1. When possible, opt for the quality, server-grade CPUs (i.e. 64-bit Intel Xeon dual or quad core)

2. The more RAM you have, the better. You can never go wrong by adding memory to your system.

3. Get large, fast hard drives, especially if you plan to run virtual private servers (VPS).

4. For large-scale sites, server redundancy is a good thing, if you can afford it.

5. Multi-core processors improve performance, but correlate the amount of processing power you get with your actual needs. In other words, there is no point in having a 64-core processor for a couple of blogs.

6. Find ways to save power, especially if you have to pay for it. Green servers will save you money and save the environment.

7. Remember that technology is constantly evolving. Plan on needing to upgrade in the future.

Photo Source: Flickr

Pros:
1. Kernels compiled for specific hardware are generally faster.
2. You can exclude modules and other components you do not need.
3. If you have specific requirements, you can add them or even change parts of the source code completely.

Cons:
1. You become responsible for updates, security patches, etc.
2. Something could go terribly wrong if you do not compile a good kernel.
3. It takes a long time and requires a good deal of technological expertise.

It is truly up to the system administrator to decide whether a custom kernel is necessary on a dedicated server. Choose wisely.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

Answer: If you are running your own dedicated server, you will be swamped with operating system and software management, network security, and a host of other responsibilities, but you should not neglect the server hardware itself. There are a few common ways that Linux system administrators check their hardware:

1. /proc – This is an entire directory filled with system information. For example, to view information about the server’s CPUs, type from the command line:

# cat /proc/cpuinfo

For RAM information type:

# cat /proc/meminfo

3. System logs – Many of the hardware events will be recorded by the kernel logs. To view hardware information, simply type:

# dmesg

4. lspci – When you need information about internal expansion cards, just type:

# lspci

5. lshw – Finally, for the motherload of all general hardware information, type:

# lshw

Answer: The first major decision to make after you have purchased server hardware is what operating system to use. Many servers come with one already, but if yours does not, you will need to decide on one. Linux or other Unix variants, such as BSD or Solaris are by far the most popular, but there are also many Windows servers out there. If you are on a limited budget, go with a free Linux distribution, such as CentOS.

The next thing to choose is the web server. Choices include Apache, Nginx, and Lighttpd. After that, you will probably one a database server such as MySQL or PostgreSQL Finally, you will want a web-based control panel. Depending on the one you choose, it might also install its own versions of Apache, PHP, and MySQL.

There are many control panel solutions on the market, and most of them are commercial. Popular control panels includ cPanel and Plesk. There are also free solutions available like Virtualmin. Decide what you need for whatever type of websites you plan to have and then choose the software that meets those needs.

Photo: Flickr

Multimedia developer Anthony Celeste has what he calls “the 10% Rule.” Basically, if less than 10% of your target market falls within a specific usage category, forget about them.

In today’s world, that would include people running on an 800×600 resolution, those using Internet Explorer 5, and in most cases, dial-up users. While one should be careful not to eliminate too much of their target market, the amount of time it takes to optimize a site for a small group of people usually isn’t worth the added traffic. After all, we all have to buy a new computer sometime.

Photo | Flickr

As the setting of Sun Microsystems nears and the company prepares to be absorbed into Oracle, Sun is wheeling and dealing to make sure its server hardware survives the acquisition. IBM and HP have been busy offering Sun customers deals to leave their hardware and Unix-like operating system, Solaris for their “more reliable” alternatives.

Sun is firing back with its own series of deals. Sun is offering up deals for servers running Sparc64-VII processors. If you buy one of these quad-core servers, they throw in the chassis for free and a 20 percent trade-in allowance. According to them, this could save you $600,000, although there are no public prices available for these “big iron” servers. They are also offering deals on many of their smaller servers, including ones running on Opteron Instanbul processors.

Sun Microsystems is known for its Sparc hardware as well as software ranging from the MySQL database server to Java. Recently, Sun’s shareholders voted to approve a deal that will hand over the company to Oracle. The media and Web have circulated with speculation about the future of both its hardware and software.

Source: The Register
Photo: Flickr

No doubt a lot of system admins lost their jobs as a result of the change. HP reports it cut its IT expenditures in half from 4% to 2% of their annual budget. For a company that earned £71.4 billion ($118 billion USD) in revenue last year, that’s a lot of money. Whereas before 70% of the technology budget was used for maintaining old systems, 80% now goes towards implementing new innovations.

The tech giant is currently working with other companies to implement similar cost-cutting schemes, all of which involve HP hardware, of course. It would be great if these huge savings were passed on to customers, but I’m not holding my breath for anything.

Source | eWeek.com

Talk has already surfaced that Oracle will split the company, spinning off or selling parts of it. HP is taking advantage of the situation by providing support and guidance for those wishing to keep their current data center setups, while moving to HP support — and eventually their systems. They are also offering 50 to 85 percent discounts on HP-UX 11i OS if they trade in their Solaris setups.

The three major software components of Sun’s arsenal are all free and open source: Solaris, MySQL, and Java, so HP and other server vendors are no strangers to them. Sun has also had long-standing relationships with other companies that needed to support its SPARC architecture based hardware. There is little doubt that HP will not be the only suitor, with IBM, Novell, Redhat, and others all seeing an opportunity.

Source: eWeek
Photo: Flickr

Meanwhile, motivational product company Ego Friendly, LLC picked up eGo.com for £45,804 ($75,000 USD). Bling-bling.com, blingbling.co.uk, and blingbling.com also sold together in a package for £36,643 ($60,000 USD).

The sale of Hardware.de for such a high price shows the value of ccTLDs. Country domain extensions have been largely ignored by domainers for most of their history, but with .com becoming crowded, they are finally getting the respect they deserve.

To get an idea of just how valuable ccTLDs are becoming, Hardware.se only sold for $8,027 USD in 2005. Just last year, Hardware.biz sold for $590 USD. Perhaps the buyer of Hardware.de overpaid, but there’s no denying that country-code extensions are gaining more prominence in the domain industry.

Source | Domain Name Wire

The new chips are called Opteron SE and Opteron HE. There is no indication as to what the letters stand for, if anything. If they are following Intel’s lead, they are probably just random combinations. At any rate, AMD claims a 50 percent performance boost for the SE and 18 percent boost per watt for the HE.

Gina Longoria, AMD’s senior product manager for servers and workstations, said “demand has been really good” for the six-core Opterons and “higher than expectations.” Longoria added that AMD has won a few large deployments and many Opteron quad-core customers are upgrading to the six-core versions.

AMD hopes to target cloud computing and Web 2.0 server markets that are demanding more intense processing power in their web servers, while still maintaining lower energy consumption. Those wishing to add the new chips to their data centers can expect prices ranging from $455 for a two-socket HE to $2,649 for an eight-socket SE.

Source: ZDnet
Photo: Flickr