Web Host Chat - View Single Post

JamesSykes · 4th April 2008

It's not as difficult as Jamies post makes out!

1. Find a supplier on these forums. There are plenty offering racks at a decent price. Most will allow unescorted access to your dedicated rack. You can even pickup lockable quarter racks if you want to start small! They will provide the bandwidth and the IP's.

2. Buy a switch and a firewall (recommended!) and take them to your rack and plug them in, configure them using the details they have provided to you. (Some suppliers will offer managed firewalls for a fee if you don't know how to manage one)

3. Buy some decent servers. If you live far away and your servers are important then buy some spares, even better keep a whole spare server on tap to cannibalise if needed. Some suppliers have staff on-site 24/7 and will be able to help you out in a pickle. This can cost £40-100/hour but when it's 4am and your stuff is down...it's a small price to pay. You can also look at IP/KVM sollutions or HP ILO/ DELL DRAC which will enable you to troubleshoot/fix/reinstall servers remotely.

4. Plug them in, set the IPs and away you go!

The biggest part of going the colocation route is the responsibility. Everything is now in your hands and that can be a good thing and a bad thing! If you understand the network side of things and are capable of maintaining a server online then you shouldnt have a problem. Buy decent hardware and choose your suppliers carefully and they will help you along your way and be a vital asset!

Good luck

4th April 2008	#8 (permalink)
JamesSykes I am Staff at Mooharr About My Company! Certified Host Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 1,707	It's not as difficult as Jamies post makes out! 1. Find a supplier on these forums. There are plenty offering racks at a decent price. Most will allow unescorted access to your dedicated rack. You can even pickup lockable quarter racks if you want to start small! They will provide the bandwidth and the IP's. 2. Buy a switch and a firewall (recommended!) and take them to your rack and plug them in, configure them using the details they have provided to you. (Some suppliers will offer managed firewalls for a fee if you don't know how to manage one) 3. Buy some decent servers. If you live far away and your servers are important then buy some spares, even better keep a whole spare server on tap to cannibalise if needed. Some suppliers have staff on-site 24/7 and will be able to help you out in a pickle. This can cost £40-100/hour but when it's 4am and your stuff is down...it's a small price to pay. You can also look at IP/KVM sollutions or HP ILO/ DELL DRAC which will enable you to troubleshoot/fix/reinstall servers remotely. 4. Plug them in, set the IPs and away you go! The biggest part of going the colocation route is the responsibility. Everything is now in your hands and that can be a good thing and a bad thing! If you understand the network side of things and are capable of maintaining a server online then you shouldnt have a problem. Buy decent hardware and choose your suppliers carefully and they will help you along your way and be a vital asset! Good luck __________________ Mooharr E-Mail Hosting Services These are not my views and i cannot be held accountable for anything he says. __________________ Web Host - VIP Member