Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Dedicated Server : Speccing out a low spec dedicated server.

[Vchat20]

So I'm semi-new to the business of dedicated servers here. A friend of mine has owned a few which I have helped administrate in the past and I have a debian based box running on a residential cable connection set up as a server (console/ssh access only, required packages like apache/php/mysql/webmin set up and configured, etc..) but as far as the actual 'shooping around' for a company that makes a living off the business, I have no experience.

In the next few months I'm going to be in the market for a dedicated box, a low specced one preferrably, to host a few low traffic sites and, more importantly, a few low-resource applications that require shell access. By low-specced, I mean I'm certainly not aiming for like a 2ghz+ xeon with 2GB+ ram and such. As it is, my own small debian box which has a piddly little 400mhz AMD K6-2, 180MB ram, and an 8GB hard drive does the job so far just fine save for some minor slowdown with some dynamic web apps. It's mostly the bandwidth that's the concern.

So I'm curious if anyone can suggest a decent inexpensive host which falls somewhere in the set criteria? Thanks.

EDIT: As well, it doesn't have to be managed. I can mostly handle it all myself. Just basics like being able to get the box rebooted or repaired or anything that can't be managed without shell access.

[torqhost]

What would be your budget? I think for these specs you can get a VPS. You could also look at server pronto offers, I believe they offer dedicated machines real cheap (low spec ones), but I cannot comment on their support.

[~ServerPoint~]

As far as I understand you are going to provide web hosting business. Have you considered the support related issues? Will you be able to handle them yourself?
As for dedicated servers - have a look at offer section for dedicated servers.

[alchemyjohn]

Originally Posted by Vchat20

So I'm semi-new to the business of dedicated servers here. A friend of mine has owned a few which I have helped administrate in the past and I have a debian based box running on a residential cable connection set up as a server (console/ssh access only, required packages like apache/php/mysql/webmin set up and configured, etc..) but as far as the actual 'shooping around' for a company that makes a living off the business, I have no experience.

In the next few months I'm going to be in the market for a dedicated box, a low specced one preferrably, to host a few low traffic sites and, more importantly, a few low-resource applications that require shell access. By low-specced, I mean I'm certainly not aiming for like a 2ghz+ xeon with 2GB+ ram and such. As it is, my own small debian box which has a piddly little 400mhz AMD K6-2, 180MB ram, and an 8GB hard drive does the job so far just fine save for some minor slowdown with some dynamic web apps. It's mostly the bandwidth that's the concern.

So I'm curious if anyone can suggest a decent inexpensive host which falls somewhere in the set criteria? Thanks.

EDIT: As well, it doesn't have to be managed. I can mostly handle it all myself. Just basics like being able to get the box rebooted or repaired or anything that can't be managed without shell access.

The good thing is you've already had experience with dedicated servers. I started off in a similar situation as yourself. Check out calpop.com (actually it's probably better to contact their sales, they can probably provide you a pretty good deal on low-specced servers). They've been reliable to me. I colocate now, and thei tech support etc. is great. I have a complex setup there that they have the patience, talent, and right attitude to deal with.

I personally dislike control panels, but you may want to consider one such as DirectAdmin (one time fee), even if you're comfortable managing the services. I've helped a few friends startup that were had familiarity with linux/UNIX OSes but still found it tedious to deal with the tasks at hand, and control panels really ease their tasks.

Anyways, I think CalPOP is a great starting point for a dedicated server, they have pricing/bandwidth for all types of people.

You may also want to consider colocation near to where you live. BUt then you have to assume more responsibility (e.g. hardware)> I think CalPOP even have a deal where after a certain period of time, you can buy the server and colo it.

Anyways good luck with your venture.

[Vchat20]

Originally Posted by torqhost

What would be your budget? I think for these specs you can get a VPS. You could also look at server pronto offers, I believe they offer dedicated machines real cheap (low spec ones), but I cannot comment on their support.

My budget would probably end up being up to $100/mo but preferrably $50 or below thereabouts. I've also been eyeing a VPS system instead but, as far as my investigating so far, most hosts seem to have them capped real low on resources like <100mhz cpu, etc.. Correct me if I'm wrong. This is only the few I have looked up so far on the matter.

As far as Server Pronto is concerned, I have also put them in the list of companies to look into. Thanks.

Originally Posted by ~ServerPoint~

As far as I understand you are going to provide web hosting business. Have you considered the support related issues? Will you be able to handle them yourself?
As for dedicated servers - have a look at offer section for dedicated servers.

Actually, the sites I'm 'hosting' are my own that I manage by myself. About the only outside hosting I'd be doing is a real sparse family member or friend here and there if any so stuff like support and such is not gonna be a problem. And I will take a look into that section, thanks.

Originally Posted by alchemyjohn

The good thing is you've already had experience with dedicated servers. I started off in a similar situation as yourself. Check out calpop.com (actually it's probably better to contact their sales, they can probably provide you a pretty good deal on low-specced servers). They've been reliable to me. I colocate now, and thei tech support etc. is great. I have a complex setup there that they have the patience, talent, and right attitude to deal with.

I personally dislike control panels, but you may want to consider one such as DirectAdmin (one time fee), even if you're comfortable managing the services. I've helped a few friends startup that were had familiarity with linux/UNIX OSes but still found it tedious to deal with the tasks at hand, and control panels really ease their tasks.

