Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Colocation and Data Centers : Newbie needs guidance

[Floridaserver]

Hello,
Just joined.
I have spent, and will be spending many hours here reading about colo.

I live in Southeast Florida and would welcome anyone in the area who may want to partner up for rackspace, or trade for knowledge/services/programming/cash to help set up my first colo.

Calling around and looking I have found that all colos are pretty secret about pricing, have never ending addons, and sales reps expect you to be an expert walking in the door.

I know rackspace is small, 1u being a couple inches and a special computer has to be bought for it...(don't get me started about finding good deals there)...but I have heard of larger more convential ones that take more U's up, but are cheaper to upgrade and repair.

As you can tell from the above statements, NEWB is all over this post.

- The rates are crazy cheap and crazy expensive. I found on place that would give me half a rack for 470 a month or so....
but the addons....whoa.

Problem is, I find the colos expect me to not only have the computer, but ALL other equipment as all I get is a connection to the internet.

Good thing...but unless you have done it before, a hard thing to step into. I have no idea how to make sure I get good equipment, the stuff I really need, and setting it up right...routers, switches, servers, and other doohickies.

Man...someone needs to write a manual.

The colos down here are expensive...and not....but I guess you get what you pay for.

I also see people talk about 1u space....but what good is that? Don't you need some other equipment to make it all work...?
Or is all the other equipment needed if you are running more than one server?


Anyway....really informative articles here....but I need an experienced person to help out...willing to trade, barter, or pay for someone local who knows what they are doing in regards to doing a first set up colo in southeast fla...boca/lauderdale area.

Have not found a good colo that will only do one or two racks either....always half or full racks....for my one server....yikes.


I just need room to expand next year, want to have it close to upgrade/fix/expand, and learn the basics so I never have to post a dang noob thread again.

Thanks for the help...thanks for the flames.....

[Floridaserver]

You can contact me via my website at Political Gateway.com.

Please no one from india talking about java applications...thank you.

Local only for partnership...but then again, if you want to go in on a half rack down here and wanna ship stuff down, I can put it in...assuming you are uber knowledgable to make sure I can get the whole thing going right to begin with.

[Floridaserver]

Hope this thread will help other new people.

Going to learn how and WHERE to find components for a server to be built from ground...pre built bah!!

Then will list what i had to do to make it work....even deal with load balancing in the future.

[Dennis Nugent]

I dont know whether to laugh or cry

[chennaihomie]

Buying servers? and then finding a location to colocate?

[Floridaserver]

Originally Posted by Dennis Nugent

I dont know whether to laugh or cry

told you I was new...first day figuring out what to do....

--->complete noob to co locating

[chennaihomie]

Originally Posted by Floridaserver

told you I was new...first day figuring out what to do....

--->complete noob to co locating

Ask for experts help, That should solve you know. Do you have a server first. If so mention the forum factor n other details. That should help people to help you out.

[Floridaserver]

Originally Posted by chennaihomie

Ask for experts help, That should solve you know. Do you have a server first. If so mention the forum factor n other details. That should help people to help you out.

Sorry....thought all that was obvious...


I have a server, dedicated. Had it for years. Linux/ensim.

Want to do colo instead of dedicated...buy my own computer, put it in a rack somewhere near me for easy and fast upgrade/repair.

I assumed I was asking for experts help...even willing to pay for it or barter for it....as per the OP.

I do not know what a 'forum factor' is...

My questions do not deal with my current set up...my questions lie in the realm of setting up a colo somewhere.

Talking to the sales dpts of different colos has left me in the 100 to 2000 a month range with more questions than I started with.
One company said I had to buy a router and some other equipment, it would take up at least 4Us...and need more power..another said 100 bucks and slide your comp in.

I find the sales people expect you to know everything about it or they just sell you a bill of goods..

To clarify...I do not know where to get good servers cheap or whether I should buy compnents and build one.

I was sure I had all this in my first rambling post..but whether or not I have a server already doesn't matter in regards to renting a half rack and putting all the unknown gizmos into it.

and I did say i would pay....for help....

[TonyAdtaq]

1. You don't need anything other than a server for colocation. The provider hands you CAT5, you plug it in, configure your box, and are done.

2. That said, a 1U server is a good option. Stuff whatever you need into a small box and colocate it.

3. Certain colo providers cater to certain folks... Some are looking for large 1 cabinet minimum clients, others focus on single servers for smaller customers... Check the offers forum here for a good start.

4. Even though 'building your own' can be fun on your desktop PC, you need to remember that a rackmount server is a totally different animal. It does not have the luxury of lots of air space to keep things running cool, and 'desktop PC' grade parts were not designed to stand up to the rigors of rackmounted computing, let alone 24/7 server operation. As a result, you might find it nearly as cheap to purchase a pre-built rackmount PC from one of the vendors here on WHT or elsewhere. Even if it is a little bit more up front, the fact that it won't be chronicly unstable would certainly be worth the cost. Check around through the forums, I'm certain there are plenty of server vendor reviews.

Good luck!

[theansweris6]

[quote] and I did say i would pay....for help.... [do not know what a 'forum factor' is.../quote]
you dont need to pay for help, there are plenty of folk here willing to help. But at a minimum you have to RTFM.

'Calling around and looking I have found that all colos are pretty secret about pricing, have never ending addons, and sales reps expect you to be an expert walking in the door.'
Check out the colo offer section -- plenty of info there.

Have not found a good colo that will only do one or two racks either....always half or full racks....for my one server....yikes.

Back up. Why dod you need to colocate YOUR server?
if you are just beginning, then get a dedicated server. It will be cheaper, they will take care of it, they will plug it in and get it started, etc.

