whats involved in building a server.?

well i AM n00b at this stuff, but i do know that a server is BASICALLY a computer setup... what all is needed to build one? Do i need web-space? I have a P4 2.6GHz at my disposal... hehehe... and i was thinkin of building a server.....? if you could, please post the components needed and if i need to buy web-space to make it "functional"

thanks guys........ i love these forums!

heh i have a post about servers...

hehe the server is the webspace... when you buy webspace you are using someones server...

gee that helps a lot... lol. the title is whats involved in BUILDING a server... i'm pretty sure he knew what a server was but he wants to build his own. a server is basically a computer setup but with certain network things. i'm not an expert nor anybody who does anything with servers. i looked at this topic to find out.

-1cem4n

Basically a server is just a computer running a specialized OS. The components you need to build a very basic server are the same as any other PC, with the possible exception of a dedicated monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

The realistic specifications for a server really depend on its inteded use. Even a fairly dated PC could make a decent file server for a small home network, or a web server for a small website. It is fairly easy to make a webserver, the easiest and cheapest way would be using a Linux distro and Apache (most distro's come with it). Then all you need to do is setup the webserver software, Apache, and make your website. Of course you also need to sit down and learn all about the security issues involved in running a publically available computer.

The tricky part comes with your ISP. Many don't appreciate you hosting a website unless you pay more money for some sort of acount that allows it. You will then need to pay for a domain name so people can find your website without needing to type in the IP address. This is a fairly small fee paid yearly to a registry service to make sure nobody else can use your name.

dude i answered his"do i need webspace" question...
whats your problem, you dont need to reem me out for not answering his whole question.

geestring said:

dude i answered his"do i need webspace" question...
whats your problem, you dont need to reem me out for not answering his whole question.

Click to expand...

actually, you didnt answer my quetion at all..... i want to build a server, not use someone else's. and i dont know if he "reemed" you or not... dont take things like corrections like an *** beating! lol

A server is a computer that serves things.

So... What do you want it to serve? Files, printers, media, email, databases, websites, games...

Different types of servers will require vastly different hardware.

I have a file server to store my pictures and mp3s. It's just a Celeron 2.6 with a RAID 5 disc array.

JCLW said:

A server is a computer that serves things.

So... What do you want it to serve? Files, printers, media, email, databases, websites, games...

Different types of servers will require vastly different hardware.

I have a file server to store my pictures and mp3s. It's just a Celeron 2.6 with a RAID 5 disc array.

Click to expand...

probably files and what-not... music i do some movie stuff (CS:S movies for my clan) all kinds of stuff, really... so basically, i just build a computer with no mouse, keyboard, or monitor? how do i use it? network? im soooo n00b lol

Do you actually need a server?

Welcome to the forums.

I agree with 9mm'. If you're not too sure what sort of server you need, are you sure you need one at all? How many PCs on your network? And how often do you think, "Hey, I wish I could put these files somewhere shared so everyone can get them while not lagging the PC with them on that's trying to play UT:2003!" or similar?

i said the server is the webspace... and you want to build a server....

i thought you could put those statements together and get "you dont need webspace"

geestring said:

i said the server is the webspace... and you want to build a server....

i thought you could put those statements together and get "you dont need webspace"

Click to expand...

im not smart enough to make that connection....




and no, i dont actually NEED a server, but i was seeing alot of people on the forums that have their PC specs, and their server as well.... monkey see, monkey doo eh?

A webserver and file server are two different things. Now if you want to be able to share files over the web that throws a third server into the mix, an FTP server. All of them are just a computer running a specialized set of software that will allow connections that haven't been requested on certain ports. You can run them all form the same machine, especially if none of them are mission critical, or using mega resources.

If all you want is to host a website, and share some files between some friends and family than you don't need to get crazy with the computer specs. Allmost any decent computer would do, just like that P4 you mentioned having, if it is a spare computer. I wouldn't want to be running a server from my main rig for security reasons, and stabiliy/performance reasons.

As mentioned though you really need to find out if your ISP will allow you to host files using your current conection. If you can it is no problem to setup a server using Linux, which you can download everything you need for free.

As for how to get it up and running, that will depend a lot on your current network status. Just remember though that you would want it to have a static IP address. It will also depend on what type of server you set it up to be. The easiest way to go would just be to make it a normal Windows PC, that is always on and has some shared folders. Then you could map those folders as network drives on the other PCs in your network.

Of course that doesn't help if you want remote access. If you want remote access you will need to setup a webserver, for websites, in which case you would need to regster a domain name and have it linked to your ip address by a third party. If you want remote access to files you want to setup an FTP server.