Hello Guys, I'm trying to set up three servers at home (T1 Connected) load balanced to handle one of my websites and a couple of my friends smaller websites, the servers I'm planning to purchase are Dell SC1420 models. I just have a few questions from the more experienced people around here since this the first time I'm going to try to move away from my dedicated host provider (Layered Tech) and try to set up the servers at home... What Linux would you recommend for this and why? I currently have CDs for SUSE 10.1 and Ubuntu, and my current OS on my dedicated servers are Fedora Core 4. During installations how tos on how forge I keep seeing a step like this... There is a couple of things I would like to clear up and understand about this network configurations since it is the part that I don't seem to understand very well. How do I get the values for IP Address, Netmask, Primary DNS, Secondary DNS, Tertiary DNS, and Gateway? And what do some of them do? When setting the hostname... Does this have the same effect as nameserver value like NS1.DOMAIN.COM that is entered in domain registrars to point a domain to the site? Should I put the domain as my main site? And then do I have to some how point the domain of the site towards the server or something for it to work properly for that domain. Does the host value have any signifcance outside the network, like domain wise if I have three servers for one site and someone chooses to go to a direct address like server2.domain.com instead of domain.com will they see anything different? Anyways any other instructions or recommendations regarding setting up the 3 server setup I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Emil
For a webserver Debian 3.1, codename Sarge is a very good choice. It is very stable and you can rely on Debian! Debian has also a great package system. If you choose for Debian, enter "linux26" on the very first screen, so you can use the Linux 2.6 kernel series instead of 2.4. I can explain you a lot of things about setting up your system, but if you follow Falko's how to for setting up your perfect server, all your questions will be answered. I'm using a Dell SC 1425 server with RAID 1 with Debian Sarge (unofficial 64 bit) and i was never disappointed! Recommended!
Go for debian sarge if you plan to operate it just as a server.... if you also want to use it as a desktop then go for ubuntu or fc...
Same here.. I have 3 Dell PowerEdge SC1425, and all are using Debian Sarge! Two of the SC1425's are using a 3Ware RAID card, that is set to RAID 1. Hans.. Are you using an extra RAID card, or are you using the SC1425 (software) RAID card that is within the SC1425?
I will check out Debian, where is a reliable place where I can order its installation CDs for the cheapest price, I don't like to burn the CDs don't trust myself Anyways can someone also clear up the other questions regarding the 3 server setup. Also would like to know if there is a good book or guide specifically for learning setting up web hosting clusters and setups, I like how tos but they don't really teach, I would also like to understand what the settings mean, any books or site s that you'll could recommend? Emil
Is there a lot of difference between SC1420 and SC1425 except for the space saving, as it is blade? Cause the SC1420s I'm getting have one XEON 2.8 800FSB and 2GB mem and one and 80GB harddrive for $709 + tax, SC1425 seems to be a lot more then that... Also is it better to have Dual Processors for $1000 or two servers for $1500 if space not really an issue? Emil
I am using software RAID (1) which came with Debian Sarge unofficial 64 bit. The kernel i am using is 2.6.8-12-em64t-p4-smp because i have 2 Xeon's on board. Everything is stable from the beginning, i am really happy with Debian. I do not know exactly the differences between the SC1420 and SC1425 but test your server first before using it in a production environment. If you have SATA drive(s) on board, use the 2.6 series Linux kernel.
I see.. I'm still with "2.6.8-3-686-smp", as some of my aps that I'm using on the server do not like 64 bit :/ re: 2 Xeon's.. Same here ... That is 2 Xeon's in each server.. 2 + 2 + 2 = 6, and than I;m not counting the SMP part
Debian because it's stable and has the best package management (apt). Don't use SuSE 10.1. I have the feeling that SuSE is getting worse from version to version...
Falko, could you help with the other questions the network configurations is what really gets me? Emil
If you're in a local network, you can use any IP address from your subnet that isn't already in use. You should know the gateway, it's your router's internal IP address. Normally 255.255.255.0 should work as netmask. And as DNS servers, you can take the ones from the tutorial. Here's a nice network calculator: www.subnetmask.info You should use a "technical" hostname, i.e., a hostname that you don't use for hosting web sites, email, etc., and it should exist in DNS (it should point to your public IP address).
