Buying Your Own Server

[florentin]

I have noticed that many website owners own their own server. Especially if the site is large.

What are some advantages of working like this?
Do you still have to pay hosting services to someone?

Thank you for your input.

[manojjonam10]

With the help of a network guide, you can probably create a network server for under $750.
Through this server, you will be able to share your high speed connection.

Run a Quake Server for LAN Games, and turn your server into a web/internet/ftp server using mostly free/cheap utilities.

[Michael]

We decide to use our own server because then we didn't have to worry about other hosts on a shared server complaining about our usage. It also gives us lots more power over what we are doing and unlimited visitors.

[florentin]

Michael, can you approximate the cost of:

- purchasing a server
- setting it up
- running it

what is the initial cost and the running cost later?

of course, I am talking approximate figures.

thanks

[Scott]

It's hard to say, that generally vaires from server to server; some are cheap to purchase and maintain/run others are very expensive.

[johnmeloche]

Originally Posted by florentin

I have noticed that many website owners own their own server. Especially if the site is large.

What are some advantages of working like this?
Do you still have to pay hosting services to someone?

Thank you for your input.

Hi, my suggestion for someone starting with their own server would be a managed solution. Basically that means that you would have complete access to the root of the server so you can manage all your accounts, however a hosting management company would manage any softwware updates and problems that you might have.

A good server to start would most likely cost you about $250 a month typically with some sort of setup charge. That would most likely be suffient to get you going.

The capabilities you would have with your own dedicated server are vast. You can host not only your own websites, but also all your buddies (like I do). You only pay the monthly fee unless you stock up on SSL certificates or any special backup packages.

Some points to consider when looking for a managed dedicated server would be...

• DONT JUST TAKE A SERVER BECAUSE IT'S CHEAP! (Sometimes webhosts will offer Virtual Servers whicch is still shared hosting, because it's cheap!
• Is the company reputable? (If you cant find reviews on the company off their website, you may consider someone who has a good reputation.
• Are you their only customer? (make sure the server is on a reliable network and not parked in someones basement.)
• Where is the server located? (If you're website is targeted to a specific country, you would want to have a server located within that country so you get a country specific IP address. Example: If your porduct is to target Canadians, you may consider a server in Canada with a Canadian IP address. This will help you with Google Ranking)
• Does the company offer email and phone support? (If you cant reach anyone over the phone. DONT DO IT!)
• Choose your programming language. If you're a fan of PHP coding, I suggest linux. If you're a Flash Guru, I suggest Windows Server.)

Remember, a server is not a month long comitment. Because of all the hard work it takes to setup servers,consider it an investment and long term comitment. That's all the more reason to investigate the best service provider.

Always be sure to backup your server on a regular basis. Many servers offer regular backups. But unless you have RAID Harddrives I sugggest backing everything up on a 3rd parties seperate server, maybe even using a company like E-Vault which does daily backups for you.

I personally host all my dedicated servers thru RebelNetworks.com - They have been there for me whenever I need them for the past 5 years.

You'll know when you need a dedicated server when your hosting starts costing you too much money and you have to continue to keeep upgrading, or if you start to run websiites or applications that are dependant on reliable networks. Remember... on shared hosting servers, you can never be 100% safe.

I hope this was useful, good luck!