Hosting a site on my own server?

BreadBoard

Could I host my own site on my own server? ie physically own/have the server in my home or a hosting company that I can share with no one?


/hope that makes sence...

aidan_walsh

You could host at home, but I'm pretty sure its against the T&Cs of many ISPs. A server doesn't have to be anything large or expensive - with the right software installed, any computer with a network connection can be a server.

You can also buy dedicated server space on your own machine with a hosting company. Most hosts offer this, so its only a case of finding the best deal and setup for you. Some will look after your server for you, some will only provide it a home leaving you to do all the setup and maintenence work yourself. Some offer both types.

What you really need to ask yourself is what are you looking to serve, and what kind of traffic\popularity are you expecting? Start small, you can always get more as and when you need it.

BreadBoard

Thanks Aidan. I'd rather go the hosting company route as apposed doing it from home, I want to do it right

I'm in contact with a hosting company atm, I'll see what they have to say about it.

Rollo Tamasi

Check out www.howtoforge.com for tutorials on how to setup your own server if you're interested in doing it from home.

you need a pc, linux, a router and a having a static IP is handy. If you don't have a fixed IP you can use services such as freedns and no-ip to sort that out.

steve-hosting36

You can always buy a server and colocate it in a datacentre. That way it's your box, but you dont have to worry about power, connectivity, etc.

CuLT

steve-hosting36 wrote:

You can always buy a server and colocate it in a datacentre. That way it's your box, but you dont have to worry about power, connectivity, etc.

This is the best option.

BreadBoard

steve-hosting36 wrote:

You can always buy a server and colocate it in a datacentre. That way it's your box, but you dont have to worry about power, connectivity, etc.

Yeah that sounds like what I'm after. How much are we talking in terms of the price of a server + hosting etc?

mneylon

BreadBoard wrote:

Yeah that sounds like what I'm after. How much are we talking in terms of the price of a server + hosting etc?

The hardware costs will vary depending on the spec and who you buy from.

Places to look:

http://www.dell.ie
http://www.ebay.ie

A lot will depend on what you want the server to do. I picked up a secondhand Compaq on eBay last year for about 200 euro It was a perfectly good little server until Dell's marketing team botched a special offer and I picked up a tasty piece of kit for a fraction of its normal price

Colo costs vary from provider to provider but you would probably find something for around the €99 / month mark give or take

Shop around

BreadBoard

@steve-hosting36

Is FastProvider.ie a reseller for Hosting365.com ?

steve-hosting36

We, of course, don't comment on our resellers.

BreadBoard

steve-hosting36 wrote:

What's that mean?

Sposs

colo is when you buy the server and then purchase server space in the cabinent of a data centre, giving you the benefits of having your server in a highly redundant data centre without the expense of also paying the hosting company for the hardware.

However the downfalls of colo are the fact you are then responsible for any hardware issues you have.

axer

BreadBoard wrote:

@steve-hosting36

Is FastProvider.ie a reseller for Hosting365.com ?

It seems to be webworld.ie IP space.

Hosting365 cannot comment on who is or who is not a reseller as that is their policy due to confidentiality.

I suggest using tools like those on www.dnsstuff.com to find out this information yourself.

BreadBoard

Thanks for all the replies. I've started a thread in Bargain Alerts looking for Server/Hosting, the link is in my sig.

Thanks again.