helpful advice of building a server

[Lost Soul]

hi im trying to research my latest project and im toying with the ideal of building a high end sever to do a few various things,,

my questions are:

how many things can i have a server do at the same time with out lag ?

whats your ideal of the best os to run in a high end server ?

dream parts ?

whats the best way to set one up?

,,, other questions are

if i dont build a buy..

what should i look for in a server..

once again pls remember im still trying to research the information that i need, and right now i only have thoughts and beliefs no actual facts on what is what..

thanks

[Lost Soul]

any body know of any ebooks or tuts on setting up a web server,,, the hard ware is cut and dry,

[dman]

Are you planning on using IIS (MS Web server), or Apache?. Or is that what you are asking?

[Lost Soul]

im not really sure i know what id like to have on a webserver,, like a forum to share hobbys/interests with a few websites for business and pleasure and a way to share files and even be able to stream video to selected few ,,, eg... family vids

any ideals ?

im kinda interested in going the ms server 2003 way,, so any ideals,, or do you know of a better way,, any advice would be very appreciated..

i was thinking of building a dual xeon based server,, for these needs because of the streaming part but im thinking if im not using it as a gaming server maybe thats too much..

any ways if you know of any guides for setting one up,, that would be kool

thanks

[dman]

I'm a little confused with what you are asking. Do you want to know how to set up the webserver itself, or how to create content for it? Even if you make your own server and set up web server on it you will need to register a domain name and have some type of dedicated (expensive) connection for others to access it. Probably cheaper to get a hosting company. I use GlobeDomain. Paid $10 to register domain for year and 4.95 per year for 100MB with 1GB/Month bandwidth. 1GB is low if you want streaming, but there are plenty of other plans that include more that would still be way cheaper than a dedicated connection.

[Lost Soul]

well yes that would be a cheaper way to go,, but i dont really want to go through the hassle of always uploading the ftp way,, id like to have more control over the desired things, so setting up a home based web server,, is really wahat gets my facination up,, i know it can be pricey and time consuming,, i was thinking of running a business package line through road runner,, sound bad ? or do you still think im better off using a online server,, and btw i already own a domain name and have been paying on it for a few years now,, and now im just thinking out ways to have and run my own server..

ty you for your reply,, your advice is very helpful to me

[dman]

OK, you are willing to shell out for dedicated line. If you plan on uploading lots of large content to your server this will be easier to maintain, rather than uploading through your residential connection. For small files FTP is just as easy as moving files around local disk. Dont know anything about roadrunner.. you will have to price and decide.

That still leaves question... do you need help setting up webserver itself, or with creating content.

[Lost Soul]

well the content is easy for me since ive been programming web design for a few years now,, the thing id like more help in is setting it up,,

[dman]

What OS are you using now? win2k and XP Pro have IIS. Is easy to install from windows components. To set up basically all you need to do is go into Admin Tools/IIS. From menu create "New virtual folder" and point it at where you have your content. Set properties on the folders to "Execute" for any ASP scripts, php, etc. Thats about it. in browser type -http://127.0.0.1/<yourfolder>/<yourpage> and you will see your page.

After that you just need IP and connection for others to see it. domain name registered if you want them to access it with domain name.

EDIT: You can also access it with -http://<your computer name>/<yourfolder>/<yourpage>. This will allow any computer on local network to access.

[Lost Soul]

im useing xp pro

[Lost Soul]

do you think its better to dedicate a spare pc for this purpose,, so that it dosnt affect the daily tasks of a normal use of a pc

[dman]

For development is fine to run IIS on your main computer. If you go online and get a lot of traffic you will want a seperate box.

[Lost Soul]

thank you dman youve given me alot to think about, youve gave me new ideals to work around,, but can i ask you just 1 last question ?

you said in xp pro,, i can go here

Admin Tools/IIS

im afraid i cant find this on my pc but i do have pro

all i have is

Component Services

Data Sources (ODBC)

Local Security Policy

Services

Computer Management

Event Viewer

Performance

what do you suggest i do now ?

[trickytwista]

IIS is in add n remove programs/ windows components section...cheers

[Lost Soul]

thank you trickytwista for pointing that out i didnt know they had to be enabled/installed from the os disk it self , i thought it was automaticallly installed in the defaults.