Website Hosting

[firefly2442 0]

OK. So my website has been offline for a long time. I was very excited to go to college because well... one it would be fun and different but also the fact that the college has a very fast connection. Now I learn that the ports are blocked and I can't do anything... great. So I send an email to the information services person and ask him very nicely whether it would be ok for me to host my website and whether or not it would be ok with the use guidelines and all that. I just got an email back from him saying that no, because the network is so clogged up and insufficient that I cannot host it. As he called it my, "game server"..... which it's NOT....so that's great.... real great. So now I have a couple options.

1. I say screw him and try to do it anyway... which may or may not work and I would probably get in trouble..... yeah. bad idea.

2. I buy a service that hosts websites... well... not great because I want complete control and want to learn linux and all of that.

3. I buy a DSL or Cable connection and have it in my room. Very expensive and so on but that would work I spose.

4. I try to get other people to host my projects, i.e. Sourceforge, um.... yeah, that's like the only one. And even then it has to be open source.

5. I wait awhile and get really friendly with all the computer science teachers and then maybe they let me have it. (long way down the road)... I even asked yesterday if there were any computer clubs or organizations... the answer..... "no".... great, just great. So I'm thinking about starting one... but that's for another topic.

SO! That's my problem. Any thoughts or suggestions? This is getting kinda long sorry. lol. I'm leaning towards number 3 but that's gonna be REALLY expensive when there's a network right here for me to use. And I don't want to bug the poor IS people. They're just trying to do their job but for pete's sake it's only a small server! Ack. Sorry, I'm just frustrated. Anyway, thanks for the help.

Edited September 3, 2003 by firefly2442

[Rocky 1,224]

I am not sure I understand the question.

You are looking for a host for your website.... where's the difficulty? Do you mean you want to serve applications from your site and the bandwidth would be excessive and costly?

[firefly2442 0]

I have the hardware and the "know how" to set it up and stuff. I just need the actual internet connection to make it work. Otherwise I have to rely on someone else to host it. Yes, cost is an issue. I guess there's no way to really get around that though....

Edited September 3, 2003 by firefly2442

[Chef-Scott 0]

Option 1: Do not even try it. They will shut you down, and may even boot you off the system competely.

Option 2: This is the only way to go. You can get a dedicated server for around $99 a month running pretty much any flavor of linux that you want to have (Value web comes to mind). Also add into that the domain registration for your site.

We pay $50 a month for the hosting for our site which we have had since 1992. As the old saying goes... "If you want to play, you have got to pay."

Option 3: Same as option 1. Both DSL and Cable do not allow for hosting of a web site other than the minimal space they give you for a "personal page". Read that as very low bandwidth, non-business.

Option 4: Not even worth thinking about.

Option 5: Is just plain funny.

[RooK 0]

I'd write back to the personel and tell them it's a web server, not a gaming server; i.e. all text and pictures, no high bandwidth items. You never know, you might get the go ahead. Network admins hate the pricks that run game servers. They suck up so much bandwidth it's unbelievable, not to mention ruining everyone elses connection.

Option 2: I went with ipaska.com and so far (a month) they've been fine and have good user ratings. I pay around $60 a year and get decent enough bandwidth, space and features to do what I want. It's definately an option and there is no reason in paying $99 a month for a dedicated server unless you are really really popular (ala GR.net). Most websites will do fine with around 5-10gb of bandwidth starting out, on a shared host with the features your require. You can upgrade your package later if you have to. It lacks the learning ability that comes with fumbling on your own PC, but it gets you up and running.

As for option 3... how can that be so? You're paying the company for the bandwidth/connection, why couldn't you run your own webserver off another box? It's no different than hosting a game of GR to play with a few friends. But as far as that goes, get DSL if you can. Cable is shared bandwidth and if you or someone else clogs up the lines with a server, the ISP might get complaints and that can lead to problems. Make sure it has a static ip as well (or changes only every few months), that way you can get a dns referer for a proper url.

Personally, I'd go for my answer to option 1, then use option 2 as backup.

[Specter 0]

Actually, in his situation, unless he has a friend that could host it for him and let him have complete control over a Linux box, #3 would be the way to go. His site isnt any bigger than a personal webspace - I get 25 MB to host my own pages with my service. I dont think he needs more than that from what I know about what he's trying to do. Yes, #3 costs money, but it is the only way he can have complete control, and host his site, since the campus wont let him. He can proly get a DSL package with personal webspace and decent bandwidth for the same price as paying a hosting place, where he cant have complete control over the OS as well as his web space.

If he has to go outside the college, and needs complete control, option 3 is the way for him to go.

[firefly2442 0]

Hey guys. Thanks for the input. Yeah, I checked out Mediacom cable.... woah, very expensive. $100 dollars a month for the "business" edition that allows you to host a server. Lots of bandwidth I'm sure but still very pricey. My roomate also suggested another option. Use my dialup AOL connection. My parents pay for it and it would just use the phone line in the dorm. It would be a little harder to setup but not that bad. I would have to find some way of networking my PC (which runs AOL) as a gateway to send it to the linux machine and if I wanted to use the internet to use the school internet but..... Maybe I'll go over and talk with this IS guy and see what he says. Thanks for the help!

