Hi I have a computer which I decided to make a server A Pentium 4 3.0Ghz, 512MB RAM, 2Mbps download, 80GB HDD, Linux Redhat and a static IP So I decided to make it a PHP and MySQL server with the ability to add extra users to use it, (a bit like a hosting company) Firstly, what else do I need to go online? Is there any free software around like plesk/cpanel that I can use for that job?
ispconfig, webmin, cubepanel lite ... and a whole lot more. 2Mbps download doesn't say much. It's the upload speed that matters when serving. I'm guessing you are using Apache - but there are also other web servers out there, that are free. You'll need something that stops brute-forcing, port scanning and general security.
Yes I am using Apache, becuase it pretty popular, so i guess it'll be easy to find security mods. My upload speed is 31 KB/sec, how do you rate that? Also how do I find what bandwidth do I have?
31KB isn't much. Just think if 10 people connect to your server - the theoretic high would be 3KB/s - Ask your self how satiesfied you would be if that was your average download speed... Mind you - it's fine for a testing environment, but you can't really use it to serve anything. The two serves I'm running currently are on 100 Mbit/s network switches... I would't consider going very much below 10Mbit/s. To find out how much bandwidth you have, just add it up. On 10Mbit/s you could push (max) 3TB - on 1, a tenth of that and so on... (100 = ~30TB). I wondering what you want to use it for - If you wouldn't mind sharing?
I am in the process of buying all the components now. So I was asking. I plan to use it host all my websites but also have a part which I am thinking of hireing to help cover the cost. But as you have said that I need atleast 10MbpS then I am starting to question the reality of it. If I get it up and running I don't mind sharing it. It's not going to be exactly a home computer though it will be very simmiler. Why do you say forget it?
The electric bill for keeping a home server running is probably more than getting a shared hosting account. Plus you'll save yourself a whole lotta headaches. If you want to learn, it'll work. If you want to run a small page for you and your friends, it'll work - but don't expect great results if you actually want traffic.
If I could add a couple of comments. If you follow through with building your own server, you will quickly discover you need more RAM. I like 2 GIGs, but 1 GIG is a much better starting point and does not cost a lot more than 512. Also, your ISP may not be cool with you running a server. Some block common server ports -- 80, 443 and 25 -- and require you to get a business account. To start out, you can get a similarly configured unmanaged VPS with more bandwitdh for USD$28 per month at TekTonic. Their entry level unmanaged VPS is $15.
Unmanaged means you need to handle the server and everything on it yourself... ie: Kernel upgrades, nameserver setup, reverse DNS, Apache and control panel setup ... more serious: ddos attack mitigation, apache connection handler, failover service and in- or out-bound spam mail... Fully managed means everything is handled for you. And if you have a problem someone will handle it. In between are semi-managed. In regards to RAM - it depends on what you are using your server for. If you want to host/serve static files 512 is fine - if it's complex and dynamic database calls 512 isn't. If you want a VPS and don't know anything about server management and security, I would suggest you look into management... but proper management is expensive. Also, try to figure out where people using your server are from, and find one with good ping times for both you and them.