Hi,

I have decided to start a webhosting company but I do not really know how to configure my server and what type of hardware do I need.

My proposed hardware specs:

2 x 2.8GHz Intel Xeon Processors
2GB ECC RAM
4 x 250GB SATA HDD
Gigabit Ethernet
1U Casing

Please advice on what must be added or removed to minimize cost and fully maximize each piece of hardware.

Also, what type of co-location do I need

And I would like to know who should I consult on configuring the server.

Thanks

I would imagine if your starting a webhosting business then that server spec is MASSIVE overkill - this is presuming you will start with virtually no clients -the market is already extremly saturated as it is and i would imagine to fill that server without any previous clients (reccomendations) or a reputation would be an extremly hard task. why not start on a reseller or if you need more access a vps server - most hosts are scalable with that sort of thing - ie you can upgrade them without too much hassle from your host.

on a side note fitting 4 hard drives in a 1-u case might be quite a job ;-) :p

also it will probably be cheaper to rent dedicated than colocate with companies like LT around.

I do not really know how to configure my server

i would suggest a reseller account if you only want to do web hosting as you do not need to worry about server administration or any of the techie things.

Or if you want more server control or to offer alternate things (streaming etc) then possibly a VPS/VDS solution to start out with and someone to manage it (managed VPS provider may be cheaper option in this case)

hope this helped somewhat.

You can find some useful links that a web hosting company needs at http://www.myhostinglinks.com

Welcome to WHT

1. If you think of co-location package trying looking for colocation provider, you can get a very good deal in WHT.

2. Have you purchased a domain?get yourself a domain from a provider you let you use own name server and create subdomain e.g like ns1.yourname.com (1and1 doesn't allowed me to do so when I brought the domain with them in £1.99 x 2 for 2 yrs deal so Have to get another one in order to customize nameserver.

3. Your billing software choice and control panel you looking for?

4. We can help you with your server setup contact us at info@unixexperts.co.uk
1. I'm not really worried about the price. What I need is friendly support that will respond quickly for reboots etc.

2. I know that Yahoo Domains are now going for $2.99/yr. Do they allow that?

3. I am planning to use CPanel X with WHM and WHM Autopilot. I have reviewed many softwares and concluded that these were about 90% auto.

4. Price?

Hi!

Trying asking pre-order questions to yahoo if they allow you to create subdomains so that you can build your own name server under that domain name e.g ns1.yourname.com and ns2.yourname.com ( my case with 1 and 1 was I got .co.uk domain)

Yahoo's price looks great.

if you want to save little bit of money look for directadmin control panel which is affordable and very reliable as well, where as billing software there are also many avilable in lower prices look around in WHT.

I would imagine if your starting a webhosting business then that server spec is MASSIVE overkill - this is presuming you will start with virtually no clients -the market is already extremly saturated as it is and i would imagine to fill that server without any previous clients (reccomendations) or a reputation would be an extremly hard task. why not start on a reseller or if you need more access a vps server - most hosts are scalable with that sort of thing - ie you can upgrade them without too much hassle from your host.

please advice which should i reduce and by how much


on a side note fitting 4 hard drives in a 1-u case might be quite a job ;-) :p


i realised :) please advice then... should i use IDE HDDs?


also it will probably be cheaper to rent dedicated than colocate with companies like LT around.


dedicated servers are quite expensive and have smaller harddrives... ;)
any good deals for me?


i would suggest a reseller account if you only want to do web hosting as you do not need to worry about server administration or any of the techie things.

i have tried reseller hosting and i realised that i cannot offer competitive prices and my client base is just too small to even break even. ;)


Or if you want more server control or to offer alternate things (streaming etc) then possibly a VPS/VDS solution to start out with and someone to manage it (managed VPS provider may be cheaper option in this case)

i realised that VPS/VDS is a waste of money compared to dedicated servers :)

Have you looked at dell offers?

Dell is giving a great offers and I took this chance buying 3 dell SC430.

Hmm IDE?? I prefer SATA, don't go for xeon use pentium IV 2.8 HT, that will save you money.

