While making a server purchase one should consider a few things before actually doing so i.e. what to buy? The answer should be a quadruple processor, and super fast turbo server, but several times it is not considered logical or affordable. Therefore, there is need to check all the pros and cons of this option. What to buy?
Before starting anything one should determine his/her budget. One needs to be bit realistic and expect to spend at least $2,500 for a low-end server. For a low-end, quality server with other needed equipment and services spending little over $4,500 are quite common.
Determining ISP (broadband) provider- One should determine ISP provider .For this one should perform research and should talk with several different vendors before deciding which broadband solution best suit his/her needs. One should keep in mind that each provider's plan is quite different and has different benefits, so one should select the best one which fits his/her needs. One should also consider bandwidth when choosing his/her ISP.
Purchasing of a backup device before implementing a server install - One should purchase a backup device before implementing a server install. Care should be taken that it should be double the server storage space. Now it can be a separate unit like an external hard drive or network storage device or the backup device could be multiple devices such as: backup tapes, disc, etc. The reason behind keeping the backup device larger is that one can easily get a backup of several months instead of just weeks. It is always advisable to have at least 24 weeks of backups without the concern of storage space. Also the backup device or safe deposits should also be external, removable, and portable. This is to ensure that the backups can be stored in a remote location as well in case of need. Usually for safekeeping in event of a theft or disaster
One should determine his/her daily traffic goal. One should be realistic with the daily traffic which he/she hope to see within 1 year, thereafter one should divide that number by the daily traffic one currently is receiving, and then multiply that number by 5. The resultant would be the total number of GB space one needs. Example:
Daily Traffic Goal: 10,000
Current Daily Traffic: 500 Times
So Daily Traffic Goal: 10,000 / Current Daily Traffic: 500 Times X 5 = 100GB
In the above example one should purchase a 100GB Hard Drive, it is best to buy 2 or more drives oppose to 1. In this case one should buy two 60GB drive making a total of 120GB. The reason behind taking two or more drives is that 2 or more drives are usually needed in a server to configure the proper RAID option, in some cases 3 or more are even required. It is always essential to have a backup storage space with minimum capacity of 200GB.