New to the forums, and hoping to start a web hosting company using Rackspace servers. We will have multiple servers in the long run for management.

But the burning question is, which OS? I have a LOT of experience in Win2k but near to none in Redhat or any other linux. Which is better ignoring the fact i have no skill in linux, and then which would be better for me and my clients?

Also which Control panel is best for the OS?

Are there any Linus Hosting sites so i can read up on how to use/setup and remote conx. to linux servers?

Cheers for the help!

digitalb,
Windows and Linux both have drawbacks but if you have no clue about Linux I would suggest you go with a windows based server or learn Linux fast. I'm sure a lot of people will agree with me that running a Linux server beats any windows machine on any day ( sorry ******* guys ) and there are a lot of benifits to going with a Linux box versus a MS based product but the decision is yours. You may want to research what it takes to actually admin a server before you dive in though. You will waste a lot of time and no one likes being hosted by a newbie. Its just lame. Good luck in your quest and use this forum as much as possible. It will help you with all things related to hosting.

Cough Cough...LEARN LINUX...Cough Cough...WINDOWS BLOWS! :)

I run a couple of my own Win2k Servers off my connection with the works! PHP, ASP, CGI, Sub-Domains, Mail, SQL databases...all of it. I can set it up there...just that i havent got a clue on how linux REALLY works...i have a book on it, read it...setup a machine...but is taking a while as i have been prettry much an MS junkie.

I want to move to linux as i have heard so much good stuff about them...but i do not want to be a newbie! I need to learn it.

So linux is best overall then, what about CPanels?

digitalb,
I would say Linux is better overall as far as performance, security and reliability...what else is there? heheh I have used Win2k before in the past for several large projects and interally for a company I used to work for and found it inferior and more expensive compared to Linux. I would suggest that you snag an old computer you dont use much, go to redhat.com or linuxiso.org and download the ISOs. Burn them to disk and install Linux on your machine. Test it out and in a few months you wont be such a rookie.

Control panels for Linux - There are a few
www.cpanel.net
www.plesk.com
www.ensim.com
www.webmin.net
www.hostgui.com -- coming soon and should be one of the best.

For windows... I wont even go there as I am very Anti-MS if you couldnt tell. :)

Hrm, I'd say scrap Windows and Linux, install some flavor of BSD, and learn vi! :)

I second the BSD but as a newbie he may be confused with a simple linux install rather than the cryptic and confusing installation process of say FreeBSD. Vi is like second nature to me now... I cant stand pico. :)

And whats wrong with good 'ol pico ???

:D

Nuthin... heheheh Pico is pico but mez a vi junkie. ;-)

Maybe if you are new to Linux you could try using a RAQ to start with. The standard RAQ GUI is pretty good, but if you add the power of Webmin you'll soon be on your way.
At the same time installing some version of Linux on an old PC and playing around with it might help...
Between the boards here and those on RackShack you should be able to get up to speed fairly quickly and painlessly

Books are allways good.

The standard RAQ GUI is pretty good
Can we show Sun a little respect? It's the GAI (graphical administration interface). :)

I always enjoy telling someone to log into their GAI.

Thats GAI :)

Originally posted by phpjames
I second the BSD but as a newbie he may be confused with a simple linux install rather than the cryptic and confusing installation process of say FreeBSD. Vi is like second nature to me now... I cant stand pico. :)

FreeBSD is not cryptic to install at all. If it were not for his choice of hosting companies (Rackspace - where recent reports seem to suggest their support for FreeBSD is lacking, at minimum check that out to see if this is true), I would have suggested it outright.

For many on WHT it would seem that the only go/no go decision on an OS for them is which control panel software is supported for the OS. And that's fair enough I suppose, if one is looking to launch into the biz before they know how to admin *nix the old fashioned way.

Perhaps this thread starter needs to investigate 'control panel' sw for various platforms - given the posters stated Windows experience, it seems likely they will want to one day offer Windows services even if they start out their company on *nix.

If they have ambitious long term goals perhaps the poster needs to select a control panel / billing solution that can deal not only with a *nix of some sort but also Windows as well.

H-Sphere - Linux, *BSD, Windows
http://www.psoft.net/

Maybe someone who has lived through multi-platform hosting will chime in.

By confusing I was only referring to the installation process.

vi? pico? WHT?

I have installed mandrake and Redhat before...and pick up things rather fast. Did with no instructions.

I hate LINO Boot tho...f*cks up my boot when i try to remove linux.

What are the differences out of BSD and most of the Linux flavas?

What OS is used by most servers in the world? Rackspace offer webmin preinstalled.

By the sounds of it i am most likely to run on linux AND win 2k to offer both solutions...but would clients care about having different Cpanels for linux and windows...

RaQ's run redhat dont they...and are pretty Cpanel based?

are there any good linux server intsruction/guide sites? tutorials etc. i reckon i could learn pretty soon.

Apache is also the main WebServer Soft used?

> What are the differences out of BSD and most of the Linux flavas?
BSD is a bit more challenging but it's also a bit more stable.

> What OS is used by most servers in the world? Rackspace offer webmin preinstalled.
It depends on who runs the servers. Every admin has his or her own preferrences, and they try to stick with what they know.

> RaQ's run redhat dont they...and are pretty Cpanel based?
RaQ's run a funked up version of RedHat, but have the same basic structure. They're all administered by the GAI.

> Are there any good linux server intsruction/guide sites? tutorials etc. i reckon i could learn pretty soon.
Eh, if you're doing everything from a control panel, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. If you're just looking for basic knowledge, check google.com or devshed.com.

> Apache is also the main WebServer Soft used?
Apache is the most standard for *nix systems, yes.

vi? pico? WHT?

I have installed mandrake and Redhat before...and pick up things rather fast. Did with no instructions.

I hate LINO Boot tho...f*cks up my boot when i try to remove linux.

What are the differences out of BSD and most of the Linux flavas?

What OS is used by most servers in the world? Rackspace offer webmin preinstalled.

By the sounds of it i am most likely to run on linux AND win 2k to offer both solutions...but would clients care about having different Cpanels for linux and windows...

RaQ's run redhat dont they...and are pretty Cpanel based?

are there any good linux server intsruction/guide sites? tutorials etc. i reckon i could learn pretty soon.

Apache is also the main WebServer Soft used?

Eh? :confused:

dunno what happened there! erm...