Fun with servers and stuff

[shadowarmy75]

I"m going to make a website and I need to know a few things before I start, this may not be the best place but I think you all are knowledgeable and can give me at least some direction. First off, I'm going to use godaddy since they seem to be the best deal. I am wondering though, what are the advantages of getting a virtual dedicated server instead of just regular web hosting and what's the advantage of a dedicated server over virtual? Next point is platform, I'm thinking of Linux but I use Windows primarily and I know Windows isn't the best place to code programs in but web sites are alright I'm guessing. Also, if any of you know html really good, PM me because I'll be needing one.

[spartan_phalanx]

Godaddy is a decent place to start, cheap and you get a fair amount of tools to work with. Anything beyond a basic site will probably need a more dedicated host.

As for a dedicated server you really won't need this right now as it's fairly expensive and requires you to know a fair bit about servers. Dedicated also means you don't share the server with 100's of other people (faster among other things).

I'm partial to Windows/ASP but most more experienced individuals will likely recommend Linux/PHP. I think ASP is a tad bit easier to work with starting out but PHP isn't all that bad either.

I'm sure Simetrical will be along and can shed some light on the whole deal and he knows much more about it than probably anyone else here.

I have a bit of html/ASP knowledge and have built a handful of sites, sadly none of which are completed (one that makes a bit of cash flow). I have lost interest in the field for the time being and I'm not sure if I will get back into it anytime soon. I might be able to help if no one else offers.:hmmm:

[Simetrical]

First off, I'm going to use godaddy since they seem to be the best deal.

Might be. I haven't had any need to look at low-end hosting.

I am wondering though, what are the advantages of getting a virtual dedicated server instead of just regular web hosting and what's the advantage of a dedicated server over virtual?

A dedicated server allows you to do absolutely anything you want. It's completely reliable, because you don't have possibly hundreds of other accounts possibly causing load spikes. The only limitation present will typically be a bandwidth restriction. Dedicated servers provide the best performance, and are necessary for high-traffic sites. TWC is run on a dedicated server.

A virtual dedicated server has many of the advantages of a dedicated server. You have, for most purposes, root access to the system, except for the slight detail that you aren't the only one using the hardware. You can still install any programs you like. It's not much different from a slow dedicated server in most respects.

Shared hosting generally means you have access to upload files (including Web-accessible scripts) and you get a front-end to deal with databases. In general, you don't get shell access, and certainly not root access. You don't get to choose what software is installed on the system ― for instance, what version of Apache, PHP, MySQL, or equivalents for non-LAMP servers. You can't install additional packages like ImageMagick or not-really-Web things like version control systems or FTP servers. In many cases, the installed versions of software are quite outdated. Shared hosting is suitable when you can't justify the cost of better hosting.

Next point is platform, I'm thinking of Linux but I use Windows primarily and I know Windows isn't the best place to code programs in but web sites are alright I'm guessing.

Linux is superior in a number of respects. It's cheaper (in fact free), and it's generally regarded as more stable. It's certainly more customizable. The software available for it as far as Web serving goes is considered equivalent or superior to Windows services. A solid majority of Web servers run on Linux. This includes most if not all servers run by Google, Wikipedia, Amazon, Yahoo!, etc., and even some of the machines that serve Microsoft websites, last I heard (since they contract with Akamai for reverse proxying, and Akamai uses Linux). TWC runs on Linux.

Generally, for shared hosting, you have to go out of your way to get anything other than Linux installed on it (but some hosts do provide Windows service, for those who want to run ASP scripts). For VPS or dedicated, you can typically take your pick. In that case, I would recommend some 64-bit version of Linux 2.6. TWC uses RHEL 5 x64, but any current version of Linux should be fine, 64-bit preferable.

Also, if any of you know html really good, PM me because I'll be needing one.

You might want to try posting your questions here in the Basement. I and others will probably be able to help you.

I'm partial to Windows/ASP but most more experienced individuals will likely recommend Linux/PHP. I think ASP is a tad bit easier to work with starting out but PHP isn't all that bad either.

Personally I hate PHP, and I'm far from alone there. I've never tried ASP, for reasons that should be obvious to those who read many of my posts in this forum, but doubtless it is in fact better. However, if you're the one writing the code, PHP is hardly your only option on Linux, unless you want it to be widely usable on shared hosts and so on (and then ASP is no good either). I have a particular fondness for Python, but Perl is very well-supported as well, and it's not too hard to set up Ruby or ColdFusion, say. You could even go for something really off-the-wall if you liked it enough: the software used to generate math images on Wikipedia is written in a language called Objective Caml.

[shadowarmy75]

You might want to try posting your questions here in the Basement. I and others will probably be able to help you.

I'm going to be coding a rather large site plus it'll need to be maintained, so I'd rather hire someone for convince sake.

[GrnEyedDvl]

Most of what Sim said is good advice. If you are just starting out dont go for a dedicated server as you will likely just be wasting your money. When you get to the point that your shared hosting can no longer keep up with your website then start taking a look at dedicated hosting, but thts going to be a few hundred a month.

There are several open source website packages out there with forums and skins and all kinds of stuff. Most of them run on PHP and Apache (Linux) but you can find some ASP ones out there if you are really wanting to use Windows. I tested about 30 of them before I picked the one I am currently using.

In my opinion the best one out there is Simple Machines with the Tiny Portal add on. You dont have to be good with code to get this up and running, or even to do regular maintenance. There are all kinds of add-ons and mods for it, and skins too, as well as instructions about how to create your own add-ons and skins. There are also several thousand sites you can visit to see the various ways it can be set up, and dozens of them give everyone admin access to change stuff around.

My site for the Mod Squad runs on shared hosting, and the site runs great other than a DNS issue they had last week. You can get shared hosting with tons of bandwidth and storage, mine is 300 gigs of storage and 3 terrabytes ot transfer monthly, I dont even come close to using it.