I was thinking of buying a server...
 

...but I don't know much about servers, so I have questions. At some point I will be setting up a web site for my artwork. I thought it might be kinda cool to run my own server.

So what do I need (hardware, software, internet connections, etc.) besides the actual server itself?

What kind of environment should the server be kept in?

Right now I have cable internet with two computers hooked up to it (one is a laptop with a wireless connection). Will that work?

If I wanted to sell server space to other people with web sites, do I need some sort of special license (business or otherwise)?

Or would setting up my own server be more trouble than it's worth?

no, its not cool to host yourself.

Why? I'm not saying you're wrong, but a little more detail would be good.

If I decide not to host my own web site, what would I need to set up a server that others could use?

I'll bet your cable provider won't allow a server at residential rates, they probably have a commercial fee schedule.

Putting a server on the Internet is a huge responsibility that comes with huge headaches.

When a crack is released for software your server is running, you need to be available to install a security update LIKE RIGHT THEN, or your box will be cracked. Then your lovely server is a botnet slave, participating in DOS attacks worldwide, or pumping out spam as fast as your upstream will let it. This isn't a "maybe" or a "what-if". This is why hosting companies have people on call 24/7.

Fail to do that, and your domain can be blacklisted as a spam portal. Your internet connection can (and WILL) be shut down, and other internet providers can refuse your business. You can be dumped into a connectivity black hole.

Server admin and webmastering are professions best left to professionals.

Part of my business is web hosting (which I resell from the biggest provider in the world--no way in HELL I'm putting myself in the sysadmin business), so I can speak pretty sensibly about this. If you just want to host a web site, there are plenty of cheap hosting platforms available. You DO get what you pay for, but you might not need to pay for much. My cheapest plan runs $20/month, but you can find them for $5 if you don't have many needs. If you really do need a dedicated server, you should be prepared to spend a couple hundred bucks a month, minimum (I think that Hal's front page thing about his hosting budget is a bit miserly, btw).

As far as running your own hardware, it increases the costs alot if you own your own hardware.

It means you are using a colocated service instead of just webhosting.

It means you trust someone else with your hardware that you pay to ship to them and pay to ship from them to somewhere else.

It means that if something fails, they identify that the part that failed but you have to pony up the $$$ to order it, wait for them to fix it, meanwhile your website is down.

Oof.. No. No no no no. The closes thing you have to a webserver is a "dev" machine that mirrors your site for you to play with until you know it's right then commit the changes. Having the webserver at your house sounds cool, but it's not. IMHO, if you really want your own machine, get a dedicated host. It's their hardware, they fix it if it breaks. You don't supply it, you don't payto fix it. It is the best way to go if your website is large enough for a dedicated host and small enough that a colo with a couple U's is too expensive.

I built a little dinky server than ran Windows Server 2000 and Apache on it. The motherboard blew up, but it was fun while it lasted.

All you can do from home is run low-key HTML sites that get little traffic. It's fun to experiment with the administrative tools, but that's about it.

well all the high points have been made already, its not really worth it, most hosting companies have several virtual machines per system that cut their cost's drastically, you will not have the bandwidth to handle a large load of people, you don't want to have to worry about the security issues, and most importantly, your ISP most likely blocks port 80 so you will have to route your website through an alternative, i used to host through 8081, but it was a hack.

As the others have said, I would pay for hosting unless you want to learn how to become a sysadmin. There are really affordable hosting plans available, and it's 100 times less hassle than setting up and maintaining your own server. That way you have more time to focus on the most important part of your site - the content.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I guess I won't be running a server at this point after all.

Just one question (just because I'm curious)...

If this happens - if your server gets hacked into - is there any way to undo the damage, or is your server screwed forever?

Sure you can undo the damage - you restore from a known GOOD backup, patch, and go live again.

If you're not running backups, then you re-install the box from scratch...

Yes, I'm sure there are other methods, but those are the two that come to MY mind.