C@rappy Server Noob Questions GO!

[MairuFrost]

I'm looking to buy a server for my own personal study and fun. I want to run a few game servers/private Servers (will list shortly), and test and develop (though as a self study and fun project) a browser strategy game that has accounts that are integrated with a forum ID and an AJAX Chat system purely because i think it would be real awesome and maybe become a bigger thing if i'm 150,000% lucky. I'm a long way to even getting there, so just using it to play some games, learn about databases. and play around would be fun.

Games I'd like to play with my friends:

1. Minecraft (modded)
2. Rend
3. Space Engineers
4. Left 4 Dead 2
5. Starbound
6. Terraria

Private servers I want to play with:

1. (Private Server) Ragnarok Online
2. FlyFF
3. Mabinogi

If I can do just do what's bold simultaneously for like 8 people I'd consider this a completely full investment though I wouldn't mind for like 16.

I know a few games I play only have windows server support so I'll probably be gunning for Windows Server 2003 as my os.

Servers I'm looking currently looking at are THIS, or THIS.

Spoiler

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Poweredge-R410-2-X-SIX-CORE-2-66GHZ-X5650-32GB-RAM-500GB-SERVER-QTY-AVBL/352529689777?hash=item5214682cb1:g:FysAAOSwh2xYAR-N
or
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-ProLiant-DL360-G7-Server-2x-E5540-2-53GHz-8-Cores-16GB-RAM-ILO/172835902312?_trkparms=aid%3D555018%26algo%3DPL.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3D64c27d173c374cf0b8386637747896a0%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D352529689777%26itm%3D172835902312&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

I use to run a minecraft vanilla server back in beta off a AMD athlon II @ 2.8Ghz or something, 4 GBS ram it was a cr@ppy device that did the job for like 7 of us, no redstone just pvp.

If you have any suggestions (that doesn't require me to spend more than like 170.oo total) I'd very much appreciate it. Thank you in advance!

[Electronics Wizardy]

2 minutes ago, MairuFrost said:

I play only have windows server support so I'll probably be gunning for Windows Server 2003 as my os.

Please please no.

 

2003 is getting very old now and not supported. Huge security hole.

 

Your best bet if to run a hypervisor(like esxi, hyper-v, proxmox or others). Then run all your tasks in a vm. That way you can run multiple oses at once, and easily roll back changes and move vms if needed. Its also good service tinkering and practice with vms, which is what a lot of people are running these days(aws, google cloud and others are almost all vms).

 

The dell server is the better bet, more ram, faster cpu.

 

You probably want a ssd if you can, otherwise get more drives.

 

 

You can get a r710 for about that price, but it will be with a slower cpu + less ram, but your getting more drive bays and more pcie slots with less noise if that matters to you. The r410 looks like a good bet for now.

 

 

 

[pbx2]

If you're running servers that are public, Get a VPS, It'll save you from getting your home internet ddos attacked, Along with the benefits like faster network connection, better ping for others etc.
And if you're still toying with the idea then I suggest getting one too, As it's cheaper than buying a server outright, At least for a few months. (and you get free hardware replacements) 


If you are going to buy one of those servers, The x5650 Dell is the better one.
Oh yeah, DO NOT use Server 2003, Even windows 10 configured properly is better.
(IIRC There's also no such thing as "Windows server support", They'll work fine in standard windows)

[KuJoe]

7 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Please please no.

I second this. 2003 is an awful, awful OS even when it was new. In addition to it being extremely sluggish and painful to use, the stability is awful. 2008 is nearing EOL but I still use them for my game servers that don't run on Linux and it's leaps and bounds better than 2003. Every time I have to login to a 2003 server I die a little on the inside and die even more when I remember how much we're paying MS for patches.

[MairuFrost]

This server will just be for "home/friend" use only. 

Windows Server 2003. The reason I thought of using this os is because

1. I know someone who'd let me legally use their copy
2. in some of the private server tutorials i've read anything other then 2003 can cause huge stability issues and hog excessive memory. (though not saying 2008 wouldn't work stability.
3. I wouldn't open this server outside my house.
4. Money.

