In-House Server Considerations

For small Web sites without a great deal of database activity and where "hot standby" hardware isn't a great need, a basic desktop system will work fine. www.linuxhomenetworking.com, which was the inspiration for this book, receives more than half a million page views per month and runs on a 1GHz Intel Celeron with 1GB of RAM. A secondhand PC is adequate in this case.

Purpose-built Web servers tend to use multiple CPUs, dual redundant power supplies, high-speed redundant SCSI disks that can be replaced while the system is running without affecting performance, special error-correcting ECC RAM, multiple PCI buses, special built-in diagnostic tools, and slim-line cases only a few inches high. They cost significantly more, but you pay for the peace of mind when your only source of income is your Web site.

Try to have a dedicated area for your server that's clean, cool, and dry, and that uses UPS-protected power. Label all your cables at both ends and try to create an updated network diagram that you can show anyone who will provide you assistance.

Another good idea is to color-code your cables. Some companies use one color for networks using private IP addresses and another for Internet-facing networks; others use one color for straight-through and another for crossover cables.

Wireless technology for a home-based Web site can be extremely convenient. You can place your small wireless router near your DSL/cable modem and the server anywhere in the house. In my little lab, I have one server behind a bookcase, another behind the TV, one under a bed, and a couple around my desk. When you live in an apartment, there may be no other choice, but the risk is that a book falling behind a bookcase or a bounce from a vacuum cleaner could take your site off the air.

Selecting an Internet connection for your Web site is not as easy as it seems. There are many data circuit technologies such as cable modem, DSL, and wireless links, but they may not be available in your area or the installation times may not be acceptable. High-speed links are usually marketed to businesses and their cost per megabyte of data transfer is usually higher because the service may be combined with data center space, be more reliable, offer more bandwidth, and provide better customer support. Some technologies, such as T1 links, can optionally provide a dedicated circuit between two locations external to the Internet, but the service also has a per kilometer monthly distance charge.

DSL and wireless services are sometimes asymetrical, in that the incoming downstream data rate from the Internet is different than the reverse outgoing upstream speed. You should be most concerned about upstream speed for your Web site to the Internet. Inbound Web browser queries don't use a lot of data bandwidth, but the Web pages that contain the outbound replies do. Internet service providers (ISPs) provide asymmetric services for residential users and the downstream rate is almost always higher than the upstream. They reserve symmetrical data circuits for businesses that usually need high bandwidth to both surf the Web and serve Web pages. The ISP will usually provide the business with a fixed range of Internet addresses as part of the service; residential customers usually get a dynamic address allocation. This can have an impact on your Web site preparation and will be discussed in more detail in later chapters.

Another source of concern would be deciding on the operating system to use. A popular one is Windows, which may be the only product your Web or business application will work with and with which your staff is most familiar. These issues are becoming less important as software vendors are increasingly porting their applications to Linux, an increasingly strong rival to Windows, which also has a lower overall total cost of ownership, especially for smaller companies.

This book focuses on Fedora Linux with some references to Red Hat Linux, its popular corporate cousin. What's the difference? Until Version 9, Red Hat Linux was a free product. The company then decided to create enterprise and desktop versions that had paid service contracts bundled with them, and these maintained the Red Hat brand. At the same time Red Hat decided to create Fedora Linux as a support-free product with an aggressive development cycle, which is generally unsuitable for businesses that often require more stability and support. New versions of Fedora are released every six months. Though the original applications may be developed by volunteers, the Fedora versions are maintained by Red Hat. Once Fedora updates are provenstable, they are incorporated into the Red Hat Linux releases, which are updated every 1218 months. Constant communication between Red Hat and the developers help to keep the updates synchronized.

I chose Fedora because it's free. You don't have to get a purchase order to play with Fedora. When you become comfortable with it and have proven the concept to yourself, your peers, and management, you can then consider the more stable Red Hat equivalent.

I also chose Fedora Linux because it's popular and it's the Linux flavor I've worked with most frequently at home and at work. This may not be the one suitable for you, and other Linux distributions should also be considered.