reachrishikh
Broken In
I have been giving a lot of thought to self-hosting, and have come up with this -
MTNL Triband currently offers decent upload/download speeds, and decent packages. I currently use the night unlimited package.
I have often seen that my upload speeds exceed download speeds in torrent clients (even though they have been configured to the optimum).
Which means, MTNL's upstream data capacity is really good.
Now they have a plan for Rs. 200, wherein you get a download cap of 400 megs a month, with no cap on uploads.
They also have a scheme applicable to all plans, where one could lease a fixed IP from them for a cost of Rs. 1000/- per year.
So, if someone wants to host a low-traffic personal (or even business website for that matter), all he needs to do is this -
1) Get a separate mtnl telephone line, so that you do not book up the existing line, and set it exclusively as the internet link for your web server.
2) Get a Rs. 200 Triband plan from them. If you use that phone line/internet plan solely for the web server, and it really is low-traffic, then you're not likely to even use the whole 400 megs downstream bandwidth in a month.
3) Get them to assign you a fixed IP. Now I am assuming the connection refreshing problem you guys have been discussing shouldn't crop up when the ISP assigns a fixed IP to your internet connection, so that's one worry less.
4) Register your own domain name. They cost around 400-450 bucks a year.
5) Set up a separate box, made of cheap hardware parts for the server. You can even use an old computer for that purpose.
So the monthly costs would come to around 320/- bucks a month, dividing the fixed ip charges and the fixed annual domain costs, and calculating their cost in the above figure.
It is far cheaper than many of the paid hosting solutions available out there, and you have all the hdd space you want, instead of the measly few gigabytes that most offer. The only cap on uploads bandwidth would come to around 75 GB per month at an average upload speed of 256 kbps, assuming MTNL does not have a problem with it, and neither does it have an issue with you running a web-server off their home broadband lines, and assuming it utilizes the 256 kbps upstream data transfer every second of the allotted month. But I doubt a low-traffic website would ever utilise that much, unless you also want to use it as an ftp server.
A little tip here - you can always store all pictures on sites such as imageshack and videos on youtube and put up pointer-links to them, so you have less to store on your own server, and consequently, use up less of your own bandwidth.
Also, you are free to set up your server the way you want, install only those applications that you are comfortable with, and see to the security and maintenance of your server/data in the way you want. Think of the convinience!
But this will only work if you're a geek and know what to do and how to manage the server. Otherwise, you'd be better off outsourcing your hosting.
Now the only factor inhibiting myself from going out and doing such a thing is the electricity bills. My dad already is always on my case for the one 24x7 running computer that racks up such a large bill, I wonder how much 2 systems, where atleast one will have to run 24x7 because it is a server, will consume in terms of electricity.
Now there can be a solution to that as well, but it may sound a bit far-fetched. Generate your own energy. I have been reading up on generating alternate sources of energy at home, for personal use, but haven't tried anything yet. But still, it is doable.
You might be able to generate atleast as much energy, as will be required by the box that runs the server, and you're all set. It is really possible to generate your own power. Just don't ask me how yet, I'm still looking for the answer myself, and when I find out, I'll let you guys know.
MTNL Triband currently offers decent upload/download speeds, and decent packages. I currently use the night unlimited package.
I have often seen that my upload speeds exceed download speeds in torrent clients (even though they have been configured to the optimum).
Which means, MTNL's upstream data capacity is really good.
Now they have a plan for Rs. 200, wherein you get a download cap of 400 megs a month, with no cap on uploads.
They also have a scheme applicable to all plans, where one could lease a fixed IP from them for a cost of Rs. 1000/- per year.
So, if someone wants to host a low-traffic personal (or even business website for that matter), all he needs to do is this -
1) Get a separate mtnl telephone line, so that you do not book up the existing line, and set it exclusively as the internet link for your web server.
2) Get a Rs. 200 Triband plan from them. If you use that phone line/internet plan solely for the web server, and it really is low-traffic, then you're not likely to even use the whole 400 megs downstream bandwidth in a month.
3) Get them to assign you a fixed IP. Now I am assuming the connection refreshing problem you guys have been discussing shouldn't crop up when the ISP assigns a fixed IP to your internet connection, so that's one worry less.
4) Register your own domain name. They cost around 400-450 bucks a year.
5) Set up a separate box, made of cheap hardware parts for the server. You can even use an old computer for that purpose.
So the monthly costs would come to around 320/- bucks a month, dividing the fixed ip charges and the fixed annual domain costs, and calculating their cost in the above figure.
It is far cheaper than many of the paid hosting solutions available out there, and you have all the hdd space you want, instead of the measly few gigabytes that most offer. The only cap on uploads bandwidth would come to around 75 GB per month at an average upload speed of 256 kbps, assuming MTNL does not have a problem with it, and neither does it have an issue with you running a web-server off their home broadband lines, and assuming it utilizes the 256 kbps upstream data transfer every second of the allotted month. But I doubt a low-traffic website would ever utilise that much, unless you also want to use it as an ftp server.
A little tip here - you can always store all pictures on sites such as imageshack and videos on youtube and put up pointer-links to them, so you have less to store on your own server, and consequently, use up less of your own bandwidth.
Also, you are free to set up your server the way you want, install only those applications that you are comfortable with, and see to the security and maintenance of your server/data in the way you want. Think of the convinience!
But this will only work if you're a geek and know what to do and how to manage the server. Otherwise, you'd be better off outsourcing your hosting.
Now the only factor inhibiting myself from going out and doing such a thing is the electricity bills. My dad already is always on my case for the one 24x7 running computer that racks up such a large bill, I wonder how much 2 systems, where atleast one will have to run 24x7 because it is a server, will consume in terms of electricity.
Now there can be a solution to that as well, but it may sound a bit far-fetched. Generate your own energy. I have been reading up on generating alternate sources of energy at home, for personal use, but haven't tried anything yet. But still, it is doable.
You might be able to generate atleast as much energy, as will be required by the box that runs the server, and you're all set. It is really possible to generate your own power. Just don't ask me how yet, I'm still looking for the answer myself, and when I find out, I'll let you guys know.
