WHAT are ALL THE Components to Creating a Dedicated Server?

Question

I would, sometime in the future, like to create my own dedicated server.
I don't know much about servers, although someone on the internet must.

What are ALL THE COMPONENTS to creating your own working dedicated server.

I know you need power, load balancers, hard drives, memory, server cases (not sure exactly what they are).

Anyhow, could you list all the parts to creating a dedicated web server that will host files that will be on a website distributed to people around the world?

If you could explain each of the main parts too then that would be awesome.

Answer 1

When creating a server, you have to look at how much traffic you expect, and what kind of server it is. Since you're making something like dropbox or mediafire i presume, the one major thing you'll want is space, or HDD. Heres a break down:



Servers are just like computers, they need all of the basic requirements of a computer, minus a monitor (that is, if you dont want to look at the console logging)



A BASE

You need a motherboard to be the hub for all of the components.



HARD DRIVE

Every server needs space, either Hard Drive (a write/read disk) or a Solid-state Drive (SSD). For fast computing, SSD would be best, but for most space, HDD would be best.



PROCESSOR

Ever computer needs a processor, this is where the computing is done. An important note when running a server is to have a multi-thread processor, meaning more cores than speed. This allows mutliple clients to connect at their own speed, and distribution is handled better. So an 8-core processor with 1.2Ghz processor is better than a 4-core processor with, say, 3.0Ghz.



RAM

A very important part of the server is its available RAM. This is what moves all of your data to and from the space drives, so the more you have, the more transferring at a faster rate. It goes in depth with the types of DDR being used to allow faster transferring and usage.



VIDEO CARD

This isnt important, but you will need a way of displaying the server to you, so any cheap display card will do. If you use Lunix, however, display cards won't be needed, but you will need a monitor to use the Linux console.



NOTES:

Running a server on a Linux machine is a ton better than one on Mac or PC, as it utilizes all of its components to work together, it has good optimization, but you will have to learn how to use a Linux console.



You'll want a DNS and a static external IP address if you want to run a web-based server.



If your server picks up a lot of traffic, you will need a large amount of internet to satisfy the needs of the clients, so be prepared.



You will want to learn about server ports and routers, because there are also info you can learn about optimizing a server.



Again if the server gets a lot of traffic, you may also be at risk of DDoS attacks ( Denial of Service/ Direct Denial of Service) so you want to learn a lot about routers and internet security.

Answer 2

What you are asking can not be addressed in a single post. This is because whilst its fairly straightforward and not difficult, its long!!!!!



Power, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME - UNLESS YOU GET AN ELECTRICIAN TO WIRE IT UP DIRECT TO THE HOMES POWER IN - running 3 servers will equal at least 8 plugs, it would overload most normal house sockets!!!!!!!!!!!!



The way my servers are set up are as follows



PFSENSE - > 3 x web servers -> PFSENSE -> SWITCH -> NAS ARRAY (Fibrechannel)

PFSENSE -> 2 x MYSQL Servers _^



Thats 9 servers in a rackmount. (servers are only 300 quid on ebay for a decent one which has about 5 years life left in it)



You need to learn about things like HEARTBEAT, nameservers, mail servers etc.

Answer 3

Power Supply - Some computer cases will come with a power supply pre-installed inside them but most do not. As a result, it is necessary to get a power supply that works with your components and has sufficient power. Newer features such as modular cabling and efficiency ratings are also something to consider.



Motherboard - The motherboard is the backbone of the system. It determines the type of components that can be used with the system and the number of internal peripherals the system can support. It will directly impact the processor used and total amount of memory that can be supported.



Processor - The brain of the computer system. This will be the primary factor in how fast the system is. Ironically, performance has gotten so good that many people don't need a very expensive processor for what they use their computer for.



Heatsink - If the processor was purchased via the retail packaging, it will include the manufacturer heatsink. But for those who purchased an OEM processor, it will also be necessary to have a CPU cooler. Without it, your CPU will quickly burn itself out. Make sure that any heatsink you use is designed for the socket, is properly rated for the thermal output of the processor and will fit inside of your case.



Memory - Without memory, the computer will not be able to function. The CPU needs it to store the code to tell it how to properly process data. You will need to know the type that your motherboard uses and also determine how much you need as it directly impacts performance.



Hard Drive - The primary method of storage in all desktop computer system is a hard drive. Typically it will be a 3.5" hard drive with either a Serial ATA interface. Some performance users may consider using solid state drive either for primary storage or for caching.



DVD or Blu-ray Drive - Optical drives are the component used to install most of the software on a computer system. Without one, it will be hard to even get an operating system installed. Most drives these days are DVD burners that can also playback and record CDs as well. Blu-ray is an option for those wanting to watch HD movies. More and more systems are not shipping with optical drives but if you are building a PC from scratch, you will still need one.



Video Card (Optional) - Pretty much every desktop processor now features an integrated graphics processor. This makes video cards more specialized than they were in the past. You will use one of these if you are planning on playing 3D games or will be accelerating non-3D programs like Photoshop or video encoding.



Sound Card (Optional) - Most motherboards feature some form of built-in sound controller on them. As a result, sound cards are not required unless you want higher fidelity computer audio or less reliance upon the CPU to assist with the computer audio

.

Network Card (Optional) - Ethernet has become so common a media for networking computers that this should be a standard feature on all motherboards. Some motherboards even feature wireless network adapters built in. A network card will only really be required if you want to networking wirelessly and it isn't built onto the motherboard.



Server's need quality or server grade Motherboard's with such motherboard such as a X79 System you can use dual or single Intel Xeon cpu's with max slot of Unbuffered ram 512GB ram or ECC ram .

Answer 4

why are all the answers so short these days?