Anyways, I think CalPOP is a great starting point for a dedicated server, they have pricing/bandwidth for all types of people.

You may also want to consider colocation near to where you live. BUt then you have to assume more responsibility (e.g. hardware)> I think CalPOP even have a deal where after a certain period of time, you can buy the server and colo it.

Anyways good luck with your venture.

Thanks for the good advice. I'll definitely take a look at calpop and see what they can offer. If there was any colo in the Asheville area that offered enticing rates, I'd take them up in a heartbeat. $deity only knows how nice it would be to have physical server access in the case of an emergency or such.

And yeah, about the only web panel I'd really need is something like webmin for basics. I can get it all done at the console, but sometimes it's just more enticing to enter an iptables rule in webmin rather than trying to recall the program syntax. And if it's a dedi, I'd assume I'd be open to installing it myself even if it's not offered sooo. =)

[Bjørn-Erik Hansen]

I would stay away from Calcop, don't ask me why, never been a costummer, it's just a feeling I do have.

Seen a couple of posts about them, and to be honest, it does look like it's their own employers posting this stuff...

[portalgod]

If you want a nice VPS like your current seutp, try Spry. I've got the Webmin VPS 200 with them now. It's unmetered, but capped at 1.5Mbits/s. I love it, I've been always able to push the full 1.5Mbits/s. Spry's support is top notch. Rebuilds the VPS whenever you want, even helps to troubleshoot your software issues from time to time. Their forums have become much more active lately and their phone support is all included in your package.

Give them a try or their subsidiary vpslink.com for cheaper unmanaged VPS.

[fbroce]

There are plenty of lower priced "bargain" servers out there. You probably can find what you want in the $40-70 range. The more you spend, the better network/hardware/support you will get. A vps that would meet your needs would be slightly less expensive. It's more difficult to find a good provider in the vps business. If you want to run Debian, that may limit your choices somewhat. Take a look at the offers section if you still need help let us know. You said in a few months..watch the reviews. Most of the host advertised on here get reviews from time to time.

[DPI]

If I were you I'd checkout Nocster. There is a bargain basement section with many servers under $100, even some under $50. Each one of their servers is also managed - generally a nice feature to have.

[alchemyjohn]

Originally Posted by Bjørn-Erik Hansen

I would stay away from Calcop, don't ask me why, never been a costummer, it's just a feeling I do have.

Seen a couple of posts about them, and to be honest, it does look like it's their own employers posting this stuff...

I don't want to detract from the subject of this thread, but I can see your point. Looking through the last page or two of posts there have been an increased numbre of mentions about Calpop.

I am a new member aswell and a lot o fmy posts mention their name aswell. Well the reason is actually quite simple. One of their techs, Richard, helped me transition some servers and configure some software. I was very grateful and asked if there is anything I could do in return for the free help (see, the difference is, he was going out of his way when most people don't). He told me to post about my good experiences on this forum.

Therefore I have. Not sure about the others, and how aggressive they are about getting customers to post here. But I'm happy to do so, because I am a happy customer.

And I already know about the history of Calpop on this forum, and how it's been 50/50 with stay away, or go with them. I also know it's a general rule of thumb to not listen to everything you hear. Some, if not most is all probably true. But a lot of customers aren't worth having for any company and so they whine about their experiences on this forum. Others have genuine problems such as billing issues (I have had a few myself), but by being reasonable they have responded reasonably and fixed most issues. But every custmoers experience is different.

I think if the place is legitimate neough, you can always get a good experience by being a good customer in return (one that doesn't ask for more than what is expected (even though i do), and having a calm/reasonable attitude.

Anyways, I wanted to avoid this tangent, but I felt to make my position known.

Anyawys, if you decide to look into Calpop, speak to Matt in sales, say you were referred by "Alchemy John" (it's my company name). I'm not sure if I'll get anything out of it, and I dont' care, but I was told that they will throw in a discount.

[pinoyup]

Keep a lookout for OLM.net's serveraday.com daily specials. I have a server with them that costs $29.95(USD) a month.

Specs:
Intel Celeron 2.0
512MB RAM
2x20GB HDD
2500GB Bandwidth
10mpbs port

Other cheap providers under $30.00 (USD) you might want to check out.

saidhost.com
corenetworks.net

Also, have a look at volumedrive.com (very popular here). They offer 10mps unmetered traffic.

Good luck hunting.

[Manacit]

For a Dedicated like you're looking for I would recommend corenetworks.net.
I just purchased one two days ago, and I have to say that I'm rather impressed for the $24.99/month that I'm paying. Their lowest priced server has a celeron 2.8 GHz, 512mb of ram and a 10mbit internet connection (with 1 TB of bandwidth).
Setup happened in about 36 hours, and I was presented with their IP KVM and the media that I requested was mounted. All of my support tickets were answered in under 20 minutes, and I've been able to get everything promised out of the server. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a low cost server

[portalgod]

Those corenetworks systems always looked attractive, but they've got a hefty $69.00 setup fee even for the lowest budget dedicated package. If you're looking to be in business with them for the long haul, this shouldn't be an issue though.