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  1. #1

    Running your own server machine

    Hi

    This is just a hypothetical question since I am already completey satisfied with my current situation and it saves me the touble of owning and mainting my own server machine. However, I AM curious.

    Ok, a few years ago I did run my own server on an E-Machine (believe it or not!) and used TZO's dynamic DNS service along with Xitami's server software (and later, Apache). I hosted a few accounts but mostly just my own. I'll have to admit it was nice setting my own rules and not having to answer to anyone (except God and the law). But, like all good things, it came to an end when RR began blocking inbound port 80.

    Since that time, I've been around the block more than a time or two and have a much better machine with Red Hat 8.0 installed. I've also got quite a bit of Linux experience under my belt and feel confident that I'd be able to run my own server although, like anything else, I'm sure there would be a bit of a learning curve.

    Back when I ran my own server on a Windows box, I'd contacted Sprint to inquire about having a dedicated line with them and was told that it would be $300.00 per month plus another $40.00 for some contraption they wanted to attach to my utility pole. They also said they would need to install a card in my PC and assign me a couple of "NIC" or "NIT" (I think that's what they were called) numbers. I filled out some sort of application and waited but they never came out. A week passed and I get a call from them telling me that I would also be needing something else and that it would cost me another $100.00. At this point, I told them to foregt it and that I did not appreciate the long delay and the fact that I had not been notified about the reasons for the delay. I cancelled and thanked them for their time.

    Anyway, the long and short of all this brings me to my question and that being...has anyone here actually ever run their own server and what all was involved?...was it super-expensive and did you encounter any problems?. I'm talking, of course about a $3,000-$5,000 server that YOU own as opposed to a reseller account or a dedicated one.

    - Cheers

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2001
    Location
    Toronto, ON.
    Posts
    312
    I've run a box from home using a DSL connection w/ a static IP but honestly, it was not an ideal situation. Although I wasn't hosting sites off it (just mail / DNS), I experienced a full day power outage one day which made me realize that I had to investigate other options if I wanted a stable mail service (primarily for myself). Your best bet is to purchase a nice machine, configure it at home until your heart's content, and then drop it off at a nice colocation facility in the area. This way, you won't have to worry about kicking the plug while vacuuming the house or whether or not there's going to be a block-wide power outage when Joe Blow turns on his 25,000 bulb string of Christmas lights. And, when your baby's crying for some attention, you can swing on by and give 'er a little TLC. Dropping a lot of money to get a semi-serious connection to your house seems silly. Definitely investigate the colocation option.

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