Hi,

I know nothing about Linux, and I am interested in Linode VPS. I have some questions for the current customers and hoping that you will answer.

1) I am intending to host my website, my mail + psyBNC. Will this cause a hugh load in the VPS? How much does psyBNC averagely use?

2) Is there any control panel for me to easily manage the server?

3) Do I need to justify for 3 extra IPs? 2 for DNS, 1 for vhost?

4) I may need hand holding to do certain stuff, is Linode able to support me?

Thanks for reading..

Hey!

I was in much the same boat as you when I came to Linode and it's been an absolutely fantastic place to learn Linux from scratch! Answering your questions --

1. You'll be fine with that combination as long as you're not running large forums or very busy websites with dynamic content. The psyBNC process will not be noticeable whatsoever, unless you're talking about hosting 50+ users!

2. The only form of Control Panel that your Linode would come with is used for managing aspects of your account outside the actual operating system, such as your disk images, new distributions, reverse DNS setup, etc. You're probably referring to control panels which can modify your OS such as Cpanel or Plesk - Linodes do not come with these. If you're worried that you won't know what you're doing without a control panel (as I was) then don't be! If you go wrong anywhere you can be back to having a working installation in just a couple of minutes by redeploying a distribution of your choice. Many make use of a free control panel called Webmin (www.webmin.com). This is a great control panel for learning about how Linux works without having to delve too deep under the hood. You'll be able to see the changes you make within Webmin in the config files and learn from them, so I'd recommend looking into information about this.

3. There is no need for official IP justification here that I'm aware of, although Chris may have more to say on that. Either way, you'll be fine with the low number of IPs you are needing.

4. Linode is an unmanaged service so it's unlikely it'll be able to hold your hand whilst you get used to Linux. However, you'll find plenty of people around here that are willing to help, and Google is probably the best 'hand-holder' you'll find. If I managed it, you can too!

Feel free to PM me on the forums if you do end up going for it, I'd be happy to help you out and make sure you set off on the right foot

Cheers!

Hi Quick,

Thanks for replying me and reassuring me of feeling comfortable with linode.

There are probably several people here who will disagree with me, but I'd say that if you're new to Linux, don't start out hosting your own DNS. Find a good DNS provider <cough>ZoneEdit</cough> and set up your DNS there. ZoneEdit will let you host 5 domains for free, so why not, right?

Another great advantage of this is that your DNS server will still be answering queries if your linode is down for some reason. Oh, and you won't need 3 IPs, just 1. That'll save you $24/year.

As for administering a linode, there is a slightly sharp learning curve, but there are plenty of people here to help out. Not to mention google and The Linux Documentation Project. I've been using/administering linux for about 5 years now (started on RedHat 5) and I still find myself going to tldp at least once a week.

--James