Looking for web host pc

[kyleis]

Hello,
I'm looking for something very small, very cheap, and hopefully without a fan to simply be a host for my websites.
I don't expect hardly any traffic, and I'm not sure at this point they'll be very fancy, it's more of a learning tool for myself.

I was looking at:
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=7_1157&item_id=040048
Would that do the trick? I want it to simply be a nice silent little thing that has access to wifi if possible, that I can use to host my own websites. It'll be a huge learning curve, but one I've been meaning to start for quite some time. Once it's set up, I won't even likely touch it / use it at ll if I can transfer updates wirelessly/online.

I thought I'd posted about this before, but then couldn't find the post in my history, so I'm sorry if this is a repeat.

Thanks.

Any other thoughts or suggestions? Thanks.

 

[ronintexas]

How many websites - and what are you using for the sites? (Wordpress, etc.).

An alternative is hosted sites, at $4-$10 per month, you can have multiple websites hosted, and never worry about hardware/software for your sites.

 

[kyleis]

Thanks.

I havn't yet decided anything else about how I'll be hosting, I just know that I don't want to be spending money every month.
I'll likely, eventually, host between 3 - 5 sites.

I'd rather just own the equipment, and learn to make everything work myself. I have no intention of doing any sales online or any such thing. I simply want to learn how to create websites, and put some information online. It'll be more of a hobby.

For now, I'd rather just buy another pice of equipement then accumulate another monthly bill.

 

[ronintexas]

9 years ago, I was debating the same thing you are. I went with iPowerWeb (http://www.ipower.com/) and still have them as my hosting company. There are a couple of issues with hosting it yourself:
1) IP Addresses - you have to have a dedicated IP Address for a website, or configure DNS forwarding every time you change IP Addresses. This can be a real pain....
2) Hardware issues - this includes upgrades, repairs, etc., and when you consider that you can get a proplan for $5.95 per month...it is very difficult to compete hosting it yourself for the price.

At any point, you can cancel your hosting, and move it to a local machine. If you are just starting out, you can even do the month to month plan (a bit more expensive, but you don't have a 1-2 year agreement).

You will also have to register domains for each website, and maintain them - a hosting company can do this for you, and usually the first is free. I have 3 websites hosted by them, one pro account...I just have to pay for the domain registrations for the 2nd and 3rd site each year.

Most hosting companies upgrade your hardware and software (Operating Systems) free of charge as time goes on...just things to consider.