1
ViperSBT
Self hosting
  • 2005/4/19 22:11

  • ViperSBT

  • Just popping in

  • Posts: 88

  • Since: 2004/9/27


I'm running a small business and at its center is the website and web applications that I am developing. I am currently on a shared hosting plan, but can see the need in the next year to move to a virtual server or maybe even a dedicated server.

My question is, does it make more sense to go with a hosting company, or do it myself? I'm sure that I can get more of a server for the money than I will with a hosting company, but I have to take into account the connectivity to the web that the hosting company may have versus what I may be able to have for the price.

So, where is the point that I need to be thinking about hosting this myself versus a web-host?

2
surpass
Re: Self hosting
  • 2005/4/25 3:40

  • surpass

  • Just popping in

  • Posts: 29

  • Since: 2004/5/18


I think you should purchase a dedicated server with a hosting company first to see how things go, and to see what types of common issues arise.

Then after enough time has passed, you can go for colocation. This is usually when you send your own server that you have built or purchased, and they basically just keep it online and perform any reboots. You would be doing everything technical involved. That is how most colocation services work, but there are some that will also do support for you for a fee. Might as well keep their dedicated server plan if you'll be needing support.

If you tire of all of those options, then I personally do not have much info on hosting on your own. I think there is alot of peace of mind when you host with a company that already has a lot of experience in it, and that is probably the biggest advantage.

3
JMorris
Re: Self hosting
  • 2005/4/25 4:33

  • JMorris

  • XOOPS is my life!

  • Posts: 2722

  • Since: 2004/4/11


Unfortunately, there is no one cut and dry answer to your question. There are numerous factors that you must take into consideration whe weighing the cost of hosted services versus setting up your own server. Here are a few to take into account:

What type/speed connection do you have at your disposal?

What redundancy do you have?

How experienced are you in administering a server (Windows or Linux)? This is a multi-part question meaning... Have you ever setup a web server? Have you ever configured a database server? What do you know about hardening an OS?

Do you have a router to segment your network and provide a first line of defense? I'm not talking a el-cheap-o Linksys router here. Think Cisco 2500+ with Cisco IOS 12.x.

How will you handle backups? RAID 0,1,5? Off-site? Tape? NAS?

What disaster recovery measures can you implement?

Do you have an IDS? etc, etc, etc....

As you can easily see, administering a web server is a LOT more than slapping Apache on some spare workstation and setting up MySQL. There are a lot of nasty people out there that love to prey on unexperienced admins.

If you are knowledable, you have the resources at your disposal, and you're not afraid to invest a bit of time in administering your setup, then yes, hosting yourself is the best way to go. However, if you answered no or "I don't know" to any of the above questions, you'd probably be better off paying for dedicated hosting.

Hope this helps.

4
m0nty
Re: Self hosting
  • 2005/4/25 5:01

  • m0nty

  • XOOPS is my life!

  • Posts: 3337

  • Since: 2003/10/24


and if ur thinking of it being a high traffic site, then you're gonna want at least a T1 connection. even that could get pushed to it's limits easily..

even T3's can get bottlenecked.. most datacenters have a direct link to a backbone running around 12,000Mbit..

you'd be better going dedicated server or even Colocation if u have ur own server and can afford it.. but they aren't cheap..

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