Your own Hosting from home

13 years ago

What are you going to do if you have a problem with the server? Do you know how to fix it quickly? I've dealt with computers my whole life, and it's not uncommon for them to go out of commission for a couple of days until the issue is figured out...

at the least, you should have an IT professional on call 24 hours - and that will definitely add to your cost.

Usually when you're dealing with a hosting company, you expect problems to be fixed within minutes, even going into the hours is really bad.

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Steven Miranda

13 years ago

It is not a good idea if you want to run a real business. I highly doubt your home server will have backup generator power, battery backup , 24-7 hardware and software support. direct connection to the internet backbones.

One of the most important things to consider doing this is your home connection upload speed. Most home connections have terrible upload speed. 786k upload won't make for a nice speedy site. Many of the faster ISP with faster upload speed will also block hosting web servers.

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sitehero 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Steven Miranda

Many of the faster ISP with faster upload speed will also block hosting web servers.

This was my main concern TBH. I use Virgin Media. I have 50MB download speed but only 4.7MB upload. Also, while my downloading is unlimited, with no fair-use policy, I'm pretty sure my uploads are severly capped.

Just done a bit more research and because Cable Broadband is really limited with upload speeds, I'd have to set up a business account with Virgin to get a fully synchronous circuit (ie 20mbps upload and 20mbps download) and I'd possibly need a static IP as well. All this would probably cost a lot more than dedicated hosting and as you guys said, at least with a hosted service you get all the tech support, guarenteed uptime and all the other security stuff done for you. All in all a no brainer.
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Mary Wilhite

13 years ago

For a small time operation then I think you can go and
have your own web server at home.

However, you won't be able to enjoy the services
provided by large companies who's core business
is hosting.

As mentioned in the posts above, that goes for
troubleshooting, security, facility and support
devices.

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jbode

13 years ago

Those prices are high, I recommend you consider another server/hosting provider...

There is a lot of issues with running a server and having a dedicated support team that knows what they're doing is worth a lot in my book!

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EconomicalDomains

13 years ago

I think GoDaddy is one of the worst hosts to go with. Good for domain regs but I would recommend a host with cPanel, godaddy's hosting control panel is quite confusing in my opinion and most other webmasters, programmers etc. are comfortable working with cPanel.

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sitehero

13 years ago

Originally Posted by EconomicalDomains

I think GoDaddy is one of the worst hosts to go with. Good for domain regs but I would recommend a host with cPanel, godaddy's hosting control panel is quite confusing in my opinion and most other webmasters, programmers etc. are comfortable working with cPanel.

I've never used cPanel in my life and I've been been building and hosting websites for years. I've lost count of the number of tutorials I've seen where people are using cPanel so I have no doubt its very popular and probably very good. I don't know why I feel a little embarrased to say this but I've always used Godaddy hosting since day one and I know their admin areas like the back of my hand and I'll be honest its never confused me. Also, I've heard people slate GoDaddy hosting in the past but I can honestly say with hand on heart I've only ever had one problem with them that pissed me off in all the years I've used them. Each to their own I guess.

Although, saying that, I've always wanted to try out other hosts (maybe with cPanel) to compare them but I've got an OCD thing where I like to keep everything neat and tidy by being all in one place.

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Johnny Optimo

13 years ago

Originally Posted by sitehero

I've never used cPanel in my life and I've been been building and hosting websites for years. I've lost count of the number of tutorials I've seen where people are using cPanel so I have no doubt its very popular and probably very good. I don't know why I feel a little embarrased to say this but I've always used Godaddy hosting since day one and I know their admin areas like the back of my hand and I'll be honest its never confused me. Also, I've heard people slate GoDaddy hosting in the past but I can honestly say with hand on heart I've only ever had one problem with them that pissed me off in all the years I've used them. Each to their own I guess.

Although, saying that, I've always wanted to try out other hosts (maybe with cPanel) to compare them but I've got an OCD thing where I like to keep everything neat and tidy by being all in one place.

One of my biggest problems with godaddy is the sheer number of upsells... most hosts include stuff like unlimited addon domains, email accounts, etc.

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Jeff Henshaw 13 years ago

I wouldn't want to put my businesses on one from home due to downtime, figuring out how to fix problems, power outages, server speed, bandwidth issues from your ISP, etc.

Not to mention fire, flood, storm, or other weather damage. Then there is the threat of theft/damage of your kit by burglars and the like.

Not an every day occurrence; but it happens.

Just my thoughts,

Jeff.
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Matt Ward

13 years ago

Anything but the biggest of sites could probably run on a virtual server, which would cost you a fraction of that amount.

I would be surprised if there are many people (if any) that run large websites from their home. This is a case where it simply isn't feasible to do something yourself. In fact, running a website on a VPS is almost certainly cheaper than having it run from your own home.

