[thelist] Server Administration

[Kasimir K]

Matthew Lewis scribeva in 2005-06-23 22:01:
> only DSL, so I won't be running anything from here. Meaning, I suppose, 
> that I'll have to do everything through a command-line interface (which 
> is fine; I'm sure I can learn that part easily enough).

CLI is easy enough to learn, but you can use web based admin tools too, 
like Webmin [http://www.webmin.com/].

> I really just want something secure, that won't take a ton of my time to 
> look after.  All things considered, I may just opt for a managed, 
> dedicated server somewhere.  I know the cost will be higher, but if it 
> frees me up to do my other work . . .

Indeed. I'm not a admin guy myself, but I've had to do some emergency 
maintenance on a server - it meant ridiculous amount of working hours I 
couldn't invoice.

> Still, I do consider server administration a useful skill. I just don't 
> know if it's for me.  Is there any easy way to just get my feet wet in 
> all this and see how it comes along?

There certainly is. Find an abandoned pc somewhere and set that up as 
your local development server - a 200MHz Pentium will do fine. It makes 
your development easier, and you can learn how to secure a server 
without risking production environment. Learn also how to break into a 
server, and practice that on your box - you got to know where the 
baddies crawl in before you can close those holes.

.k