I have a bunch of old half full 500gb drives I was planning on donating to the cause.

Sadly I do not have much spare pc parts anymore, thus no SSD. ;A;

I was planning on using VNs, but I don't know much about them. Like best software, or how much of system resources to partition

R410, is better in ram and it's processor is .10ish ghz faster but it's 2 cores less... but the DL360 has 2 more cores and I could just upgrade the ram with that extra 24ish I save, unless ram isn't that cheap? I haven't looked into servers before.

If i do open the server to the internet at all, it'll only be to people where I know who they are and where they live and work.

[pbx2]

10 minutes ago, MairuFrost said:

Windows Server 2003. The reason I thought of using this os is because

1. I know someone who'd let me legally use their copy
2. in some of the private server tutorials i've read anything other then 2003 can cause huge stability issues and hog excessive memory. (though not saying 2008 wouldn't work stability.
3. I wouldn't open this server outside my house.
4. Money.

 

Windows 10 is like £10/$15 on whatever key site you want to use, Configured correctly it's secure.
 

11 minutes ago, MairuFrost said:

If i do open the server to the internet at all, it'll only be to people where I know who they are and where they live and work.

In this case, Ensure your firewall is strict and you only open ports you truly need.

[MairuFrost]

Yes, I could buy Windows 10... I have a copy of Windows 10 i'm not using on my surface that I could probally just use...

However if I follow This video of linustechtips talking about server edition here, regular windows compared to a server version has things locked down.

Spoiler

 

Max Ram installation lock
no remote desktop
Can't connect to a domain (though I guess this one doesn't affect me)
Hardware

Which is why I was thinking server edition windows. I'll try to see if I can get the one private server running on my laptop in 10. i'm not sure it's going to work though. If it was just Minecraft, or rend or whatnot i'd be like yes, Windows 10 makes the most sense. but for private servers, coded to work on certain version of windows servers.... That's why i was stuck on win 2003. Though Honestly isn't windows 10 free? i mean things like changing your background is locked behind a paywall (cd key)... but general functionality it should work without one? 

Is there any tutorials you could recommend about virtualization, system allucating, and networking?

I have a linksys wrt54gs v6 and wrt54gl v1.1 roughters already. My brother raved about them before he passed away. 

Edit:
The dell comes with a hard drive? I think i'll go with it if I don't find a better deal.

[Electronics Wizardy]

7 hours ago, MairuFrost said:

Windows Server 2003. The reason I thought of using this os is because

1. I know someone who'd let me legally use their copy
2. in some of the private server tutorials i've read anything other then 2003 can cause huge stability issues and hog excessive memory. (though not saying 2008 wouldn't work stability.
3. I wouldn't open this server outside my house.
4. Money.

Stay away from 2003

 

Id run everything in vms here, run what every os you want on those vms.

 

7 hours ago, MairuFrost said:

was planning on using VNs, but I don't know much about them. Like best software, or how much of system resources to partition

Give proxmox a shot. Install proxmox on the host, then put vms on there. Pretty simple to use and lots of good guides.

 

7 hours ago, MairuFrost said:

R410, is better in ram and it's processor is .10ish ghz faster but it's 2 cores less... but the DL360 has 2 more cores and I could just upgrade the ram with that extra 24ish I save, unless ram isn't that cheap? I haven't looked into servers before.

The dell has the 6 cores and the higher clock speed, there just better cpus

 

6 hours ago, MairuFrost said:

Yes, I could buy Windows 10... I have a copy of Windows 10 i'm not using on my surface that I could probally just use...

You can use the free trial of windows 10 or windows server(windows server trial is like 180 days, its a long time)

 

6 hours ago, MairuFrost said:

Is there any tutorials you could recommend about virtualization, system allucating, and networking?

I can help you here, but Id just play around for a day, make vms, destory them, see what all the settings do, google around.