Results 1 to 16 of 16
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    198

    VPS to learn on. Recommend size etc.

    OK I basically am a total idiot when it comes to VPS and servers.

    I have used Linux (multiple flavors) and FreeBSD for years as desktops. So I can use a CLI.

    However until recently I have lived in areas with extremely slow internet. So I never messed with the server side. I have a shared account and two reseller accounts but those are managed of course.

    I am looking for recommendations for size etc for a VPS to learn server management and try out control panels and OS's on.

    I have looked at Linodes smallest package (cheap is good since this is a learning account not active) and the multiple OS templates seems nice. However I can see myself becoming focused on OS's and not server items.

    So I guess my questions in short are.

    1. Size of account needed. Remember I want to test panels as well.

    2. Xen, OpenViz, etc which would be the best to learn on?

    3. Recommendations for a cheap host who wouldn't mind me wiping the server by accident on occasion.

    4. Any other recommendations for an old fart who is trying to learn.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    1,767
    1. Size of account needed. Remember I want to test panels as well.
    >> 512MB RAM and about 5GB disk is probably the minimum if you want to test panels as well

    2. Xen, OpenViz, etc which would be the best to learn on?
    >> KVM actually, in my opinion, as you can install *any* OS you like from virtual CD/DVD and configure it *exactly* how you want, just like a dedicated server.

    3. Recommendations for a cheap host who wouldn't mind me wiping the server by accident on occasion.
    >> Most hosts have a panel with which you can do this yourself as often as you like

    4. Any other recommendations for an old fart who is trying to learn.
    >> Search the forums for reviews so you don't get something that's completely unusable but Linode's smallest package, as you mentioned, is a good option. If you pick a small company you might get a little more handholding, and a few more questions answered which might help you learn though.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Toronto, ON
    Posts
    3,446
    Quote Originally Posted by lazyt View Post
    1. Size of account needed. Remember I want to test panels as well.
    You need to worry about RAM, a minimum of 512 MB for the panels.

    Quote Originally Posted by lazyt View Post
    2. Xen, OpenViz, etc which would be the best to learn on?
    Xen HVM is the closest you'll get to a real dedicated.

    Quote Originally Posted by lazyt View Post
    4. Any other recommendations for an old fart who is trying to learn.
    You may want to get a managed server, that way if you encounter an issue your host can help you figure it out. Don't be afraid to ask them how they fixed it.

    Best of luck!
    Jean-Pierre Abboud / I'm the TekGURU
    www.Gotekky.com / Managed hosting solutions / AS63447
    Web Hosting, VPS Hosting, Dedicated Servers

  4. #4
    Where do you want this vps located and what is your dollar budget

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    198
    Since it would be basically a test server. Anywhere in the US would probably give good connection times for my requirements.

    Probably around 25USD for the budget.

    I'm in Ohio so east coast would probably give the fastest response to my location.

    Thanks jhadley and GoTek-JP some good points for me to think about.
    Last edited by lazyt; 06-16-2012 at 08:59 PM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Posts
    133
    A virtual private server in Chicago seems closest to your location

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Memphis, TN
    Posts
    3,285
    I will mirror whats already been said. I would also ignore Marks post, he is just fishing.

    Size of account needed. Remember I want to test panels as well.
    Well it would be really fun to pick out a VPS with a really small allocation and see how well you could manage it. Though if you want a panel like Kloxo (free) cPanel, etc then the min is like 256 but 512 is ideal overhead for the panel + whatever.

    Xen, OpenViz, etc which would be the best to learn on?
    Agree with J, KVM or XEN. OVZ is abused and oversold.

    Recommendations for a cheap host who wouldn't mind me wiping the server by accident on occasion.
    Again you will likely end up with SolusVM from your host. You can control all of this and dont need to worry about re-installing your container.



    Good luck with the project, You could even just set up some VMs on a home PC first.
    Last edited by SPINIKR-RO; 06-17-2012 at 12:44 AM.
    hostingcove.com | Tennessee Based Hosting Provider.
    cPanel Shared & Reseller Hosting - Domain Names
    Join thousands of happy customers. Secure & Stable
    HeroicVPS Premium KVM VPS. Ashburn / Phoenix

  8. #8
    You can use vmware to set up VM. I think it is the cheapest way.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    4,533
    Quote Originally Posted by frmok View Post
    You can use vmware to set up VM. I think it is the cheapest way.
    Thats actually a pretty good idea. If ones computer is capable, doing it locally is free besides electricity and it can be shutdown or wiped easily.
    If someone tries to run a site off that local VM, then I can see issues.



    Burst.net would be a good choice now that they offer xen plans. OpenVZ is perfectly fine for learning but setups such as Xen or KVM are closer to a true dedicated server and provide a bit more control that you may not have with OpenVZ. Buyvm offers kvm plans too which would be perfectly suitable.

    If I were you, I would have a 512mb memory or 1GB of memory vps along with a small 128mb or 256mb vps for both control panel and optimization experience.

