server purchasing/management advice please

[ecookman]

My friends and I are looking to purchase maybe a VPS or a dedicated server for running a game server for a school club and for the Summer Company program. Since I am the only one who knows more than how to use word art on MS word and then being called a computer wiz... I was elected to do some research. Unfortunately I am completely lost in the ups and downs of the different types and what is required to manage the server, alough there is a lot of info on this stuff its not making much sence :X . Hopefully someone has experience and is willing/able to give me a quick for dummies version lol.

Really looking for:
Dedicated or VPS
host recommendations
hardware recommendations for the server [when purchasing it]
what software is required/knowledge for maintaining smooth operation

[Dan]

Maintaining a dedicated server for a large site can be a lot of work at times (e.g. when everything is breaking, doing software updates or during the initial set up).

I would recommend going with a *nix environment. It's cheaper in most cases (no licensing or software fees) and there is a lot of support for the common software components (Apache, MySQL, etc).

If you want to host a none static website you will need software for the web server and database management system (DBMS). A common pair is Apache and MySQL tho there are other free open source options to pick from. In a dedicated or VPS type deal, normally it is up to you to install theses and maintain them. Both Apache and MySQL have windows and *nix versions but it is more common to see production Apache/MySQL servers running in *nix. Windows servers normally run IIS and SQL Server (tho i would not recommend it).

For a game server it relay depends on what game. Is this a game you made? Does it support a *nix environment or a windows one? Does it require any other software packages?

As for VPS vs Dedicate, it relay depends on what kind of load you will have on it and the minimum resources you will need. VPS means you get full control on a virtual machine (VM) running on a host server that runs multiple other VMs for other customers. Dedicated means you get full control over the server and it's not virtualized. There are also additional options then VPS and dedicated, including co-location (you buy a server and rent space in a data center), cloud computing options (e.g. AWS) and shared hosting.

For hardware it relay depends on what Game and what load you are expecting on your website.

For knowledge i would recommend you know the following before getting a dedicated or VPS plan:

• Know how to use a SSH client.
  
• Know how to install, configure and run the web server software in your given environment.
  
• Know how to install, configure and run the DBMS in your given environment.
  
• Know how to setup and use a software firewall for your given environment.
  
• Have a plan for backing up your servers file system and database, including remote backups.
  
• If you plan to given any one else direct access to the server, know how to limit there access and what they can view.
  
• Know not to use FTP and how to use SCP or SFTP.
  
• Basic knowagle of how to use your command line environment of your choice.
  

And most importantly know how to look up and learn about anything you do not know and debug problems you run into. If your first though when you run into problems is to post on a forum or start asking others rather then to use google first you will not do well.

For the inexperienced with any of the above, your best bet is to go with shared or manged hosting. But if you are sure you want to go VPS or deadicated you may want to install the same enviorment you will have hosted on a local machine and try setting up all the same services first trhough a remote connection on your LAN (i.e. via SSH, etc). Once you get the deadicated server you are not going to have physical access to it, so try to do this with out looking at the local machines screen or using it's keyboard/mouse.


There are some other questions you should consider when you do pick a dedicated, or co located hosting plan:

• What happens if i need to reboot my server? Do i have to pay for each reboot? Is there a way to do it via a control panel? Do i have to contact sport and have them do it?
  
• What happens if my server does not come back online after a reboot? Do they have a IPKVM system? Do they have a live cd type system? Does it cost anything? Is it accessible via a control panel or do i need to contact support first? If it is a live cd type system, do i know enough to reinstall my os through it or recompile my kernel?
  
• How much support is offered? What happens if i have a hardware problem? What happens if i have a software problem? How much will the support cost? (Note very few if any dedicated hosts will help with software problems for free).
  
• How will backups work? Do they provide any kind of backup services or space? How much does it cost? Do i know enough to do remote backups safely and securely?
  
• How much will it cost? Am i paying monthly, yearly or on a contact? What kind of overage penalties are there for bandwidth? Is there a setup fee?
  
• Does this host allow me to run game X or service Y. (Note that many hosts disallow things like IRC).
  
• Where is there data center located? Is it close to my users? What unlink providers does the host use? Do many of my user's ISPs use the same ones? What kind of trace routes and pings do i get off there network?
  
• What country is the server going to be located in? Does this countries laws effect me or my users?
  

Edit: I should also point out that if this is just for a game server for a local group (e.g. a club) it may make more sence to buy a server/computer and host it locally then renting one in a data center.

[chrisbrown]

Amazon allows you to try their EC2 service freely for a year. Essentially, it allows you to run a virtual server on their hardware. Others here may have some contrasting opinions (especially after the recent downtime), but from my perspective, it's been a pleasure to use.

Dan's list of required skills still applies, as do most of the "other questions." My attraction is to the fact that you have full control over the machine, rather than whatever subset the host chooses to provide.

Even if you decide it's not right for this project, I'd recommend trying it out on your own time because it's free, powerful, and extensible. Besides, networking knowledge is a valuable asset.

[Dan]

A nice thing about AWS is that you could build a VM localy for xen, run it for some time as a local server intill everything is working right and you need to scale up and then bundel it for the cloud and upload it to S3 and run it on EC2.

If you want to go the cloud route, you may want to try playing with some *nix images in xen.

Tho be warned that AWS is not cheap in all cases after the free preriod runs out and that desinging applications and sites for the cloud has a diffrent set of issues and arachtuecral requirements then a trandional server based setups.

[ecookman]

Hm, looks like I have a lot of research to do :p Thanks for the advice.

[Amailer]

Im telling you, I'm in no way affiliated with the above poster just saying...

[md]

What post?