Why buy assembled server when you get a banded one almost the same price.

Dedicated Server look for http://www.coreix.net

please advice which should i reduce and by how much

Your current ideas on specification seem futureproof but why have much higher set up costs for that mahine when at current you are unlikeley to be using anywhere near tis max resources, something like a P42.8/1gb ram would seem more suitable.

i realised please advice then... should i use IDE HDDs?
SATA drives will perform marginaly faster than IDE and for more or less the same price - so why not use them SCSI drive will perform quicker still but you seem to want large capacity which rules out scsi (unless you have a large budget!

i havnt seen a 1-U case which will fit more than 2 HDD's in - so 2-u might be the only option

dedicated servers are quite expensive and have smaller harddrives...
any good deals for me?

do you really need 1TB of hard drive space? its an enormous amount for hosting only websites - bear in mind if you rented dedicated you could upgrade at any time and not pay for the hardware until you need it.

http://layeredtech.com - look at getting a server from a totally unmanaged provider like these
http://platinumservermanagement.com - management from somewhere like this.

you can start off on a lower spec machine renting for around 80$ a month management + $75 (ish) and about $20 startup fee

colocation with your specs will cost atleast $1000 startup fee plus depending on the provider $130/month (management plus basic colocation)

some providers will do full management and a dual xeon machine for around $250/month

email some providers aswell - if you REALLY need all that HD space im sure some will accomodate you!

i have tried reseller hosting and i realised that i cannot offer competitive prices and my client base is just too small to even break even.

if your struggling to break even on a reseller bear in mind it WONT be easy with your bills up atleast $100/month and no more coming in!

i realised that VPS/VDS is a waste of money compared to dedicated servers

check the offers section - you may be pleasantly suprised ;-)

one extra thing. cpanel lisences while renting through a provider can be as low as $20/month

if your colocating the cheapest i have seen was $50/month

Hope this helped.

Hi!

Trying asking pre-order questions to yahoo if they allow you to create subdomains so that you can build your own name server under that domain name e.g ns1.yourname.com and ns2.yourname.com ( my case with 1 and 1 was I got .co.uk domain)

i don't really understand what you mean


if you want to save little bit of money look for directadmin control panel which is affordable and very reliable as well, where as billing software there are also many avilable in lower prices look around in WHT.
clients prefer cpanel over direct admin..
i know DA loads much faster but i don't really like the interface...
more used to cpanel :)
billing software wise, please advice...

Have you looked at dell offers?

Dell is giving a great offers and I took this chance buying 3 dell SC430.

Hmm IDE?? I prefer SATA, don't go for xeon use pentium IV 2.8 HT, that will save you money.

Why buy assembled server when you get a banded one almost the same price.

how about the RAM?
how about SCSI HDD?
how about this config:
Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz HT
512MB ECC RAM
2 x 250GB SATA HDD
still 1U casing :)

Dedicated Server look for coreix
i don't like limited bandwidth :)

Have you looked at dell poweredge 1425, well I forgot the exact model number

I suggest got for 200x 2 SATA and get 1GB ram (web server needs memory)

Limited bandwidth?? how many websites you gonna host??

I have hosted 1000 websites in 1 server and still my bandwidth does not go beyond 700-1000 GB per month. Actually I see it as a wastage, people go for higher bandwidth but hardly utilize.

Have you looked at dell poweredge 1425, well I forgot the exact model number

I suggest got for 200x 2 SATA and get 1GB ram (web server needs memory)

Limited bandwidth?? how many websites you gonna host??