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yayasvc 13 years ago

How big of an operation do you plan on running? You most certainly don't want to end up having problems with your server. That will be bad for business. It would be too much of a headache if your home server crashes and you can't get it back up and running in a timely manner!
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sbucciarel

Banned 13 years ago

I wouldn't want to put my businesses on one from home due to downtime, figuring out how to fix problems, power outages, server speed, bandwidth issues from your ISP, etc.

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Alan Petersen

13 years ago

It's not just the server but the network and other services web hosting companies provide.

If you're going to have a dedicated server running off your residential Internet connection you'll probably going to have slow loading sites, bandwidth problems, etc. A company like Comcast would probably boot you if your using too much juice for your server and force you into a business account.

Part of the cost of having a dedicated sever isn't the server alone but 100% uptime guarantee policy, 24�--7 technical support, a reliable network, etc.

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billnad

13 years ago

I used hostgator for a couple years just using a shared account for $10 a month and now I am on a VPS for $100 a month and that gives me great uptime and support.

I have always liked to be cheap and I did host on my own computer in the past (years ago) but everytime the computer reboots or the server gets his hard, or the IP on the computer changes it can be a real pain (updating DNS could take a couple days to propogate).

I would really discourage anyone from trying to host themselves unless it is just to see how DNS and stuff works and is setup.

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sitehero

13 years ago

Originally Posted by billnad

I used hostgator for a couple years just using a shared account for $10 a month and now I am on a VPS for $100 a month and that gives me great uptime and support.

I have always liked to be cheap and I did host on my own computer in the past (years ago) but everytime the computer reboots or the server gets his hard, or the IP on the computer changes it can be a real pain (updating DNS could take a couple days to propogate).

I would really discourage anyone from trying to host themselves unless it is just to see how DNS and stuff works and is setup.

Thanks dude!
I've had enough trouble with my own computer and DNS not connecting to know I don't want to go there again.

Which VPS do you use?

I've heard some good things about Amazon... apparently its very cheap!

I like CHEAP too.

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JohnMcCabe 13 years ago

This is an insanely bad idea if your operation is big enough to even have you pricing VPS or dedicated servers.

Not because of the hardware; you culd buy asuitable server computer at Best Buy for a few hundred dollars.

You could even learn to operate the software.

The problem is the pipeline. If you have any traffic at all, it would be like trying to put out a fire with a soda straw. At least until your DNS pinched the straw shut or your ISP took it away completely.
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hgy

13 years ago

i dont think there is a real need for a dedicated server for small time IM

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Honest SEO

13 years ago

I don't think VPN is so much costly . Shared hosting is available at almost free price now and if you have problem with shared hosting then you should go to virtual private network. That is also not much costly .

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spearce000

13 years ago

If you're getting through so much bandwidth and processing power you're thinking about having your own server, you'd be better off looking at colocation web hosting - where your own server is hosted in the company's rack and you pay them to look after it.

BTW a server is not like a desktop computer. You really need to know what you're doing before you start messing with them.

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seobro

13 years ago

Sadly, most ISP vendors will shut you down when your traffic gets serious. I have been shut down twice for going over the limit due to me doing downloads and it sux. Get a reliable company. Best bet is not the el cheapo option so do a little research before you shell out hard earn money.

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anthonyb

13 years ago

The running cost involved with hosting your server at home makes this option untenable. Unless of course you are intending to start your own hosting company from home

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mywebwork

13 years ago

I concur with virtually everyone here - hosting at home is a terrible idea.

You likely can't do it anyway, most ISP's will not allow such activity on a home connection. Many do have business plans that allow for this, but at that price you could do much better with a VPS, dedicated or cloud server. Not to mention the bandwidth issues.

Self-hosting may seem like a low cost option to start with, but its disadvantages far outweigh any advantage that it might provide.

Bill

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ronc0011

13 years ago

I was doing my own hosting I was using ZoneEdit for Dynamic DNS I've got Comcast for an ISP and oddly my IP stays pretty much the same I am running WIndows Server2008 so I had a second copy running as a hyper-V install (virtual machine) this copy ran my webserver IIS I also ran my own mail server (Free mail server hMailserver )
In the end I went with Hostgator because of other premium features and services I didn't care to implement on my machine.

Yes you can run your own web server. Do some Googling on DDNS or Dynamic DNS And I believe you can download IIS for Windows 7 and Vista of course you can use Apache though frankly I think Apache is pane in the rear to administer.
Another thing to consider is security for your web server IIS is more secure right out of the box as it were.

Well from all this you should be able to see there is a bit to learn if you are going to run your own web server

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mojojuju

13 years ago

As others have mentioned, most ISPs aren't going to allow you to run a busy web site on their service. I use Comcast to host personal stuff on port 80, but if I had anything on there with a significant volume of traffic I'm told I'd get my account shut down.

