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Question

How to setup your own server?

Jul 26, 2015 9:21PM PDT

Here are my questions:

1. How do servers work? You could explain how an FTP or web server works. (Does a server just respond to the request from a client?)
2. How does one setup their own server- Do you run some sort of special software on another computer that has to have a certain amount of RAM and CPU power?
3. Do servers work automatically or is there always a person behind the scenes maintaining it?
4. Explanation of an email server

If anyone out there could cure my curiosity, I'd be very appreciative ;-]

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Servers
Jul 26, 2015 10:01PM PDT
http://www.serverwatch.com/columns/article.php/3900711/The-Top-10-Linux-Server-Distributions.htm

If you want to serve webpages, better to let someone else take care of the server and just use a hosted account for about $4-8 per month. You get a lot with that, bandwidth, storage, FTP capability, and of course your own site or domain with webpage ability.

If you run your own home server, you'd use Dynamic DNS since your IP address might change from time to time. Running a home server can open up your LAN to attack. Typical setup is to DMZ in the router to the server.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/204423/why_linux_beats_windows_for_servers.html
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Server
Jul 27, 2015 8:38AM PDT

thanks for the info. I'm not using the server for myself, but I've always been curious on how they work and wondered if anyone could give me an in depth explanation. Some people on cnet really like to type anyway Wink

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I'm going to recommend the search engine of your choice
Jul 27, 2015 1:23PM PDT

First, you type a list of key words
Next, you enter each list entry into the search engine
After that, you click on sites that appear to be legitimate
You continue until your key word list has been completed

From there, you may find it necessary to generate another key word list and rinse/repeat the above. You will likely find that your initial questions generated more questions than they did answers. You may either become more curious and energized or you might become so befuddled that you retreat to bonehead TV land until falling asleep.

You are right about one thing. Some people just like to type...even if it's useless and unhelpful.

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(cue Ace Ventura) Well alrighty then!
Jul 27, 2015 7:24PM PDT

This is a forum for computer newbies, which I consider myself to be a part of, so I was asking a newbie question. That's what these forums are for buddy.

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Just my opinion but I think most people learn and retain
Jul 28, 2015 5:31AM PDT

more from personal discovery than they do from reading instructions. No one can "cure" ones "curiosity" better than they can do so themselves. If you want to 'cure your curiosity', you will probably not do so until you actually use that discovered knowledge and successfully complete a project with it. In other words, you will decide to make a server or give up on the whole idea and allow your curiosity to take you in another direction.

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I worried that was going to happen.
Jul 27, 2015 9:05PM PDT

All this information is on the web so when a too big a question is asked, that is something we cover in Computer Science 101 to 520 the person who asks may expect to condense years of schooling to a few paragraphs.

Sadly there are no Clif Notes that fit in this space for this too big a question.

Maybe if they pared it down to something bite size.

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Answer
Servers are computers for multiple users.
Jul 28, 2015 7:03AM PDT

Although you can use a desktop OS as a server OS it's better to use a server OS that is designed specifically for Servers. Microsoft is now retiring support for WIndows Server 2003 R2. So now available are 2008 and 20012 with 2016 coming out soon. Server OS's have better security and tools for multiusers. They usually have more CPU and more ram capabilities. My company uses Dell servers and HP desktops.

Microsoft server OS's come with IIS (Internet Information Services) which can be used to run web sites or web apps. Apache is another web service that is used alot in the open source area (linux OS) or open sources system.

Email servers - Well in order to send email you set up and account with a provider Example: name@cfl.rr.com which is the address of an email server set up to receive emails. This is usually set up by your internet provider. There are 2 different kinds of email accounts POP or IMAP. IMAP are account like Yahoo or Google. The emails are sent to the Yahoo or Google server and you view the emails with a client and when you delete you delete directly on that Yahoo server. POP email is when you client MS Outlook, Live mail or Thunderbird downloads the email from the server into your client application. You can set the email to be deleted when you download or if they remain on the server they will be downloaded to each client that connects to the server. POP account also allow you to go directly to the server just like Imap and delete email. I actually have to do that at least once a month or my email will go above my alloted 10MB of space on the server.

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Informative
Jul 28, 2015 10:32AM PDT

Thanks for the explanation