using an old PC of mine as a web server

acharris · 23 Feb 2008 at 00:21

Hi all, I need some advice. I am looking to run a web server to host my web site on an old Gateway PIII 700 Mhz with 512 Mb ram I think. I will have to put an HDD drive in and maybe some more RAM.

I want to use this PC as it is a low watt PSU and the good thing is the CPU is not cooled using a fan, it is using an platic vent type thing to take the heat from the CPU and exhaust it. It virtually runs silent, which would be ideal to chuck in my wardrobe maybe and run 24/7.

Would this be OK if I used a flavour of Linux to run the web server. Any ideas added to above would be most appreciated. Also does it work out much cheaper than paying an hosting company to host the site for me?? Thanks.

Anthony

Adz · 23 Feb 2008 at 00:38

Cost of webhosting service = £15/year (or thereabouts)
Cost of running a PC 24x7 = vastly more than that (or thereabouts)

Not to mention that your upload speed on your broadband will be tiny and therefore your site will be seriously slow with more than a couple of users online.

Not worth the effort

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Daegan · 23 Feb 2008 at 00:46

A basic shared hosting package for £3 a month, with a free domain name, proper DNS management, email and all the features you'd need, running on a real webserver in a real data centre. Or a PC from the last millienium, tucked away in your wardrobe and hooked up to your consumer broadband connection. You decide

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mynsa · 23 Feb 2008 at 10:31

Adz said:
Cost of webhosting service = £15/year (or thereabouts)
Cost of running a PC 24x7 = vastly more than that (or thereabouts)

Not to mention that your upload speed on your broadband will be tiny and therefore your site will be seriously slow with more than a couple of users online.

Not worth the effort .

but he might want to learn about linux / servers?

agreed its not the best option for someone who isnt sure about what they are doing, to throw a webserver on the internet which isnt configured properly would be stupid, but at least his knowledge of the subject will develop.

with a hosted solution you dont learn anything really, its all done for you but with his own solution he will learn a lot...

if this is a companies website who want to trade / operate online, then hosting it yourself on a home connection would be suicidal for the company, and yourself - especially as you sound unsure, therefore probably unsure in configuring the server etc etc

Adz · 23 Feb 2008 at 11:01

Fair point, mynsa. Although, if he wants to learn about running a web server, he would be better off with a ~£10/month full root VDS service instead. Far cheaper than running a server from his bedroom with a full 100mbit burst to the internet

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mynsa · 23 Feb 2008 at 11:32

Adz said:
Fair point, mynsa. Although, if he wants to learn about running a web server, he would be better off with a ~£10/month full root VDS service instead. Far cheaper than running a server from his bedroom with a full 100mbit burst to the internet .

obviously

but a 100mbit link to the bedroom isnt going to happen in the real world

he could stick vmware on his desktop and run linux off that though, it all depends on what you want to achieve by hosting your own website!!

Adz · 23 Feb 2008 at 11:35

Sorry, I didn't word that reply properly. I meant to say

"cheaper than hosting it in his bedroom AND he has a full 100mbit burst"

acharris · 23 Feb 2008 at 12:50

Thanks all for the replies. Yes, I would like to learn to set up a server, but I was looking around to be honest cause I haven't been able to find a web hosting company which is as cheap as £3 - £10 per month with e-mail and domain name, so if anyone can advise some companies then it would be a lot easier for me when I upload the site.

Thanks again.

Anthony