Ok, I wanna open a hosting company but I don't want to buy a server, switch, and other stuff. Right now I run Windows ME and i want a server I could intsall to be able to run multiple things like hosting WebPages i want people to be able to park their bomains and have sub domains to and bein able to run, CGI,Perl,PHP,ASP,Mysql,SSI and other things, along with a email server and a domain name server all in one, Plus i want to have it acessable threw ftp and a online control panel. Plus I wanna be able to make peoples accounts so that I can setup their bandwith and their space. The price for the software isnt really a problem cuz i have alot of money saved up from my job.

use all the money you saved up from your job and buy a dedicated box from a trusted provider that includes a control panel and all the other features you need.

I would but i don't want to get a hub to conenct it to my computer, plus i wanna just be albe to go in when im on my comp real quick and be able to edit stuff

The computer you are using right now is not good enough for hosting sites. I would really sugest that you start out reselling adn then go dedicated when you are ready.

Originally posted by N3F
I would but i don't want to get a hub to conenct it to my computer, plus i wanna just be albe to go in when im on my comp real quick and be able to edit stuff

I don't wanna hot over 100 sites so i think my comp will be fine i have a 1.1 gh amd mother board plus 512 mb of ram plus i just bought a 120gb 7200 harddrive plus i have a back up 40 7200 for the sites to.

Its not the site number, you computer will be more than able to host 200 sites(small). But is the conditions. For example, the kind of connection you have, the location of the server (fire, air conditioning, security,...) , and so on.

There isn't a whole lot of control panels for windows, and dare I say none for Windows ME(all of them are for windows server). You should think about installing linux or freebsd. However, I don't think a home machine or an office machine should be conditioned to host sites of any significance.

Peter

Most importantly, WinME doesn't have user privileges, all users are root, which is very dangerous for hosting. At minimal, you need an o/s that at least supports user privileges, especially if you intend to offer dynamic content (ASP, PHP).

I think you need to decide whether you want to start a hosting company, or if you just want to "host some web pages".

If you want to start a hosting company, here is what you will need:

A dedicated server at a true hosting facility. (Or a reseller's plan). A thorough understanding of the internet and how it works (DNS, http, ftp, etc.).

Or, If you want to "just host some web pages":

An internet connection (hopefully one that is always on ;) ) and a server. (Win2k or linux)

Now keep in mind that if you want to "just host some web pages", you should not charge people for this. It should be a thing where someone you know asks you to host their page, and you say "yeah, sure I'll put up a page for you".

Now, I am assuming that you want to sell the packages commercially, but want to host the server in your house. In that case, here are some things to think about:

If you host the server in your room (or house / apartment / whatever) what happens when the power goes out? What happens when you want to go to sleep, and the server is too loud, keeping you up? What happens if someone breaks in to your house and steals your server?

If you plan on selling hosting packages commercially, how are you going to support your clients? (Many people just getting into the biz think it is "easy money". Hell, I used to think that. They figure "I'll just setup the accounts, and collect the money every month." Well, that is definitely not the case. You will be working very hard. How many hours of sleep do you get every night? Well, cut that number in half once you start getting a few clients.)

What happens when your company gets to the critical stage where you are not making enough money to quit your job, but you do not have enough time in the day to do both?

Anyway, I would suggest that you start out with a resellers package from a reputable company. Start asking (or searching) around these forums, and I am sure you will come up with a good list of prospective companies.

thnx for your help guys, I might be buying a dedicated server off of a company now cuz the point you brought up of what if the power goes out and so on.

If you have a low budget, try http://www.rackshack.net, but then again, they don't offer managed services.

Try http://www.webreseller.net or maybe get a reseller account first, until you have more customers, then get a dedicated server.