I have hosted 1000 websites in 1 server and still my bandwidth does not go beyond 700-1000 GB per month. Actually I see it as a wastage, people go for higher bandwidth but hardly utilize.

so this is the config:
P4 2.8GHz HT
1GB ECC RAM
400GB SATA

This is a Single Celeron 2.8GHz Server I configured at LayeredTech

Order Details

Main Package L1-INTEL-P4-2.8-A:
12-Months @ $1,068.00 + Setup: $19.00
Memory: 1024MB

Primary Storage: 400GB Hard Drive $600.00

Secondary Storage: 400GB Hard Drive $840.00

Drive Controller: IDE/SCSI

Control Panel: CPanel /WHM with Fantastico $300.00

Plesk Language Pack: None

Database: None

Operating System: Fedora Core 1

IP Addresses: 8 (5 Usable)

Private Switch: None

Tier 1 Bandwidth: 1000GB

Uplink Port Speed: 10Mbps Uplink

CD-ROM: None

Graphics Card: None


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Package(s) Total $2,808.00
Package(s) Setup $19.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sub Total $2,827.00
Tax Due $0.00
Total Due $2,827.00*

This is a Dual Xeon 2.4GHz Server I configured at LayeredTech

Order Details

Main Package L3-INTEL-XEON-2x2.4-A:
12-Months @ $1,908.00 + Setup: $75.00
Memory: 1024MB

Primary Storage: 400GB Hard Drive $600.00

Secondary Storage: 400GB Hard Drive $600.00

Drive Controller: IDE/SCSI

Control Panel: CPanel /WHM with Fantastico $300.00

Plesk Language Pack: None

Database: None

Operating System: Fedora Core 1

IP Addresses: 8 (5 Usable)

Private Switch: None

Tier 1 Bandwidth: 1000GB

Uplink Port Speed: 10Mbps Uplink

CD-ROM: None

Graphics Card: None


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Package(s) Total $3,408.00
Package(s) Setup $75.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sub Total $3,483.00
Tax Due $0.00
Total Due $3,483.00*


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a Single P4 Server I configured at Dell.Com.SG (i am located in singapore)

M421150 - Dell(TM) PowerEdge(TM) 850 Rack-Mount Server
1 2,495.00 2,495.00
Date 03/11/2005 09:30 PM
Catalog Number 130333
Base System PowerEdge(TM) 850 with Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Processor 2.8GHz/1MB,800MHz FSB 1

Mod Specs Info (Singapore)
Operating System No Operating System, Linux Configuration

Dell(TM) OpenManage(TM) Software Kit for PowerEdge(TM) 850
DIMM Memory 1GB (2x512), DDR-2 533MHz ECC 1R Memory 1
Keyboards Dell(TM) USB 104-key Standard Keyboard (English) 1
Mouse Dell(TM) USB Mouse (2-Buttons with Scroll) 1
Dell Services: Telephone Support Telephone Technical Support Assistance (Round-The-Clock Access) 1
Dell Services: Premier Enterprise Support Service 3 Years Next Business Day (8x5) Onsite Response (Parts + Labour) 1
Dell Services: Installations Basic Server Installation Service 1
Dell Services: Recommended Service (Optional) Rack Mount Service For Dell PowerEdge Server 1
Hard Drives (SCSI / EIDE / SATA) 250GB (7200 RPM) SATA Hard Drive, First Drive 1
Optical Drives 24x IDE slim CD-ROM Drive 1

Internal Convert Card for Optical Drive Connection
Display No Monitor
Freight Charges PE850 Handling & Insurance Charges(Singapore) 1
Delivery Charges POWEREDGE Delivery Charges (Singapore) 1
Base Dependent: Server / Storage (Do Not Deselect) Dual Embedded Broadcom 5721J Gigabit NICs 1
Integrated XGI XG20 VGA Controller (16MB) 1
Integrated SATA (2 Channels) 1
Integrated USB 2.0 (2 ports) 1
Factory Configurations C2: No SATA RAID Configuration (2x SATA HDD) 1
Bezel Options Bezel for PowerEdge(TM) 850 1
Riser Card Options Expansion Riser: 2x PCIe slots 1
2nd SATA Hard Drives 250GB (7200 RPM) SATA Hard Drive, Additional Drive 1
Rack Kits No Rack Mounting Rails
Power Cord / Ship Mod Options 1XPower Cord, 220V, 4METERS, RACK 1
Shipping Documents / Power C No Document and CD Kit
Discounting Code Limited time promotion. No further discounts apply.
Solutions Type Web 6

