Has anyone got any advice on whats needed to start of with a dedicated server I'm looking to purchase a hosting package and have no knowledge of managing a sever is there any good guides out there, also whats needed for protection... the fully managed servers are way to much $$$$$
Unless you 1) have the money or 2) have the admin skills, I would suggest staying away from the responsibility of a dedicated machine. Admins cost extra because the tasks they complete on the server for maintenance takes a high level of skill and training. What kind of site is it and what are the traffic levels