Hi... and yeah, as the topic implies: i'm new to dedicated servers.

I want to get a dedicated server (and also need to), but I'm completely clueless about what I will need to know.

I mean I have... no idea.

What sort of things does a person need to know to manage a dedicated server?

Perhaps links to tutorials (just to get me started), or maybe some book suggestions (or preferably not... as computer books seem to be generally quite expensive).

Or perhaps a nice outline of the things I will need to know about, so I can go away and research things further.

As you can tell, I'm clueless, so any help is greatly appreciated. :)

Well, the way I started was by installing Linux on my home PC. Then I started playing with it.

I made an investment on myself by purchasing the Linux book with CDs ($50). And it did magic for me.

Rest is history ;)

If you don't have a clue how to manage a server, then get a managed dedicated server. It will cost you, but it's like having a giant reseller account. You won't have to worry about the server much. If planning on getting a Linux server and really want to learn how to manage a server, then I recommend installing Linux on a personal computer and playing around with it. Don't be afraid to try things, as you can always reinstall Linux if you break something. There's plenty of tutorials available online. If you want to know how to do something or encounter problems, I highly recommend searching groups.google.com to find answers from real people.

Thanks guys. :agree:

I would really prefer not to get a managed server because (not only am I a cheapskate) but I'd just prefer to be able to do it myself and not always rely on other people doing it for me.

So, it seems like what I need to do is install linux on my home computer.

So I know nothing at all about linux... there are lots of different versions, aren't there? What one should I get?

And I can download it free somewhere, can't I?

Anything else I need to know? :)

Yes, you can download from a lot of places. However you can also buy CD from http://www.cheapbytes.com

If you like to download, you must have cable internet or DSL, coz hopefully you don't want to wait for a year to download on dialup :stickout

Since most of the hosting providers use Red Hat, you can go with it. http://www.redhat.com

If I can go back into history, I would choose FreeBSD: http://www.freebsd.org :dgrin:

:blush:

Hi Toefur,

I think the best book you can get is "Linux System Administration: A User's Guide" by Marcel Gagne.

Not only will you learn Linux, but you will also learn lots of other stuff you need to run your hosting business on your own server.

I have over a dozen books on Linux. For someone who want's to be a reseller and administer their own Linux server, this is THE BOOK to start out with.

As to version, there are many, many very strong opinions on this. While the book above assumes you may be running any of several versions of Linux, I would suggest you get a copy of Red Hat Linux 7.2. The reason is simple -- lots of folks you would get a dedicated or managed server from would be running Red Hat Linux 7.1 or 7.2. Thus, being familiar with that distribution of Linux would be helpful.

I do NOT think Red Hat 7.2 is "the best" distro of Linux. But then, I don't know which one is. I make the suggestion solely based on what you are likely to run into when it comes time to rent a dedicated or managed Linux server.

As you know, you can download Red Hat 7.2 from redhat.com. You can also get it from a lot of other places, too. Try linuxiso.org or cheapbytes online.

Also, your local Linux User's Group might have someone who would give you a copy; they might periodically have install-fest where they would load it for free onto your system. Do a google search for Linux user's Group -- often refered to as a "LUG".

Some books, like "Red Hat 7.2 Unleashed" come with Red Hat Linux 7.2.

To get updates for Red Hat Linux, you will likely want to join Red Hat Network (details at redhat.com). It cost $60 a year. You can use your membership to download software (and security) updates and patches -- and other programs that don't come with the base distro. If you buy a standard boxed copy of Red Hat 7.2, it comes with a 30 day membership to Red Hat network.


This should get you started. The thing to remember is you need to work with Linux directly, make mistakes and go at it again -- you'll get it. Also, remember to use online searches and learn how to efficiently and effectively find good up to date sources of information. The first book I mentioned by Marcel Gagne will give you a few pointers on this -- and some sources, too.


Best wishes,

Louis

P.S. I'm a BSD fan myself; but I also run Linux on my home PC.

