Hey siege, I'm probably a bit too late with this answer (I've just registered and its my first post
) and your webserver is probably up and running by now, but here are my comments anyway:
A few years ago I started exactly as you did, by installing a Linux distribution on a private low-end PC to use as mail- and webserver.
I chose debian and I am still fond of it.
I have documented all my steps in a personal readme-file which I later put on my website. If you are interested, here is the link:
http://www.chew.ch/leonard/software/debian/
The scratch-installation parts up to chapter 6 might be a bit old (most of it is still from the woody-release), but I have kept the later chapters up to date.
Quote:
I do not know linux commands
If you dont know linux-commands (I guess u mean shell-commands) it will probably not be easy, but I think it's worth learning. I have never installed any graphical stuff (at least not on my server), because the less stuff you have running, the more stable your system will be. I mostly configure my systems simply by using an ssh-shells (with PUTTy).
Quote:
I am interested in creating my own linux based web server from any old box sitting around
It is a good idea to set up a Linux server with an old PC just for the fun of it and to test the whole stuff, but
for productive purposes I strongly recommend to rent a virtual-server from a professional hoster.
Here are the reasons:
- You have a high availibility (e.g. no wife/children/mother being able to unplug your server. Yeah, you're laughing, but that happened to me! )
- You have a static IP-Address (e.g. no dynamic DNS-registration needed because of IP-change, and your IP is not blacklisted in RBL's)
- You do not have the same IP-Address as your server when surfing around the internet. (assuming that your home-server is behind the same router you are, any webmaster of sites you visit can reverse-lookup your IP address and, depending on your web-content on your server, get personal information)
- Depending on what your requirements are, a virtual server costs around 20euro per month, which is not much more than the electricity-costs of your server at home.
- A virtual server normally comes with two or three free ftp-backups and a working restore-button in the administrative-console .
- A hosted virtual server does not hinder you (due to the net-traffic) on your own PC when it is busy with up- and downloading stuff.
I have tried out three server-hosters myself (two virtual servers and one dedicated server. All from Germany) and of what I know, I recommend:
http://www.hosteurope.de/
(this is also the only hoster I know of where you can quit your contract online)
Oh well, I guess I was blabbering too much already
.
Anyways, have fun!
Cheers!
- leonard