Now then, really back up.
You are basically saying you have a server, and you want a home for it.
What you really should be saying is you have this excellent business plan, and you are well funded, and you have a lot of industry contacts, you love to work 18 hours per day 7 day s per week, and this server is one (of many) assets needed to impplement the business plan.

[Chris Patti]

If your really doing colocation I recommend using DELL for servers.

[Floridaserver]

Originally Posted by theansweris6

you dont need to pay for help, there are plenty of folk here willing to help. But at a minimum you have to RTFM.

Too bad there is not a manual available to buy to outfit a rack. I would have read it.

'Calling around and looking I have found that all colos are pretty secret about pricing, have never ending addons, and sales reps expect you to be an expert walking in the door.'
Check out the colo offer section -- plenty of info there.

I have found that whether low or high priced does not mean good service, reliable connections, good uptime...or anything like that. I have found once you choose someone you usually stick with them a while..and I would rather know what I am gettng into before I jump in there and really get stuck. I have found some 1U 'RESELLERS" and a few half rack sellers for around 500 a month. Half rack is cheap, yea, until you facotr in you have to supply everything that the reseller usually does. More startup, more knowledge needed, more quality parts...but same as a dedictated as you do not know the quality of the resellers switches, routers, etc..


Back up. Why dod you need to colocate YOUR server?
if you are just beginning, then get a dedicated server. It will be cheaper, they will take care of it, they will plug it in and get it started, etc.

Have had dedicated servers for 7 years...trust me when I say there will be time when you never want to deal with them again. Ever. The list is long why you should want to have a colo, Quality of equipment being a big one...and upgrading...and...etc

Now then, really back up.
You are basically saying you have a server, and you want a home for it.
What you really should be saying is you have this excellent business plan, and you are well funded, and you have a lot of industry contacts, you love to work 18 hours per day 7 day s per week, and this server is one (of many) assets needed to impplement the business plan.

I work everyday all day. I program and manage many sites and applications. I am funded well enough to afford colocation over dedicated and have the time to learn how to. I may be a noob to colocation, but I have built more applications than most on here probably have and spent many 24 to 36 hour days moving servers and upgrading entire web applications while juggling, optimizing and rebuilding shoddy databases.
The server needs to be better...and no matter what I pay, the dedicated will never be that good.
I choose a 1U to LEARN how to make ir work and fully manage, when that is done I will be adding a few more for mail server, database server, small cluster, etc, and move the main corp of the business there finally. This is a SLOW process and should not be taken lightly.

1- where is the colocation manual located at? Amazon does not have it, that is for sure.

2- so..you don't know about the equipment for a half rack, or a company that has quality reseller space..but you want to make sure I have a business plan...thanks, got one.

3- most people on here are probably in need of help with a nice core of very experienced people here helping them. Help is TIME and time should be paid for. It is an expected cost and lowers the learning curve significantly.

4- Man, I wish there was a manual so I could RTFM....where have you hidden a webserver colocation manual with all those step by step procedures for barebones building of a server, the right swtichtes, etc, proper linux 'everything' regarding servers, and how to pick a colocation facility that will be there, have quality equip, awesome connection speed, safe storage, etc...where is this manual and I will bother you no more....

I have been contacted by a few who wish to help, so thank you guys for submitting interest.

[Chris_M]

I would think that most colo providers would require you to have your own switch for anything over 1U of space, at minimum. Some may offer a switch and possibly a reboot strip as an option, but from my colo experiences, I have usually been responsible for anything that came after the network drop and the power outlet.

[Floridaserver]

Originally Posted by TonyAdtaq

1. You don't need anything other than a server for colocation. The provider hands you CAT5, you plug it in, configure your box, and are done.

yea, I am finding resellers for this stuff now..will probably be the first step until I learn more about all the equipment in the rack..then I will go 1/4 or half rack as it is cheaper than a reseller....or seems so on the monthly front..just a matter of quality parts..reseller means 'mystery equipment'.

3. Certain colo providers cater to certain folks... Some are looking for large 1 cabinet minimum clients, others focus on single servers for smaller customers... Check the offers forum here for a good start.

Yea, apparently I was talking to the whole rack type..the prcing and sales guys were downright scary for a 1 or 2u system to start..wow

4. Even though 'building your own' can be fun on your desktop PC, you need to remember that a rackmount server is a totally different animal. It does not have the luxury of lots of air space to keep things running cool, and 'desktop PC' grade parts were not designed to stand up to the rigors of rackmounted computing, let alone 24/7 server operation. As a result, you might find it nearly as cheap to purchase a pre-built rackmount PC from one of the vendors here on WHT or elsewhere. Even if it is a little bit more up front, the fact that it won't be chronicly unstable would certainly be worth the cost. Check around through the forums, I'm certain there are plenty of server vendor reviews.

Good luck!

Thanks for the information.

I am really leaning to barebones and build up. I have never been happy with prebuilt models. There are always some real cheap gizmos in there...and at least on the home computer front they are made in a way that is sometimes hard to upgrade...

I would rather pick the ram, the drives, the raid items, etc...but will probably go barebones as EVERYONE says I should..not just a few..but EVERYONE..

[Floridaserver]

Originally Posted by Chris_M

I would think that most colo providers would require you to have your own switch for anything over 1U of space, at minimum. Some may offer a switch and possibly a reboot strip as an option, but from my colo experiences, I have usually been responsible for anything that came after the network drop and the power outlet.

That is what I am hearing...in some cases..in others not..
confusing...but learning. I imagine that the switch or other items must take a U spot up though...so a 2u would become a 3u real quick.. i think.
Thanks for the info..!!