I would recommend that you set up a web server at home just to learn how to do it. Then, if you gain enough competence in administering a server, you could save money for your own sites by getting an unmanaged (as opposed to a managed) VPS or dedicated server.

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CDarklock

13 years ago

Originally Posted by sitehero

I've been looking at the HUGE prices of dedicated and virtual dedicated servers on Godaddy.

DO NOT HOST YOUR WEB SITE AT A DOMAIN REGISTRAR

If a company is primarily known for selling domain names, they are a crap host.

Good web hosts are primarily known for web hosting.

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sitehero

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Johnny Optimo

One of my biggest problems with godaddy is the sheer number of upsells... most hosts include stuff like unlimited addon domains, email accounts, etc.

With all Godaddy hosting packages you get free email accounts and all packages allow you to build as many websites as you want on the same package. (except the economy plan)

I agree, they do like their upselling which can be a pain in the butt, but when when you've used them as much as I have you learn to ignore them and quickly click through them. I find the biggest appeal for me has been their prices because believe me I've done my research and they are nearly always the cheapest if you do a quick search for promo codes before you buy anything. Most times I find discounts ranging from 20-35% which can be huge when your buying 10+ domains at a time.

A little tip: Godaddy always have a promotional discount using the word EMMA, for example, whenever I buy from them I always try these promo codes and one is ALWAYS active:

Emma1
Emma2
Emma3 (This one is usually the best)
Emma4
Emma5
Emma6
Emma7
Emma8
Emma9
Emma20
Emma35
Emma99

Originally Posted by spearce000

If you're getting through so much bandwidth and processing power you're thinking about having your own server, you'd be better off looking at colocation web hosting - where your own server is hosted in the company's rack and you pay them to look after it.

BTW a server is not like a desktop computer. You really need to know what you're doing before you start messing with them.

I'm pretty sure a server is just a computer, exactly the same as any desktop or laptop. The only difference is the operating system. If you installed windows server2008 on your computer you would now have a fully functioning server.

Originally Posted by CDarklock

DO NOT HOST YOUR WEB SITE AT A DOMAIN REGISTRAR

I completely disagree with you on this.

This is an old myth that's totally outdated I'm afraid. Back in the day people used to always say to keep your domains and host separate but in todays day and age its irrelevant. As I've been talking about Godaddy on this thread I'll use them as an example.

Godaddy have been providing hosting services for many many years now and even though they started with domains a large proportion of their current business is in hosting. They have proven to always stay current with the latest technologies and they have basically established themselves and their a respected host now. I actually feel much safer using such an established business as Godaddy and I get the convenience of having everything all in one place. Also, in todays day and age, relying on two different companies is far more risky than depending on just one.

This argument of yours was very important and relevant years ago but not anymore, especially when talking about long-standing established businesses. I guess you could be right if a business is just starting out in the hosting industry after establishing a reputation in the domain industry because any new service is going to experience teething problems but then there is always exceptions to the rule.

Look at the likes of Amazon, who started out as a bookseller! 10 years ago nobody on this earth would have guessed they'd start providing a hosting service and do it as well as they appear to be doing. Times change and today I think its much wiser to keep all your web resources such as hosting and domains all in one easy and convenient place. Anyway, thats my opinion and I'm not asking anyone to agree with me.

-------

(Sorry to everyone for keep going on about GoDaddy as I know its not trendy or popular to support them and advocate their services but I honestly feel they deserve some credit and I'm just being honest about the services I've received from them over the last 10 or so years.)

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fluffythewondercat 13 years ago

"I actually feel much safer using such an established business as Godaddy and I get the convenience of having everything all in one place."

Huh?

How often do you need to interact with your domain registrar? Once a year to renew and maybe once a year to update nameservers possibly?

Your argument makes no sense at all to me.

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bhola badshah

13 years ago

simple formula

Dont buy domain and web hosting from single place, safer and way to enjoy discounts and performance from two different providers.

Godaddy is good for domains only, though their sales panel is extra complex ).

Self hosting is expensive with no reliability, think about power failure, hardware failure.

You can find many affordable deals with utmost performance, the only thing is not to follow the crowd and have a little bit research.

For example hostgator is a popular and I admit one of the best hosts for reseller and shared hosting only, what if you buy vps and dedicated from the same company its way more than regular prices .

here are my findings for you.

For shared hosting:

hostgator , hawkhost

For VPS

WiredTree , Liquid web , quick web

For dedicated

Liquid web, softlayer , hetzner

hetzner , quickweb are cheapest hosts I v seen with rock solid performance.

and many more...

cheers!

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Your own Hosting from home

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