    Trying to squeeze the most performance out of a minimal amount of resources can really help one learn optimization techniques.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    383
    Quote Originally Posted by lazyt View Post
    Since it would be basically a test server. Anywhere in the US would probably give good connection times for my requirements.

    Probably around 25USD for the budget.

    I'm in Ohio so east coast would probably give the fastest response to my location.

    Thanks jhadley and GoTek-JP some good points for me to think about.
    There are a lot budget provider below $10 price with good spec for testing.
    MultipleCloud - Multiple location hosting provider
    200+ worldwide location | different server | different ip owner | best for pbn
    BigfootComputing - Dedicated A/B/C class ip
    100% no bad neighborhood | private name servers

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Milan, IT
    Posts
    478
    OpenVZ and Xen-PV are easy to start with because they are usually deploied fully configured with some template, so even if you have little linux knowledge you have a working system.

    Xen-HVM and KVM are however more near to a real server installation.

    So your experience will not be complete if you don't try them all :-)
    Prometeus.com & iperweb.com Hosting Solutions since 1997
    We are LIR (RIPE NCC member) and do BGP with ASN 34971 Multiple gigabit/s network capacity
    iwStack.com IaaS Cloud services

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Woodbridge, NJ
    Posts
    840
    Quote Originally Posted by HC-Ro View Post
    Agree with J, KVM or XEN. OVZ is abused and oversold.
    It's absolutely ridiculous that myths like this ("Xen is better than OpenVZ -- it can't be oversold" and so forth) continue to be spread.

    How the host actually runs things is far more important. It doesn't matter which type of virtualization is used, all can be abused and oversold.

    lazyt: A 512MB VPS from any respectable provider should be fine. If you want to be able to install any OS you choose, a KVM or Xen HVM (not PV) server will allow you to upload an ISO image and boot from it. If you simply want to be able to install any of the most popular Linux distributions (CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc.) don't worry about virtualization type. OpenVZ and Xen PV will work just fine.

    For learning and testing purposes, you needn't spend a lot of money. Linode is an excellent provider, but there are many other hosts that will come in at a significantly lower cost but still work great for your needs.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by VectorVPS View Post
    Linode is an excellent provider, but there are many other hosts that will come in at a significantly lower cost but still work great for your needs.
    Yes, take that into consideration.

    You can save yourself some money, especially since this is just a learning environment, and go with a cheaper provider. I don't think virtualization type really matters for you other unless you want to use uncommon distros that most hosts don't offer. Make sure you get a panel like SolusVM and at least 512MB RAM. At that budget, you might consider getting more RAM (1GB+) to have more freedom in what you can install and have running simultaneously.

    techjr's idea about optimizing a smaller VPS is interesting, though. It just depends on what you want to get out of this experience.
    RamNode - High Performance Cloud VPS
    SSD Cloud and Shared Hosting
    NYC - LA - ATL - SEA - NL - DDoS Protection - AS3842
    Deploy on our SSD cloud today! - www.ramnode.com

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    198
    Thanks for the ideas everyone. I may try a VM on this laptop (Thinkpad edge 14) it should be interesting.

    If the vitalization isn't that important to learn the basics on. I can see where OpenVZ is a "lot" cheaper.

    I'll probably start with a simple old work horse, Debian. I've used it and it's variants for years.

    However knowing me it's hard telling what I'll end up running. After all isn't experimenting ninety percent of the fun?

    Something I'm unclear on. Will the SolusVM panel allow me to change to different distros? Or do I just make another instance inside the main container with the distro I want to try out?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    545
    I will suggest you go with a 512MB XEN from StyleXNetworks, they have OnApp and it will help you a lot in managing your VPS, prices are very reasonable, I guess they are running promotions with 10 USD - 512MB XEN- High Availability, or try with the free ones they have been offering a while ago. I would not suggest a VM on laptop, to workaround putty and configuring emails, monitoring, updates from a live server is really great, So go with a live VPS.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by lazyt View Post
    Something I'm unclear on. Will the SolusVM panel allow me to change to different distros?
    Yes. I wish SolusVM had a demo (anyone know of one?).
    RamNode - High Performance Cloud VPS
    SSD Cloud and Shared Hosting
    NYC - LA - ATL - SEA - NL - DDoS Protection - AS3842
    Deploy on our SSD cloud today! - www.ramnode.com

Similar Threads

  1. Recommend best place to learn software online
    By tbsoan in forum Web Hosting Lounge
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 07-16-2011, 11:06 AM
  2. I just got a VPS to learn on...
    By Cape Dave in forum VPS Hosting
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 06-18-2009, 02:08 AM
  3. Where to learn to use a Linux VPS?
    By xicex in forum VPS Hosting
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 08-10-2008, 09:31 PM
  4. Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01-26-2007, 08:02 AM
  5. Related poll, Learn from books vs Learn from hands-on
    By THW-Dave in forum Web Hosting Lounge
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 05-19-2004, 10:52 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •