ADSL options

[andrewducker]

We're currently connected to the internet via NAT, making it impossible to, for instance, run our own webserver (which would be cool).

However, I just discovered that our provider is going to start selling individual IP accounts, which is remarkably tempting. The only thing I have to do now is buy a small box to use as a server (I cant' use any of the existing boxes, as they get used all the time for actual stuff, and therefore get restarted/run intensive tasks, etc.)

Comments

A server is not an OS

[andrewducker]

A server is any program which, when you send it some information, sends information back. :-P

Sure Windows sucks, comparatively. And if we want maxiumum performance out of it, we restart our windows fileserver once every couple of months. But on the plus side, I can actually run the software I want on it, as neither Groove nor Radio Userland have Unix versions yet.

Use decent hardware and don't fill it with crap, and even Windows 95 could be useful. We ran Windows98 with ICS as our NAT-box in my previous job, and it happily stayed up for over a month at a time, because there was nothing on it to break it.

Re: A server is not an OS

[rahaeli.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, I'll grant you that in capable hands, Windows can run along just fine serving data. I'm just so used to running Unix that I wouldn't even know where to start making a Windows box serve efficiently. (I first typo'd 'swerve'. Guess I shouldn't type one-handed while smoking, though that was certainly Freudian.)

I'm just a little bit bitter about the thought of all those unpatched IIS servers out there that are (still!) hammering my connection with requests to exploit the latest trojan du jour. I'm certain that any box you run would be quite secure, as I'm fairly certain of your Clue Level (tm), but call it a case of once bitten twice shy. ;)

Making it too easy

[andrewducker]

The problem with Windows Boxes is that any idiot can run them, and most of them do.

Which is why the first thing to do with any Windows Server is to download all of the patches (hurrah for Windows Update!). The second thing to do is to shut down any services you don't use, and the third thing to do is to stick on ZoneAlarm (or your other choice of firewall software) and tell it to lock down every port that you don't explicitly want to use.

Having done that, you've at least locked out the stupid script-kiddies and the known faults, and any other stupid thing you do is going to be your fault rather than Windows' fault.

Unix makes it a lot harder for your average newbie to get a server up and running. This is of course both a good and a bad thing.