What kind of internet speed do you need to create a personal server?

Question

I would like to create my personal ubuntu linux server !
Because i cant find one for free or cheap (do you know any?) , also i would like to experiment/learn
I know i just need a pc a dns name , and softs ( linux )
but i would like what kind of a connection do you need , for example if 2000 persons surf that server on the same time!
Thank you for your time!
And have a great day!

Answer 1

In the UK there are rarely Terms of Service that prohibit running a server at home. In the US I understand that it's very much the opposite situation, such that many ISPs actually block inbound ports 80/tcp (http) and 443/tcp (https). Of course, there's nothing technically then stopping you running your server on a different port.



Most ISPs will only give you a dynamic address, so you'll need something like no-ip or dydns to give you a domain name that maps dynamically. Some ISPs (like the one I use) will give you a static address, so you can set up DNS cleanly and easily.



You can get a cheap server from places such as OVH. The "Kimsufi" range is only about £10/month and comes with a very generous bandwidth allowance. These boxes appear to be real (Atom based) rather than virtualised. Other places also offer entire VMs. Quality varies, of course, as does price.



In terms of bandwidth requirements, it's pretty easy maths. Let's assume a home ADSL connection with a 1 Mb/s upload speed, and that a typical web page including its images and other referenced files comes in at a miserly 50 KB. Let's also assume that each user spends an average of 7 seconds reading a page, but that they won't wait more than 2 seconds for a page to load.



Now, 1 Mb/s = 0.1 MB/s = 100 KB/s (approximately).

So, for a 50KB page, we have 50 / 100 = 0.5 seconds to send that to a user.



We have (7+2) = 9 seconds available per page for each user

So, for an 0.5 second delivery time we have 9/0.5 = 18 slots per concurrent user



In other words, when your site is really busy, you'll max out your connection with 18 concurrent users.



However, you have to ask yourself whether you really would have 18 users all wandering around your website at the same time. I'll leave you to adjust the calculations to see what 1Gb/s would let you deliver, or turn them insideout to see what you'd require for 2000 concurrent active users.

Answer 2

2000 people? That is a lot, especially at "the same time". Not all traffic runs steady on web servers...



For a server that large, you would need a commercial Internet account, with at least 20-100mbps upload, depending on what your web server offers up when people browse it.

Also, 2000 people would need a large server (hardware) to service that load, especially if there is any SQL/PHP code running.



I would suggest starting smaller, learn about the web server and network traffic (and how to administer it all...). Once you see traffic reach 10 to 50 people at the same time, then consider moving to a larger server and a higher data rate plan. For a few dozen users, a 5 to 10mbps upload would do, provided it is NOT video or music downloads. Those types of downloads will kill any home service quickly (overload it)

Answer 3

Technically you can run a server on any computer, but the results aren't too good on home connection usless you'r just serving to yourself and a few friends. Really the bandwidth requirment is based on what you are serving.



Really the simplest way to get a server going is to buy a VPS (virtual private server) (start as low a 10 dollars a month, and you pay for more resources as you require them.

Answer 4

2000 users on a single server at the same time. Dream on. The average for a top quality server is around 25 to 50 users at one time. You are going to have an interesting time trying to support 2000 users at one time on a single server.



You would not be able to support 2000 users on a home speed Internet line. You would not be able to support 25-50 users on a home speed Internet line, You would be looking at a T1 line or higher. Those start out at around $3000 a month. Plus would require the installation of fiber optic lines.



Check your contract with your ISP. Odds are that it will restrict you from being able to run a server on their Internet lines. (It would be equivalent in usage to you adding 2000 people to their service and only paying for one connection. Not going to happen.) They can (and will) terminate your service for running a server on their lines.



You might get away with setting up a server and sharing it with a handful of your friends, You have 3 to 5 people on at a time and the ISP would probably not notice it. (How many people have 3 to 5 computers in their house all sharing one account?) But if you tried to put 2000 people on they would yank your account in nothing flat.



Assuming that it is a web server you want to host, your best alternative would be to build your own Linux server and host the prototype of the web site. Make it know to a handful of friends for testing, etc. Once you have it working, move the production copy to a hosting service. They will have the bandwidth to support hundreds of visitors, and they will have the staff to assure that it stays running 24x7x365. Continue to use your personal server for testing and development.

Answer 5

If it is personal as in for your own private use then any speed will do. If you are opening it up to the public you would not be able to handle 2000 visitors on a domestic connection. The small print for the account with your ISP probably does not allow you to run your own server on their network and would cause the account to be terminated if you tried.

Answer 6

Whether your ISP has anything against running servers is up to them. Cable internet is usually against public servers unless you have a business class account because using excessive bandwidth can affect others in your neighborhood.



My ISP (was Ameritech, then SBCGlobal, now AT&T) used to have something in their TOS about servers, but that was a remnant from Prodigy dial up service and at the same time was advertising the ability to run servers on DSL. And the lower DSL upload does not affect their end at all, so they never bothered any of us running any public server apps. The only difference between consumer DSL and business DSL is that consumer DSL is single dynamic IP and business DSL gives you 5 static IPs (all routed through a single PPPoE connection). You can get around the dynamic IP by using a dynamic DNS service to point static name(s) at your dynamic IP (I used no-ip.com). They do not block incoming port 80 (http), but do block certain ports related to spreading worms and viruses (outgoing port 25 and Windows file and printer sharing ports, although, you can request that port 25 block be lifted).



Although, depending up what internet service you have at home you can likely set up a server to practice on or for friends (even if you have to use non-standard ports). But for widespread use it would help to host your actual site elsewhere. I have not done that for awhile, but there used to be web hosting that was free if you did not mind banner ads, or relatively low cost for virtual web hosting (one of many virtual hosts on a FreeBSD or Linux computer).



If you just want to host web content you might want to look into a Unix shell account somewhere. For example http://freeshell.org/ offers 200 MB web space for free or 600 MB for ARPA members for a one lifetime donation of $36 US. They run NetBSD, but if you are familiar with Linux, you can find your way around it. Not sure of their current internet connection speed, but last I knew it was 155 Mbps for multiple dedicated servers.

Answer 7

i dont know :/