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As you were talking about hosting sites on your own computer, it got me thinking.
I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how a Web Server, works differently fron a normal PC??
I mean, I know Servers can be accessed 24/7, but are the same Servers on all the time??? or do they switch from one to another every so often??
Just thinking a Server on all the time, would it not burn out or anything?? And if they are on all the time, how are they maintained from burnouts, etc...
I'm just curious, so if anyone could fill me in, I thank you. :o).
I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how a Web Server, works differently fron a normal PC??
I mean, I know Servers can be accessed 24/7, but are the same Servers on all the time??? or do they switch from one to another every so often??
Just thinking a Server on all the time, would it not burn out or anything?? And if they are on all the time, how are they maintained from burnouts, etc...
I'm just curious, so if anyone could fill me in, I thank you. :o).
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I would agree with most of what has been said about servers here, you could walk into Dixons today, and walk out with a potential server under your arm, it's just a matter of installing the right software.
The best servers have redundant parts though, 2 PSUs, 2 CPUs, maybe even 2 motherboards! This is so that when one breaks, the other kicks in until you replace the broken bit.
It wasn't that long ago that a 486 (pre-Pentium) could host multiple web sites without breaking a sweat, now think of what those lovely fast servers can do with Pentiums and 512Mb !!!
The best servers have redundant parts though, 2 PSUs, 2 CPUs, maybe even 2 motherboards! This is so that when one breaks, the other kicks in until you replace the broken bit.
It wasn't that long ago that a 486 (pre-Pentium) could host multiple web sites without breaking a sweat, now think of what those lovely fast servers can do with Pentiums and 512Mb !!!
Servers can be running for a very long time. At my dads office (BT) there have been servers running for several years, non-stop.
The files are normally backed up onto tape drives. I think these hold about 40gbs, and the tapes are about the size of 4AA batteries put together. The tape drives can cost several thousand pounds, but the actual tapes are around £15.
The servers at my dads office are very up to date though. there are many that have several hardrives making about 500gb! And they run at about 10200rpm. I can't quite remember the figures for the main proccessor, or ram.
I know this, as one of the parts of my dads job is ordering parts, recieving, and fitting these parts to the servers. He is something like a "technical adviser". Basically, he works on programming these beasts, and normal desktop PCs aswell.
If theres anything you really want to know, I'm sure I could ask him for you.
The files are normally backed up onto tape drives. I think these hold about 40gbs, and the tapes are about the size of 4AA batteries put together. The tape drives can cost several thousand pounds, but the actual tapes are around £15.
The servers at my dads office are very up to date though. there are many that have several hardrives making about 500gb! And they run at about 10200rpm. I can't quite remember the figures for the main proccessor, or ram.
I know this, as one of the parts of my dads job is ordering parts, recieving, and fitting these parts to the servers. He is something like a "technical adviser". Basically, he works on programming these beasts, and normal desktop PCs aswell.
If theres anything you really want to know, I'm sure I could ask him for you.
Well, you have an IP address right now, from your service provider. That's always going to be the case (you can't use the internet without an assigned IP address.
Getting one that's static (that doesn't change[1]) is another story. I'm forced to use NTL's "dynamic" IPs (dhcp on a cable modem), but in my case they only change once every few months. Couple that with the free service from dhs.org and voila, lewq.2y.net always points to my ip address. C'est magic.
[1] Hey, I can be redundant if I want.
Getting one that's static (that doesn't change[1]) is another story. I'm forced to use NTL's "dynamic" IPs (dhcp on a cable modem), but in my case they only change once every few months. Couple that with the free service from dhs.org and voila, lewq.2y.net always points to my ip address. C'est magic.
[1] Hey, I can be redundant if I want.
Thanks guys.
One more thing ... just say for whatever reason I wanted to host my own site on my own Server, just say a PC with a Hard Drive, ADSL, and the Server Software .. with it's own Domain. How would I get an IP Address and how would it know where you look for my site?? (lets say www.haignet.co.uk)
thanks
One more thing ... just say for whatever reason I wanted to host my own site on my own Server, just say a PC with a Hard Drive, ADSL, and the Server Software .. with it's own Domain. How would I get an IP Address and how would it know where you look for my site?? (lets say www.haignet.co.uk)
thanks
No, pretty correct. Servers are just PCs, the actual server is Apache/IIS software that runs on it. However, traditional webservers are, as Andi says, rack mounted skeleton systems - massive CPUs, lots of RAM, a RAID array and not much else. No graphics, sound or really anything else.
AFAIK, Servers are just like PCs. You could just use a PC as a server.
Most companys use rack mounts, a way of mounting computers into cupboard things so they can have loads in one secure facility. Each one of these is on and connected to the internet at all times. Each server has its own backup so that the downtime of anything on that system can be replaced quickly and easily in the event of failure.
Its actually amazing how long PC components last, and as file serving isnt the most resource intensive task (just ask Insomnia the stats of Io), most components last until they're upgraded anyway.
Thats AFAIK anyway. As always I might be talking complete crap.
Most companys use rack mounts, a way of mounting computers into cupboard things so they can have loads in one secure facility. Each one of these is on and connected to the internet at all times. Each server has its own backup so that the downtime of anything on that system can be replaced quickly and easily in the event of failure.
Its actually amazing how long PC components last, and as file serving isnt the most resource intensive task (just ask Insomnia the stats of Io), most components last until they're upgraded anyway.
Thats AFAIK anyway. As always I might be talking complete crap.
As you were talking about hosting sites on your own computer, it got me thinking.
I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how a Web Server, works differently fron a normal PC??
I mean, I know Servers can be accessed 24/7, but are the same Servers on all the time??? or do they switch from one to another every so often??
Just thinking a Server on all the time, would it not burn out or anything?? And if they are on all the time, how are they maintained from burnouts, etc...
I'm just curious, so if anyone could fill me in, I thank you. :o).
I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how a Web Server, works differently fron a normal PC??
I mean, I know Servers can be accessed 24/7, but are the same Servers on all the time??? or do they switch from one to another every so often??
Just thinking a Server on all the time, would it not burn out or anything?? And if they are on all the time, how are they maintained from burnouts, etc...
I'm just curious, so if anyone could fill me in, I thank you. :o).
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