[LRUG] Low usage production server options?

[Daniel Tenner]

For the record, for £30-40 a month you can already get a dedicated  
server (e.g. from ServerBeach). You'll have to do all the admin and  
setup yourself, but they do provide ways to reinstall the server and  
reboot it via their panel... So you'll definitely learn how to do it.

For learning how to work with linux, though, nothing beats installing  
it on a local machine (e.g. an old computer you had stuck in a corner  
somewhere). Ubuntu is, imho, the friendliest to beginners, and it's a  
good introduction to Debian, which is good for actual production  
servers.

Daniel

On 9 Jan 2008, at 15:29 9 Jan 2008, Andrew Stewart wrote:

>
> On 9 Jan 2008, at 15:14, Simon Sebright wrote:
>> So, can anyone offer and advice on getting my app running
>> somewhere, either on a machine of my own or a hosting provider
>> somewhere?  I don't mind installing Linux somewhere, but have
>> really no clue how to administer it.  Speed is really not a problem
>> - if so many people use the site, it becomes a problem, then I have
>> a good problem!
>
> If you have a spare Linux box at home, you could get a simple
> deployment working fairly easily.  Forget about a web server (e.g.
> Apache, Nginx) initially; Mongrel (app server) will be fine on its
> own.  So install Ruby on your Linux box, then Ruby gems, then use the
> gem system to install Mongrel and Rails.
>
> Alternatively you could use one of the many hosts out there.  They
> cover the spectrum from cheap, mass market (~£3/month) packages to
> dedicated VPSs (~£30-40/month) and beyond.
>
> I strongly recommend avoiding the mass market end.  These hosts
> generally slap "We support Ruby on Rails" on their site because Rails
> is growing in popularity but they don't have any experience with it.
> It always goes wrong.
>
> As for the rest, the trade-off of price, support and resources is up
> to you.  Some are dearer but pretty much do everything for you (e.g.
> Rails Machine) while some are cheaper but expect you to do more work
> (e.g. Slicehost).
>
> One point to bear in mind is that a Rails stack is more akin to a
> Java stack, in terms of server resources, than, say, a PHP one.
> People coming from PHP are often surprised at Rails's memory
> requirements.
>
> Personally I use Rails Machine because I'd rather pay somebody to do
> what I'm not good at (server administration) and spend my time on
> activities I am good at (e.g. application development).  But it's a
> matter of personal preference.
>
> Good luck!
>
> Andy Stewart
>
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