I agree with Louis. Most dedicated server providers offer Red Hat Linux, and most control panel software supports Red Hat Linux the best, so I would also suggest you get familiar with Red Hat Linux 7.2. I don't think Red Hat is the best either. Out of all of the distributions of Linux that I've tried, I like Slackware the best since it seems more UNIX-like than the others. You could also look into FreeBSD.

If you're going to download Red Hat, here's a list of Red Hat mirrors:
http://www.redhat.com/download/mirror.html

Even if you are on dialup, you can download both ISOs in about a week. :D

I've always hated reading books, so I really can't recommend any. I've learned most of what I know by experimentation and searching for information online.

If you go with RedHat, strip it down to only the software that you know. A newbie exposing RedHat to the net can expect to get his system hacked within 24 hours. There are problems with wu-ftpd daemon, and the rpcstatd for sure. Both are susceptible to buffer overflow hacks.

FreeBSD is very well liked in the open source community. Check out sourceforge.com before you buy any retail software.

Debian is the most stable dist. that I'm aware of. I have a friend who's uptime is going on 4 years - with a heavily used system (not a web server). He swears by it, but my problem with it is that it's not very popular (compared to redhat and freebsd), and therefore hard to find help when things go screwy on you.

Here are a few links to get you going...

www.linux.org
www.redhat.com
www.debian.org
www.freebsd.org
www.php.net
www.inter7.com
www.sourceforge.net
www.apache.org
cr.yp.to
www.slashdot.org (news for nerds)

A linux for dummies kind of book might help you get started - but don't rely on any printed documentation. Get up to date security, application, step-by-step, and how-to information online. If it's in print, it's out of date :)

It's worth it to spend the 50 bucks for CD's. Most distro's are a few CD's now, so even with a high bandwidth connection it's a rough download.

Don't ever use telnet! Always use SSH. (putty ssh is a great client)
Get used to the command line.

And...

Before you do anything, do a search on yahoo, and check some linux newsgroups. Step-by-steps are all over the place, and helpful linux gurus are abundant.

For anyone who may care, here's a link to the Amazon.com listing for the "Linux System Administration" book I suggested above:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201719347/qid=1017338802/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/104-9957702-9507946

Best Wishes,

Louis

If you are going to download Red Hat 7.2 then get ready for a lot of waiting. I have a 720 download speed on my cable modem and I am going on 9hours.

What's the bandwidth cap on your cable? I'm on ADSL and I downloaded both Red Hat Linux 7.2 ISO images in about 6 hours, 3 hours each, I was getting around 60-70Kbps :).

Alan

Don't download directly from Red Hat's FTP site. :buck: Their FTP site is overcrowded and very slow. Try various mirrors until you find one that's fast for you.

what I did was buy another computer to replace my good ol' p2 233 and installed RH 6.2 on it and started playing..........

Thanks stlouislouis.


Originally posted by stlouislouis
For anyone who may care, here's a link to the Amazon.com listing for the "Linux System Administration" book I suggested above:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...9957702-9507946


I managed to buy the book from the local bookstore. Wow! it definitely is one of the best book on Linux system administration in my opinion for a newbie. Very practical with examples and a must have if you are going to maintain and administer a server.

Thanks again stlouislouis

Regards.

Hi cactus,


You're quite welcome! Glad I could help.


Best wishes to you,

Louis

hey guys, just a question? does redhat 7.2 work if you install it in a separate partition inside windows xp?

I would too recommend Linux Mandrake 8.2 if you're a newbie and willing to learn from scrap.

Download from this fast FTP site:
http://www.linux-download-cds.com/cgis/clickmanager.cgi?dl=ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/Linux/distributions/mandrake/iso/

It took around 2 hrs. (1 hr. each iso) on my Cable connection. :)

My local bookstore was out of copies :(

Being the impatient soul that I am, I just could not wait to drive down, pick it up, and start reading it tonight. Ah well. Got my copy ordered from good 'ole Amazon. Appreciate the recommendation you gave Toefur. I certainly benefited from it. I can tell this is going to be a great book! I love reading and learning.