Wanting to build my own server....?

Question

i need help.. please explain things such as domains and how to build a server step by step. I want to host big files therefore i bought a cpu with 2500GB.. please help so what do i need to buy.. should i buy domains im totally new.. im interested in learning.. if theres a site can you please send it to me..

Answer 1

Running your own server is really very complex and very simple. There are many considerations.

If you want it only for your own local use you can use just about any computer you want. You just need to load server software like Apache, MySql, PHP these are available for both Windows and Linux. There are installers to "automate" the process for either opertaing system. Just run one and setup your server.
(search for WAMP or LAMP installations)
If you want a domain name on a private server just make one up cause you are the only one that will use it.


If you are thinking of running a server for PUBLIC use there are many more items you have to consider.
1. Does your ISP allow this on your existing line. Many home DSL/Cable providers prohibit this in the terms of use.
2. Do you have enough bandwidth to allow this to work for many users. A home DSL/Cable line will not do,, you need more outbound/upload bandwidth than most provide.
3. You need to load your server with enough MEMORY as well as processing power (generally 1-2 gig ram min)
4. The hard drive space and type become an issue because the server will have multiple users and be making multiple requests all at the same time. Most commercial servers use Raid / SCSI or SATAII drives for this.
5. Do you have battery power backup -- you dont want the server going offline because of a power failure.
6. What type of security software and monitoring software are you going to use? This is a major issue since your server will be directly exposed to the internet and everyone will have access!
7. Do you plan to "host" more than one site? If the site is just one domain then you can get buy with less management interface. If it is for mulitple sites you need software that allows you to manage those easily.
8. You will need to register domain names with an ICANN registry and will need to setup Domain Name servers for your sites. You can use the same system for your domain name server but the best practice is to use seperate servers in seperate locations for those.

Basically I am telling you that for hosting LIVE sites.. you should consider out source for your server.

Either with a dedicated server in a data center or a shared reseller server in a data center. This puts the burden of bandwidth, power, etc on someone else and lets you attend to other than server administration work.

Answer 2

You we need to install web server software on it, such as Windows Server 2003. Then you need to configure IIS and get yourself a static IP or dynamic address. I'd personally sign up for a hosting package, even a small one, just to get experience of how it works. A lot of companies even offer unlimited hosting for a relatively good price, so it may be more cost-effective, on both time and money.

Best of luck.

Answer 3

Got to do it somewhere big.