Web mgmt for beginners - plz advise

Hi everyone, my friends are making a little website and they asked me to learn about a part of website creation so that I can help them out. The friends have the programming and website design skills, and my job is to learn how to put everything together. (We'd like to host it ourselves on its own server as somebody can get a great price on it, so figuring out how to do that would be my task.)

Basically, my problem is though I'm good with computers, I've never hosted a website before. I know nothing about issues involved in what needs to be done to get a website "live", secure, reliable, etc.

Some issues I could think of off the top of my head are:
- Configuring the server
- Adding more servers once the current one gets full
- Creating an email server for me and my friends to have webmail or POP-mail
- Tracking statistics of who comes to website
- Doing automatic backups of server or database content
- TCP/IP or networking issues (are they necessary?)
- FTP??
- Firewalls, Antivirus security
- DNS configuration
- What kinds of maintenance staff would be needed?
- Do I need to learn UNIX?
- Is encryption necessary for a non-payment site? How do I get it?
- Integrating a shopping cart system and payments, if needed
- etc...

I'm not asking for somebody to teach me each of these things, but I'm hoping somebody can point me in the right direction and provide some advice on getting started in this intriguing field. I was hoping somebody could tell me whether I've covered everything I should be researching in that list above, or whether I've left anything important out?

Also, where could I go about learning about all these issues? Do you recommend any websites, books, or articles that are especially great for teaching the things I'm hoping to learn? (Remember, I don't need to know in depth about the HTML and ASP programming and design - my friends will do that, but I do understand it somewhat.)

How can a person like me go from knowing nothing to knowing enough to being THE guy my friends can come to for putting their website all together?

Thanks for reading this post, I really hope somebody can provide some advice. At this point I'm very lost and confused about where to go, and I'm very intimidated by all this knowledge that I want to learn but I know nothing about! Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

Yes, you most likely will need to learn UNIX. Your best bet is to get a Mac running OS X and find as many GUI administration tools as you can. For example, ProFTPd Manager will enable the ProFTPd server and allow you to do FTP, with virtualusers, virtualhosts, etc. If this is a small server, you will not need a maiteneace staff.

HOWEVER: I strongly urge you to ask your ISP before you get involved in this; many don't appreciate your running a server (and will charge you for it). I am lucky enough to have one that does, but you might not be. Also, you'd better have broadband if you're going to even think about running a server

Hi thanks for the response. Can you explain to me the difference between Mac OS and UNIX? So I need both? Aren't they both operating systems? Wouldn't it be like having both Word and WordPerfect?

What advantages do you see in administrating the website through a Mac rather than a PC?

And just so I know what to look out for, what kinds of things do I need UNIX for? i.e. What can it do that a regular operating system cannot?

Thanks so much, I appreciate it.

Mac OS X is based on UNIX. Specifcally, Darwin, which is based on BSD (berkley Standard Distribution. UNIX is just a more common server platform and so you're likely to find better software, better support at places like this, etc. Judging from the level of experience that yourposts make it sound like you have, I'd reccomend Mac OS X Server until you get more server adminning experience. It will cost you some money, but it saves you from having to type things like


It makes it a heckuvalot easier (or so I've heard. I've never used it, but my school does.)