Manage your own server

Managing your own server can be a daunting task, especially when it’s not your primary occupation. Here’s my short list of how to manage your own:

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1. Educate yourself
   The help is out there: Find communities such as HowToForge.com and Microsoft’s Developer Network to find information on how to get things done.
2. Stay up to date
   Software is regularly updated to provide vital security fixes and new features. Subscribe to all relevant newsfeeds and newsgroups. Don’t wait to discover bugs.
3. Keep your eye on the ball
   Your systems that is. Use monitoring software like nagios to get notified of any problems.
4. Choose the right tools
   Not comfortable using a command line interface? Then pick a suitable control panel instead. I recommend Webmin or Plesk. But be aware that they can’t do everything you may need to do.
5. Most advice is free, but give something back if you can
   Most people on the web are happy to help you out. Just ask politely and remember to give something back by either helping others or donating to shareware/freeware projects. This is especially recommended when using open source software, as it helps to continue development and bug fixing.
6. Pay for a helping hand when you need it
   If you run a commercial project you may need to get things done quickly, so be prepared to pay for hands-on help. Your first port of call should be the community you are involved in and your service provider. Most are happy to “get down and dirty” for a little financial reward. It could save your skin and usually a lot of time.
7. Use best practice
   Most softwares and systems have established “best practice” guidelines on how to do things properly. Google them or ask the community, you’ll be surprised by how much time you can save by reading instead of wasting it on blindly diving into something
8. Use stable branches of software
   Don’t live on the cutting edge and opt for something mature and reliable, even if it’s two years old and there’s a development version available. Beta versions should never be used in production environments as they can fail you when you need them to work most.
9. Keep your passwords secure and your ports closed
   Most people just choose easy to remember passwords and don’t bother with a firewall. Don’t be lazy and regularly update your master passwords, keep them at least 8 characters in length with variations of upper- and lower-cases as well as numbers. Make sure you spend time firewalling your server properly. Switch to non-standard port numbers where possible or filter them with a proxy.
10. Choose a reliable provider over a cheap one
    If you use your server to make money it will pay to pay more. A good provider is there to help you and keeps their network secure, as well as use good quality hardware. A cheap host is just that: cheap.