newbie question :-)
 

Hi, i'm sorry if you may find some of my questions ignorant but i'm like still in my early ages and curious and to some degree don't have a clue. :-) Hmmm... where should i start. In a few weeks i'll be starting college and majoring in business infosys and operations. I'm hoping to first start out working for a big company and sooner or later start my own datacenter for webhosting. I was wondering what OS do most of you typically use and how can u determine how much money to spend on what system besides the building at the start of the business? :confused:

also, what is the average cost to get an ip block from ARIN? It is necessary right? Does each server in the building need a public ip address?

Well for OS you've either got linux (redhat, fedora, centos, etc), bsd or windows2kx, they are the main ones used.

I use Centos, as for the server it all depends on which market you are aiming at, eg budget hosting only need low spec servers. But gaming and High content sites require higher spec ones.

Havent got a clue how much it would cost to get a ip block, but you only need a public ip if that server needs to be available to external customers.

thanks for the quick reply... The thing I plan to do is a low budget hosting for right now until like operations actually go stable and some revenue kicks in and then move on to higher end models and then get some windows OS for clients who needs asp/asp.net or if they just simply prefer windows. In your post you said that I only need a public ip address if the server needs to be available externally... that applies to webservers too correct? So like let's say I have 30 web servers, I have to get 30 public ip address'es?

Exactly, if you want to have 30 servers, you need to have 30 public IPs.

and all of these are to be linked to a switch which is then connected to the ISP's?

to keep the internet up at all times... like having two or three ISP... how would they be connected so that all the servers have access to them or will the ISP's handle it themselves? ie: through one switch that segments to the rest of the network? WAN networks are difficult for me to understand... i only know the basic lan stuff.

Not meaning to be rude or negative but at this point you seem to be in so over your head in understanding what is involved I suggest you postpone any plans until you can pickup some classes or other form of experience.

You need to take the time to get a basic uderstanding of servers and software and from there some knowledge of how networks function.

As I said, I don't want to be negative, but even running a server for fun takes some basic knowledge. Take the time to learn and you will find it's a great field to be in.

hmmm... i think that's why i mentioned in my first post that i plan to persue it after college... kinda funny how things are overlooked.