Running own servers

[Louis LeBlanc]

On 12/21/04 11:12 PM, RL sat at the `puter and typed:
> <SNIP>
> 
> What's the most popular option? Is it buying a business DSL or T1
> service or is it to colocate it?  All of them are pricey. :(

That really depends on your desired level of service.  If you're
running servers for commercial purposes or even very ambitious
personal purposes, you may be happy with a hosting company.  They're
getting a lot more reasonable than static IPs.  Can't understand why
because they usually *provide* a static IP, often dedicated to your
account.

Someone I work with uses openhosting.com, and says they're pretty
good.  He runs a mail server and web server on a virtual Linux system
with its own IP.  He also does mail forwarding for an NPO and has a
few email accounts, mostly for friends.  Since it's a virtual system,
he essentially has root access and can install whatever software he
wants in his own 'system'.

I run a mail server with 4 family accounts, a webserver (currently
just the Apache test page) and Tomcat out of my own back room in my
apartment.  I never did anything overly fancy, no commercial stuff,
but at one point I did put up a few Apache Perl modules I wrote and
lots of family pics available only to those with a password.

Eventually I'll get around to doing some real fun stuff with it, but
until then, it's just that.  Maybe someday I'll break down and go with
a hosting company, but right now I'm perfectly happy with the setup I
have.

If you're going to be putting up commercial pages and driving traffic
to it, trust me, you want someone else bargaining for that bandwidth.
Your ISP will kick back *hard* if they see your bandwidth spike to
that degree.

As for the Colo, that's not really a "one man band" kind of option.
My employer has colocation services all over the planet, and they pay
quite a bit for it.  They're getting a good deal, but that's because
they pay for so many.  One system, or even a switch and a few systems
is going to cost a lot more.  You might as well get FTTP from Verizon
and go with a small addition to your house to host it.  It may cost a
little more than the colo in the short run, but in the long run, you
still have the addition.

Lou
-- 
Louis LeBlanc               FreeBSD at keyslapper.org
Fully Funded Hobbyist, KeySlapper Extrordinaire :)
http://www.keyslapper.org                     Ô¿Ô¬

Nirvana?  That's the place where the powers that be and their friends hang out.
    -- Zonker Harris