Total

Before Tax 2,495.00
GST - Singapore - 5% 124.75
Total Amount SG$ 2,619.75

This is a Dual Xeon 3.0GHz Server configured at Dell.Com.SG

M421151 - Dell(TM) PowerEdge(TM) SC1425 Server
1 3,735.00 3,735.00
Date 03/11/2005 09:40 PM
Catalog Number 130334
Base System PowerEdge(TM) SC1425 with Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processor 3.0GHz/2M,EM64T,800MHz FSB 1

Mod Specs Info (Singapore)
Operating System No Operating System, Linux Configuration

Dell(TM) OpenManage(TM) Software Kit for PowerEdge(TM) SC1425
2nd Processors 2nd Intel(R) Xeon(R) Processor 3.0GHz/2M,EM64T,800MHz FSB 1
DIMM Memory 1GB (2x512), DDR-2 400MHz ECC 1R Memory 1
Keyboards Dell(TM) USB 104-key Standard Keyboard (English) 1
Mouse Dell(TM) Optical USB Mouse (2-Buttons with Scroll) 1
Dell Services: Telephone Support Telephone Technical Support Assistance (Round-The-Clock Access) 1
Dell Services: Hardware Maintenance 3 Years Next Business Day (8x5) Onsite Response (Parts + Labour) 1
Dell Services: Installations Basic Server Installation Service 1
Dell Services: Recommended Service (Optional) Rack Mount Service For DELL PowerEdge Server 1
Hard Drives (SCSI / EIDE / SATA) 250GB (7200 RPM) SATA Hard Drive, First Drive 1
Optical Drives 24x IDE slim CD-ROM Drive 1
Display No Monitor
Freight Charges PESC1425 Handling & Insurance Charges (Singapore) 1
Delivery Charges POWEREDGE-SC Delivery Charges (Singapore) 1
Base Dependent: Server / Storage (Do Not Deselect) Embedded Dual SATA Controller 1
Embedded Dual Intel Gigabit Network Controller 1
Embedded ATI Radeon 7000-M (16MB) 1
Factory Configurations C2: SATA configuration (Non RAID) 2 HDD 1
Bezel Options Bezel for PowerEdge(TM) SC1425 1
2nd SATA Hard Drives 250GB (7200 RPM) SATA Hard Drive, Additional Drive 1
Rack Kits No Rack Mounting Rails
Power Cord / Ship Mod Options Ship Mod for PowerEdge(TM) SC1425, 220V EUR Power Cord 1
Shipping Documents / Power C No Document and CD Kit
Discounting Code Limited time promotion. No further discounts apply.
Solutions Type Web 1

Total

Before Tax 3,735.00
GST - Singapore - 5% 186.75
Total Amount SG$ 3,921.75

Based on calculations I think purchasing my own server is cheaper.
SG co-location is about $60 - $100 SGD/mth/1U

Please let me know if there is any problem with the configurations

Thanks

www.liquidweb.com their $144 server should get you moving and on your way. They install everything you need, respond VERY fast (immediately if you call them) to support, and are just amazing all together. I know you want colo, but that might be something to aim for further down the road. Just my 2 cents. :)

www.liquidweb.com their $144 server should get you moving and on your way. They install everything you need, respond VERY fast (immediately if you call them) to support, and are just amazing all together. I know you want colo, but that might be something to aim for further down the road. Just my 2 cents. :)
i know about their support but i just can't get the specs i'm looking for...

Limited bandwidth? LOL You don't want to put a GigE on one server cause it's a major waste of cash. If you wanted to go cogent you could probablly get a GigE for about 10-15K/m. Anyway, that'd give you like 300,000 GB Throughput anyway so it ain't technically unlimited. I would recommend like they said, go with LayeredTech and get management for the machine from somewhere like Platinum Server Management. Also, don't get a Dual Xeon, it's overkill. Try to get a Pentium 4 2.8 GHz that can have HyperThreading enabled, a good sized 2 hard drives in RAID1 would be good but, not needed. If you have RAID then your customers will have the satisfaction that if one HDD fails the second mirrored hard drive takes it's place. Although you must also remember this is not considered a "Daily Backup" of sorts. If you do anything to one drive it gets done to the other. ;)

