations about plopping down $200 a month (rackspace.com) with only a little experience in *nix server configuration and administration.

1. Is there anyway I can simulate a dedicated server offline?
I've been running Slackware for approximately a year and compiled Apache, PHP etc. from source. So I have some experience. When I was first learning PHP/MySQL, it saved me a lot of time and money to be able to try things on my localserver first and then, when I was ready, upload everything to a host. I realize it is not the same thing to run Apache offline as it is to simulate a DNS or Mail Server etc.!
But is there anyway I could do this?

2. Control Panel Applications -- PLESK and co.
I spent 5 hours yesterday reading old threads in this forum. I noticed a lot of talk of these control panel apps. I had previously only heard of Webmin (shame on me!). I thought I was going to do everything from bash and further my Linux skills. Is this suicide or worth the effort?

My thought is that those control panels are just a graphic front-end. And to be dependent on control panels is like reverting back to windows. This is one reason why I run Slackware instead of Mandrake. (My personal philosophy: The long way is the short-cut.) So, for automating repetitive tasks control panels seem great, but for my own peace of mind, I still would like to know what's happening behind the scenes. ;)

3.Can I change some of the software on a dedicated host?
I'm a member of another, smaller, programmer oriented message board. They have all strongly recommended against using Sendmail and Bind and instead using Postfix and tinyDNS. Would they allow me to do such a thing? Are there limitations to what one can change with their server?
It's another reason why I would like to simulate a dedicated server offline, because I don't want to waste $200 trying out different server configurations/software.

That's all,
thank you for any advice or information.

ciao :D

1) Sure. install linux on a box at home, and put it on an internal network (10.1.1.1) Then you can run anything you want on it, without actually putting it out on the net.

2)There is a big difference between webmin and hosting control panels. Webmin is a full server administration control panel. It's purpose it to make general administration tasks easier through a GUI. Just about everything that you can do in webmin, can easily be done in a shell.

Hosting control panels such as plesk, ensim, cpanel etc, are more for user/domain management in a hosting environment. They have a lot of features to make managing your hosting biz a lot easier. Usually they are more than just the control panel. They install all of the necessary services and configure them accordingly. They are much more than just a front end to your basic commands. A lot of the tasks that they handle would take a ton of extra work to accomplish from the command line.

3)Of course. One of the main reasons to get a dedicated server, is so that you can do whatever you want with it. That being said though, refer back to the last answer. Depending on which control panel you choose to use, you may or may not be able to use a different program in place of the ones installed by it.

-Dan

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your answers.
A couple of follow-up questions if you don't mind.:D

1. What if I don't have a network at home, in other words only one machine?:eek:
(Gets more difficult now, right?:D)

2-3.
They (control panels) install all of the necessary services and configure them accordingly...Depending on which control panel you choose to use, you may or may not be able to use a different program in place of the ones installed by it.
So, is this the main drawback of using control panels? That they only run under certain configurations and under certain software?

If I was using a dedicated host for one site only would the cost outweigh the benefit when using control panels?

Thanks again
ciao :D

1. What if I don't have a network at home, in other words only one machine?
Assuming you run windoze on that machine, you could setup a dual boot machine, and instead of setting the nic up with your public IP, you can just use 10.1.1.1 or whatever, and have it only accessible to itself. So say, you load up all the server stuff, and also load X windows, you can then play around with everything as both admin, and user.

So, is this the main drawback of using control panels? That they only run under certain configurations and under certain software?

If I was using a dedicated host for one site only would the cost outweigh the benefit when using control panels?
It's one of my biggest complaints personally. You have much less control over the apps, and they must remain a certain way in order to keep the control panel working properly. If you are the only one using the server, and even for a couple domains, you could quite easily get by without a hosting control panel. In fact, it would be a waste of money IMO to get one if you aren't using it for others.

-Dan

Jizz,

I think that your right on the money with the drawbacks to control panels. I run Slackware as well, and have decided against using a commercial control panel. First and foremost most of them, except the very beta webcp, are compatible with Slackware (AFAIK). And secondly, the control panel tells *you* what software you can use. The main desire to have a control panel, as mentioned earlier, I think, is to give the client an easily manipulated site. I think that part of the control panel is more easily coded to make a pretty web interface that everyone could use.

Jeff

Ensim and Plesk turn a server into a web hosting appliance. They're not really a front end to server administration. Once you install them, they take over your server. Cpanel is much closer to a front end, but it still takes over your server. Webmin is truely a front end. As far as I know, Ensim forces you to use RedHat, Plesk forces you to use RedHat or FreeBSD, and Cpanel forces you to use RedHat or Mandrake. Some people have been able to force Plesk to work with Slackware, but it's not supported. I'm glad you decided to start with Slackware and not Mandrake. Mandrake tries to be too user friendly and gets in the way most of the time. I run nothing but Slackware on my home personal computer, and it works great. I wish there were more control panels that supported Slackware.

"...you still have much to learn grasshopper."

Alright thanks alot for all the information. I still have to learn a lot about dedicated servers and e-commerce. I have been reading old posts for approx. 6 hours a day! :bawling: (I'm going to go blind!)
I wish there were some kind of e-commerce glossary/faq which defines and differentiates things like: merchant accounts, 3rd party CC processing, gateways, LLC etc. I understand them but I don't really know when to implement one system over another.

Oh well, better get back to reading!
ciao :D