Building a webserver from home !!!

[Steve8177]

Ok i know alot of people are going to say dont do it but im doing it lol.
And i would like to get a little help on this.

First of all im going to buy a new pc for this.

Intel im guessing would be best ... or AMD ???

Im going to go with something in the dual core 2.5ghz or up.
2gb of ram, video card doesnt have to be that good.
2 hard drives.

This server is going to be used for my website
and hosting some files to share with friends or family.

Im in school at the moment and my school has an account with MSDNAA
which gives us thousands of dollars worth of microsoft products ... all for free * and these are no demos or trials ... all full working software.
So i got Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Enterprise and Standard (x86)

Now i did look on the web for some information on this but found only articles which are dated from 2002 or around that time.

So a new PC and Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Enterprise and Standard (x86)
So where do i go from here ... what other software would i need ???
Remember, i have access to alot and i mean alot of microsoft software.

Thanks for all the help provided

[Force Flow]

It would be much easier and cheaper to go with a hosting provider. The skill involved with maintaining a webserver (and protecting against security breaches) is considerable.

Plus, many ISPs do not allow webservers to be hosted on residential connections anyway. College campuses also have measures in place to discourage the practice as well.

I would highly recommend surpasshosting for web hosting.

http://www.surpasshosting.com/hostin...-solutions.php

[Steve8177]

Not the answer i was looking for loll.
I going to do it one way or the other.
i have the money for it and the ressources.
And my ISP is ok with it.

So if anyonw can give me little pointers for this
it would be appreciated ... just check first post !!!

Thanks !!!

[glc]

Maybe it wasn't the answer you were looking for, but it was VERY SOUND advice.

[Urban Earth]

Maybe it is good advice from your points of view, but how do you ever learn a new skill with out trying?

Servers benefit more from lots of ram then faster processor. I would put as much ram as you can cram into the motherboard.

Steve, I would suggest that you do all of your server learning offline. That is set up your server for internal use only. As ForceFlow noted there is a huge amount to know about securing a server. After you have learned a lot more, then consider doing the hosting.

Research Active Domains and see if you want to set that up or not. If you change your mind further down the road, all of your permissions go wacky, although that can be a great way to learn as well!

If you can get an Exchange Server that would be a whole bunch more learning, but they are great tools.

There is a LOT of learning to do, and unfortunately with servers being such complicated and variable beasties, there is no manual that says: Step 1, Step 2, Step 3. . .

Not tons of help I know but fiddle and learn.