You must think to yourself do you NEED those massive hard drives. also 10mbps dedicated on colocation will cost as much as layered tech - liquid web can do you 10mbps cheaper than that i am sure.

i think you are expecting clients to use much more space than they do. for me the client which uses most space uses 1.3gig which although is a fair amount he is one of a kind most clients use under 150mb (or maybeim lucky heh

check the hosting offers section

i just did this quickly:

Dedicated Servers Linux & FreeBSD
ASUS P4-2.8GHz 800MHz FSB HT
$109.00 $0.00

$109.00



Add 200GB HDD
$0.00 $150.00





Add 200GB HDD (monthly)
$30.00 $25.00




1GB RAM (monthly)
$30.00 $0.00





cPanel for *NIX OS
$25.00 $0.00

$260.00







Subtotal: $369.00
Tax: $0.00
Discounts: - $0.00
*Prorate - $19.40



and im sure if you contacted them they could knock a bit off as you would be ordering a good server.

the server above would be under 200$/month and have 400gb hd space p4 2.8 1.5gb ram WAY enough particuarly for a starter

if you bear in mind i did a very quick look which probably isnt the cheapest solution and if you cut the hard drives down you could have a much cheaper server.

but its your choice man - just my advice

You must think to yourself do you NEED those massive hard drives. also 10mbps dedicated on colocation will cost as much as layered tech - liquid web can do you 10mbps cheaper than that i am sure.

i think you are expecting clients to use much more space than they do. for me the client which uses most space uses 1.3gig which although is a fair amount he is one of a kind most clients use under 150mb (or maybeim lucky heh

check the hosting offers section

i just did this quickly:



and im sure if you contacted them they could knock a bit off as you would be ordering a good server.

the server above would be under 200$/month and have 400gb hd space p4 2.8 1.5gb ram WAY enough particuarly for a starter

if you bear in mind i did a very quick look which probably isnt the cheapest solution and if you cut the hard drives down you could have a much cheaper server.

but its your choice man - just my advice
where did you configure this?
please take note that the server i configured only costs $1500 USD with 500GB space...
i am not located in the US so i cannot co-locate with LW...

Hi!
Where are you located?It will be easy for all of us to suggest about colo provider where you can save money etc...


:nzflag:

Hi!
Where are you located?It will be easy for all of us to suggest about colo provider where you can save money etc...


:nzflag:
singapore:laugh:

what is the dedicated IP address for?

how many is the minimum

extra ip addresses are mainly used to assign your resellers nameservers. but also have a use if Rdns is an issue (ie vhosts for irc) and such like - i wouldnt bother paying for them until you need them.

oh and as for the setup - 1500usd is a LOT to some of us ;-)

extra ip addresses are mainly used to assign your resellers nameservers. but also have a use if Rdns is an issue (ie vhosts for irc) and such like - i wouldnt bother paying for them until you need them.

oh and as for the setup - 1500usd is a LOT to some of us ;-)
so you only need one ip address?
how about dns servers etc.
how do you set them up

With all the storage space that you want, it makes me think that you think you are going to be able to keep tons of clients on one mediocre machine.

I think that you need to take a step back and think about what you are getting yourself into. Create a business plan, do some research, etc.

Based on calculations I think purchasing my own server is cheaper.
SG co-location is about $60 - $100 SGD/mth/1U

Please let me know if there is any problem with the configurations

Thanks

Are you going to house the server locally or oversea?

S$4k for a server seems a little bit overkill

singapore:laugh:

There are a couple of co-location at Singapore . You can try sgwebhostingtalk.com for any reviews on local co-lo services.

There are a couple of co-location at Singapore . You can try sgwebhostingtalk.com for any reviews on local co-lo services.
thanks :D
http://sgwebhostingtalk.com/thread7649.html
is this a good offer?

btw, what are recommended price plans?

is this ok?
http://sgwebhostingtalk.com/thread7402.html

i havnt seen a 1-U case which will fit more than 2 HDD's in - so 2-u might be the only option

You've not seen many then ;) There are several 1U cases that will take 4 hot-swap drives and plenty that will take 3.