Hi All,

I want to run my own server. I want to have it for my personal use. Maybe I can host all of my sites. I actually have very few visitors probably 20 per day.

I have a good net connection at home.

I need to know the basics of running my own server.
I want to learn from it and i like to host on my own.

What softwares should I have? I dont have plans to run a commercial one. So please advice me on setting up my personal web server.

Thank you

Well, the first thing we need to know is weather or not your going to go with Linux/Unix based server or a Windows server...

As far as a Control Panel, here are some suggestions...

Linux/Unix

cPanel ( recommend ) or Plesk

Windows

Plesk or H-Sphere

If you want to know about server specs, then I need to know what platform your going with first ( Unix or Windows ).

Provide some more information and I'll be happy to comment and give you my opinion on more of it

If you are running your own server from home, then DONT bother with a control panel, a) you don't need one, b) you need familiarity with the Standard Operating System Environment if you are to run your server properly.

You'll need.

Windows 2000 Server / 2003 Server (Web Edition/Standard Edition)
OR
a Linux variant. (I'm not an expert can't advise)

Windows ships with Web/FTP/SMTP Server Software, its called IIS (Internet Information Server) Its sweet, but when running windows be sure to enable Auto Updates and ensure the latest service pack is applied.

Windows 2003 also includes the Microsoft Mail Component which gives you a POP3/SMTP Mail server...

For Linux you can get the Apache web server which is very reliable, its free.
Again ensure you have the latest build of both your chosen Linux variant and Apache that you have all the latest security fixes installed.

Get an Antivirus Product ensure it stays up to date.

Get a firewall. Block traffic to all ports where you don't have services running.
(You may be able to do this at your Router if it is NAPT enabled.)
I would also recommend you configure your router to ignore ICMP Ping requests from the outside world.

Ensure any services/software running on open Internet Ports are fully patched and up to date.

If you are running a mail server be sure to "Require Authentication" and "Ban Relaying", This prevents your mail server been used by spammers.

from what i hear... go with a unix based operating system.. faster and more reliable... but thats what i hear. if you want a control panel go with cpanel great very easy to use (i think so) yea good luck

Unix based Operating Systems tend to use fewer system resources so on a low-spec machine they will run faster, but we talking about running a Web Site, maybe a mail server. There will not be massive load on the machine and performance is NOT something you have to worry about.

Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 can host 20 sites without batting an eyelid! If we were talking about 200 sites gettings 10,000's of visitors a day with heavy load on backend databases, then you could start to notice a difference between Windows and Unix OS performance. But we are not in that territory.

Unix is no more reliable either, my Windows 2000 Web Server just completed 100% Uptime for the last 3 month period. Our last downtime incident was due to a problem with our upstream provider. Excluding fortnightly reboots, (it could go a month) we never have any downtime due to the server OS.

So again, Reliability is a no-brainer.

What is important is ease of use. Windows is very easy to use, Unix Variants are pretty simple too, but chances are you're already more familiar with Windows.

And don't gimme any of this Control Panel Nonsense, you don't need a control panel to run a Web Server with 20 sites from your home. Get hands on with the OS, Microsoft IIS is so damn easy its scary!

Control Panels are there to make administering web space easy for novice users, if you are a novice user then you shouldn't be trying to run your own server from home. (Hackers will eat you alive!) The only other use for Control Panels in is large hosting environments where you need automation. EG: Setting up new sites for new customers automatically. If we are talking about 20 sites then automation is hardly a necessity.

If you are serious about doing this right, then mark my words you need to get hands on the with the OS.

To give every respect to the thread owner, i think for 20 sites and little visitors, you'll be safe with a normal P3 or low end P4 server. My recommendation is go for something you're familiar with, and for myself i prefer *NIX if i'm you, since i'm all ready to learn something(i meant you). That's because since it's non profit and non commercial, i won't want to spend too much on the OS. Also, there's loads of opensource softwares and scripts if you want to enhance your website. Other than that, a modem/router cannot be a missed.

Back to UNIX / Windows fight, i think it's to each his own. Nothing covers every single aspect, and it's up to one to decide which one is more suitable. There has been reviews that Windows works better on Xeon than UNIX, and UNIX would work better on AMD Opteron than Windows. No doubt there's known loopholes and flaws in Windows machine often, but it's afterall a useful release.

So, make your decision wisely, consider every aspect accurately.

Hello,

With the low price of web hosting today, there is really no need run your own server at home. Just bargain a low storage and low bandwidth multi-hosting account with some hosting companies.

I agree with the first part of this statement, naley that with low cost web hosting there is really no need to run your own server at home. But if you want to do it, then why not give it a go.

There are advantages to using a bonefied web host, or even using colocation services. (Redundant Internet Connections / Networks, Data Back-up, Climate Contol, Fire suppression systems etc.)

But if you are curious, deteremined and keen to experiment, there very little reason not to give it a go. Apart from the risk of lost business due to downtime. That said with only 20 visitors a day, its not much of a risk.

No offence, but if you only recieve 20 visitors a day, your server could be offline for 72 minutes each day an you'd only inconvenice on average 1 of your visitors. This means provided your average uptime was in excess of a rather pittyful 95% your visitors would be unlikely to notice any downtime.
(Industry standard is 99.9% uptime.)

Another major consideration is your ISP. Most tend to block port 80 the default http port. You can get around this by running you web server on a different port. In both cases it will most likely be a violation of the TOS and you run the risk of having your service canceled.

Also my 2 cents on an OS- I would go w/ windows server 2003 due to its ease of use and ability to use remote desktop connection. The only hurdle is cost.You could also go w/ a dedicated server if it is in your price range.

If you do go the cPanel route, I'd suggest you get a server administrator as well. We use PlatinumServerManagement (Formerly known as FastServerManagement). It's only $29/mo for unlimited admin work and 24/7 support!

Go for Windows 2003 If u are using dynamic ip

Windows 2003 IIS is secure & fast .

Don't use MS Mail server (SMTP , POP) this can be easily hacked .
[ if i open smtp or pop port from firewall my server starts sending emails to unknowns]. Use 3rd party software like xmail.

Mcafee Antivirus , My SQL DB


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