I was about to hunker down and learn how to set up a linode (sysadmin n00b - web developer). But then I was wondering, can I hire someone to set that up for me (initial config, installation of all of the necessary LAMP software and maybe cpanel)?

The drawback to setting it up myself is that I feel like it's not the best use of my time. I kinda want to learn how but want to focus on building the site and networking with other people.

But my concern is that since linode is not managed hosting, I would need to maintain it after the initial setup. Would learning the upkeep be another way to go about learning how to maintain a server? Or would I be totally clueless?

Or should I just go with managed hosting somewhere?

This is what I'm struggling with right now. I'm thinking I'm going to stick with Linode myself.

But yes, if you stick with Linode and don't pay someone to maintain the server (virtual in this case) for you, you have to maintain it, keep it up to date for security patches, deal with performance issues, etc.

If you want VPS, but want it managed, I know of one quality host who does just that http://www.pair.com/services/vps/ but you do pay more.

In my experience Pair is well worth the money. I personally just don't want to pay $80 per month for it, otherwise I would be going with them. I currently use them and have a shared hosting plan with them, but I'm tired of sharing and would like to reduce cost a bit. That's where Linode fits the bill for me.

thanks waldo. have you started building your linode or just in prelim research mode?

what are you main concerns about diving in?

if i choose to be my own sysadmin, ill probably follow this tutorial...
http://www.linode.com/wiki/index.php/CentOS#Lighttpd

any other references that you might recommend?

Building, deleting, rebuilding reading, reading, reading and some more reading. Asking questions, etc.

I've used Ubuntu at home and it's my main OS on my laptop. Booting into Windows only twice in the last 3 or so months. For the server at Linode though I'm going with Debian 5.0. Tried Ubuntu, but just didn't like the feel. Debian just seems to "feel" better for me. It's all a matter of opinion.

I don't have tons and tons of Linux experience, but I've lightly used it over the years installing various distros and checking them out for desktop use. FreeBSD is what my current host uses so I've had a lot of end user experience via SSH maintaining my sites as they are all edited in pine or nano.

I personally don't care for Red Hat or anything based on it (Fedora, Centos, etc) Tried them, just don't like them.

My background is Windows as I preside over about 150 workstations and have done server installs and maintenance in the past. Need a Windows box setup? I can do that quick, practically in my sleep, no research needed. I just don't prefer it for hosting websites. Linux is lean and mean, well it can be made so a lot easier than Windows.

If your not quite up to the challenge of running a Linux server yourself, I can setup your Linode for you. It can be fun to learn all the ins and outs of Linux for yourself, but if you need to get a server up on a deadline, hiring a server admin would be a good choice.

I'd be more than happy to work with you to find a solution that meets your needs. Initial consultations are free of charge.

Thanks,
Brandon
XenScale | Server Management
http://www.xenscale.com
Email: hello@xenscale.com