Operating a server, benefits and pitfall

sebastianj

Dear all,
How does one go about operating his own server? I am told that the machine comes readily set up with license etc. Then what and what are the limitations? I have a broadband connection will that suffice? Regarding traffic, will the service provider object to high volume?
Mainly the server will provide information to public, will a 4TB server be enough.
So many questions, I am hoping that there will not be any ongoing costs apart from paying for the link, all your help most appreciated.
seb

timbim_2

You probably don't want to try to host a website on a local server. Once you've paid for the broadband connection to allow all the hosting requirements, you'd probably be better off getting a hosting package elsewhere.

sebastianj

Thanks TimBimm
I already have Broadband, are there any specific Hosting requirements?
seb

BillScarab

sebastianj wrote: »

Dear all,
How does one go about operating his own server? I am told that the machine comes readily set up with license etc. Then what and what are the limitations? I have a broadband connection will that suffice? Regarding traffic, will the service provider object to high volume?
Mainly the server will provide information to public, will a 4TB server be enough.
So many questions, I am hoping that there will not be any ongoing costs apart from paying for the link, all your help most appreciated.
seb

What are you planning on hosting? Most broadband connections are limited to residential use only in the terms and conditions. You may need to look at business packages.

Personally I think it would be cheaper and more effective to get a hosting package from someone.

I don't understand what you mean by the bit in bold, do you mean 4TB of disk space? Without knowing what you're planning to host no-one can answer the question.

omen666

You need to give fr far more information than you already have for anyone to give a definitive answer.

RobTang

You can not run a web server off a consumer broadband connection.
1. its probably against their T&Cs
2. its not fast enough, even the 7mbit uploads (100mb dls) I have here isn't really fast enough, its not designed for that sort of traffic.

dedicated lines designed for this type of traffic are in the hundreds per month.

The best option is co-location where you stick your server in someone elses datacenter, obviously that has inherent costs.

not to mention proper servers arn't cheap, and you'll have to support and manage it yourself.

It really boils down to how much traffic your expection and how much computing power and hdd space your website needs to run.

Unless your currently hiring a whole server or a large VM I really wouldn't consider it as its not worth the time effort or money

sebastianj

Thanks Billscarab, Omen666 and RobTang,
Well that seems to put a lid on another fine idea I had. Problem I face is that I cannot be sure of traffic, if it fails then I have wasted money, if it is successful then having my own server can have some advantage. Getting a third party server is locking into a contract and the small prints can have you forever.

Providing a service to businesses as well as getting business from the public was the aim.
seb

Dime_Bar

Don't be put of by what has been said just think about them.

It is very hard to say without knowing at least some broad outline of what service you wish to provide.

Are you already up an running with a webhost? if so are you hitting problems with the site being on their server? if not and you just think it would be nice then it is really not worth it. If you are unsure what the benefits would be then you could sign up to a VPS (there are plenty with 30 day contracts) and see if you can deal with it and see the advantages. If you want even less of a commitment but want to try then look at Amazon AWS EC2 service, they bill by the hour and whilst it can work out expensive for long periods (although they have a lightning fast connection) they are fantastic for testing purposes.

I would reiterate what thee others said about hosting on a standard Broadband connection, it is not suitable for anything other than the most basic and unvisited site.

Give more info and I will look again.

PS RobTang what kinda connection do you have, are you in the UK?

RobTang

unless you need a very special setup there are very little advangates to running your own sever,

All decent webhosts only have 1 month notice periods even on dedicated servers, (maybe 3 if you go for the cheapest server or there is some funny special offer) but really dont see it as an obsticle.

Dont forget that your own server is at a minimum an £500-£600 hit.

I believe my connection is co-axial cable to a fibre backbone, no dont live in the uk anymore (Zürich) although theres really no reason why virgin media cant roll out a 100mbit service and they are planning a 200mbit service.

bazster

Hosting is ridiculously cheap and is the way to go.

It would be madness to buy your own server when, as you say, you don't know what traffic to expect. Your plan has an inherent contradiction anyway: if you get enough traffic to justify a dedicated server, a domestic broadband connection will absolutely not be able to handle it. Conversely, if you get a small enough dribble of traffic for a domestic broadband connection to handle, then the server will be a complete waste of money.

Remember, the "A" in "ADSL" stands for "Asymmetric", which means that an ordinary broadband connection is fast coming into your home (which is what you need for surfing the web), but is dog slow going out (which is what you need for running a web server).