How to setup a webhost?.

[malay boy]

Hi guru's,
I'm seeing one thread on my hosting bussiness.And I just wondering how to go about doing it.
1) Do I need to buy server to host it ?.
2) where to buy the name i.e www.helphpux.com
3) or anything else to do.

I'm not planning to setup any bussiness but only for knowledge sake.

p/s: Sorry in advance if this thread are against any ITRC does and don't thingi list.

regards
mB

[Con O'Kelly · Accepted solution]

Hi mB

1. You can either host your own website or get a third party to host it. If hosting you're own, then yes you'll need a computer of some decription to host it (maybe an old HP-UX workstation or an intel box running Linux?). In very basic terms you need to install/configure apache, design your website and then connect your server to the internet (& secure it!!). The only issue is getting hold of a static IP address, not sure how easy this is (maybe you can do this through an ISP)You can then host multiple websites on the same computer using Virtual IP Addresses.

2. There's hundredes of sites where you can buy & register domain names. For example:
http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/index.jhtml;jsessionid=OR2VBJBA2EXMQCWLEALSFEQ?_requestid=1276466

If you're doing it for learning purposes, then its definitely worth doing it all yourself. You can get the whole thing up & running on your own network without having to worry about connecting to internet, registering names etc. Then if you're happy with it, go & spend the dollars to register the name etc.

I'm sure SEP will be able to provide plenty of advice if you get stuck along the way.

Cheers
Con

[Steven E. Protter]

Answers to your questions:

1) No, but you are better off owning the server. You can build one from older desktop pc's because the least expensive way to do this is Linux.

Hardware minimum:
Intel Processor, recommend 128 MB of RAM, the more the merrier.
Two large IDE disk drives, if you find scsi, again, have a good time, but this is the minimum. Set the drives up on different IDE channels. Hardware mirror is nice, but not a prerequisite.

You need a backup method. A CDR is good unless you host high disk volume sites.

1 NIC card minimum, make sure its supported by Linux. 2 is better.

UPS - you need power protection for 24 by 7 service.

2. The name. I bought my forbideen names at godaddy.com You can buy them almost anywhere now.

3. Anything else.

Lots.

Here are the basic software components you must install with dependencies.

Software mirroriing(varies from Linux to Linux)
apache httpd server 2.0 is better 1.3 is okay.

sendmail

openssh client and server
openssl server

BIND(named)
Bastille (To harden security)

iptables (firewall, you don't want to get hacked)


# not secure, but your users are not sophisticated, you can't force them to use sftp

ftp

telnet


This is on the fly, so there may be more.

4) Find a DSL or Cable provider that lets you host. You need a few IP addresses. You can try and fake out a residential provider, but they'll catch on and turn off your new budding business.

Learn following topics cold.

How to set up a BIND server. You need a DNS record for each site you host.

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Chroot-BIND-HOWTO.html

Learn virtual named hosting from:

http://httpd.apache.org

Know it cold. Practice it on a lan in your basement. Make sure it works.

The two keys to running the webhosting business is DNS and httpd

The next important area is sendmail. Your web users are going to want mail. You are going to need to know how to configure sendmail in your sleep.

http://www.sendmail.org

This is a start. Use this thread to address specific questions when you get started.

SEP

[Johnny Damtoft]

sendmail ??

Check this mail server: http://cr.yp.to/qmail.html