Quote:
Originally Posted by christiwilsonc
Would like to set up 2 more. 1 for Active Directory, 1 for Windows Media(?)
I am wondering if I should hire a private server management to overlook security, updates etc.
|
Generally speaking, security should be a top concern. Lots of amateurs worry about "SEO" (the wrong kind), and keyword "research" (spamming), and pay no attention to the security of their sites. An unsecured site is a hacked site, and a hacked site is no site. No site = no business. If you're not very savvy in this area, then you'll want to either hire and independent admin, or even an admin service. Most admins available for hire handle Linux, not Windows, too -- so you'll have a bit more work finding competent service.
Quote:
|
What all is invovled in security management?
|
This is one of those vague questions people ask. It's not much different from asking the classic "How long is a piece of string?" It really depends on how the hardware and software is setup, what is in use, etc. Security can range from being behind proper hardware appliances to managing on-server firewalls to optimizing permissions on everything in use.
Quote:
|
Is this something that I can do myself?
|
This is one of those questions where, if you have to ask, the answer is "no". And I don't say that with any rudeness intended, but simply as an honest answer -- the answer that's in your best intentions. When it comes to security, quite a bit is making decisions on-the-fly, using knowledge you already have. It's really not as easy as following guides. I learned server administration over a period of probably 10 years, learning from other admins, either on-site at jobs or through managed hosts I've used.
Quote:
|
I have looked and researched companies and quite frankly they are very expensive.
|
There's a lot involved, which is where the costs come in.
Quote:
|
And from what they offer doesn't look like something that I cannot do myself, as long as I have the information what needs to be done. What are opinions from members here who do their own server management? I cannot justify paying someone 55.00 a month for a VPS that I pay 15.00 per month.
|
Well, again, that's part of the issue -- they're not really following guides or instruction books. They're applying knowledge to a situation. It's sort of like a surgeon, to a degree. A good surgeon knows how to make decisions based on what he/she observes. It's not an issue of holding a medical book and then slicing as based on diagrams and instructions. This is one of the more difficult areas of running servers. Installing stuff is easy -- securing it isn't so rote.
Quote:
|
I would like to set up Active Directory on my network. What do I need to prepare for this? I figure I will purchase another small VPS. What are the biggest pitfalls I should look out for?
|
I'll be honest with you -- I've done my best to avoid AD through the years. It always added a level of complication that made already-hard code near-impossible to understand. You almost have to have Microsoft training to really understand what's going on. While I have a high degree of knowledge on hosting, servers, etc -- I'm still a journalist at the core. I write, photograph, video, design, etc. Tech was just the tool that powers some of that.
Quote:
|
I have decided to go with MailEnable instead of SmarterMail/stats/track. What is involved in setting this up?
|
MailEnable has really easy instructions to follow. Are you planning to use the free version, or one of the paid versions?
Quote:
|
David, my fiance, is looking for a VPS for his music streaming. (all his own work). We looked at Windows Media, what are the pros and cons of Windows media? He will be joining this forum soon to ask questions specific for streaming and such, I am just wondering what needs to be set up for him to do these things.
|
Yes, definitely have him join, and we can go over this. Generally speaking, Windows Media is "so yesterday". That was the streaming format from 10 years ago. It hangs on, crying for dear life, in the 2010s. The modern format for streaming media is solidified as H.264 or a variant thereof. It's used by cameras, broadcasters, mainstream sites (Youtube, Hulu, Netflix), and HTML5. WMV MPEG-4 is dead.
Quote:
|
Besides Davids media server/vps, I am not oposed to paying someone to help set up my environment, I just don't want to be overcharged and I need to know what I should look for when hiring someone. I am very leery about allowing someone to work on my network that I don't know.
|
For streaming, I'd look at something like this:
http://hwdmediashare.co.uk
And get help setting it up -- I wouldn't try to tackle Linux servers on your own. (If anything, Linux has more holes and is harder to secure than Windows 2008.)
This is actually a server we could do, and I'd be the one doing this task.
Quote:
|
If I left anything out, please ask. It has taken me a few days to try and figure what to ask so this is what I have come up with. Thank you everyone in advanced. Any information is truly appreciated. Christi
|
Always glad to help.
And my apologies on the slow reply. It's been an unexpectedly busy month.