[firefly2442 0]

So.... I have another question. What if I connected through the lan/t1 connection here at school to AOL. I've tried it and it works great. I can get my email and all that kind of stuff. You think they could still track that kind of stuff or would that be in AOL's realm? Otherwise, I think I'm gonna have to go with dialup again... sigh.

[RooK 0]

Hosting something on dialup is a pain. Not only are upload speeds from a 56k slow, but you will get disconnected every now and then and have to constantly update the dns info for the new IP. Also, anything you send through their network is tracked. Despite connecting to AOL, your bandwidth use is still clogging up their network because it acts as the middleman.

Go for #3 if you absolutely have to have full control of a server. Otherwise just get a cheap host. $5/month is much nicer than 100$/month, imo.

[Specter 0]

If you dont want to or cant pay, you will have to give up control of the server, and just get a cheap webhost like Rook suggests. Otherwise, you could just dial out on AOL without going through the college LAN like a regular dial up service, and pay the 23 a month for dial up service and run a dial up server.

You are going to have to give to get bud. To run your server, you are definitely going to have to bypass the College LAN. You are just going to have to decide if you want to pay since they wont let you do it on the LAN.

[Chef-Scott 0]

The only reason I even mentioned using a $99 a month host is because it seemed to me that firefly2442 wanted *total* control over the server. You are not going to get that for $60 a year.

The main reason you would pay that kind of money is to be able to have complete control over your server. And $99 a month is pretty cheap for a dedicated server that you can do with as you please.

Here is a chunk of the comcast AUP:

xiv) run programs, equipment, or servers from the Premises that provide network content or any other services to anyone outside of your Premises LAN (Local Area Network), also commonly referred to as public services or servers. Examples of prohibited services and servers include, but are not limited to, e-mail, Web hosting, file sharing, and proxy services and servers;

You will find that just about every service provider has a very similar AUP, be they cable, dsl or dial-up. Some will even exclude the use of dynamic dns services as well.

Think that is bad, most broadband providers are now working on ways to block the consumer from using their own routers to share access in a single dwelling. They want you to pay for each computer that is connected to the service. ATTBI used to charge $10 a month for each additional computer.

It all boils down to what you are planning on doing with the server.

For us $50 a month to the cable company for cable internet access and $50 a month to our domain hosting service.

[Specter 0]

For what you want FF - your site, and to be able to control the server and OS, and what you will learn from the experience, I'd pay the 99 a month, but that's me. I dont know what you can spend. But if it were me, that's the choice I would make.

If I were running a web server, Id want control also.

[Parabellum 12]

If you're looking for someone to host an actual website, try WHN. It's the company that I use. It's very inexpensive, and you get a fully functional webspace, with lots of bandwidth, as well as CGI, Perl, PHP Auto-Installer, 200 SMTP mail addresses, all the good stuff. You can even pay by electronic check, so no credit card is needed. Depending on the promotion, they'll even register your domain name free for you. They've done right by me.

Edited September 4, 2003 by Parabellum

[Specter 0]

He needs a place if it can be found that will have a linux server that they will let him have control of so he can learn linux, and i dont think he can find one that will go that far and let him do that.

[Parabellum 12]

He needs a place if it can be found that will have a linux server that they will let him have control of so he can learn linux, and i dont think he can find one that will go that far and let him do that.

My web server runs on Linux, but I don't know how much control he'd have over the OS. What company in their right mind would let tenants mess with the OS?

[Chef-Scott 0]

Any hosting company that offers dedicated servers will let you pretty much do as you wish with the server, from flavor of OS, to RAM, CPU flavor, drive(s), etc.

Once you pay the bucks for being the only client on a single server...

[Specter 0]

True, but they wont let you uninstall/re-install the OS if you want to, and they charge you to set up the desired OS and all.

[firefly2442 0]

Well, I figured out the dialup deal isn't going to work because my parents want to be able to get online too. Anyway, I guess I'll just have to shell out some money each month for internet. Time to keep looking. www.dslreports.com has some good info. Guess I'm going with number 3.

[Specter 0]

I hear ya bro. Sorry ya have to hand out the cash, but it's the only way you can have your cake and eat it too.

[Syncopator 0]

Seriously...what do u spend ur money on?

If your anything like the rest of us then the single biggest take on your free time (apart from beer!) wil be time spent online. Hence...focus you capital on that subject - ie. OPTION 3 is a winner.

You wont miss the monthly cost - as it will be in front of u at all times!

Def the way to go...

Just remember you may be stuck in 12mth contract so carefully consider b4 signing.

I also like option 5 as a longtermer. Corrupt the powers that be and make use of the facilities....always a good un.