Just a followup on this post I made a little while back about my plans for replacing my web server. I replaced it about 2 weeks ago now and I am only now getting around to writing about it. What can I say? I've been busy.

I used old parts I had laying around because I really couldn't justify spending money on a new server at this point in time but still felt I needed it. This was a compromise. I ended up with this:

• P4 2.6ghz with hyper-threading
• 1gb (2gb soon) DDR-400
• 40gb system drive
• 160gb data drive

It seems like only a modest improvement over what I had before, but it is definitely noticeable. The improvement is most apparent with VMware Server, which I am using to host 4 virtual servers concurrently to handle other websites I host. I am still running my own sites on the hyper-visor.

The coolest thing about getting the new server though is that I now have a fully redundant backup in the old server. I use shell scripts and cron to keep the web root, Apache configuration, and databases synchronized.

I think I'm long past due replacing my current web server with something more capable and powerful. While my current server does its job well, I'd like to expand it's roles and for that, I need beefier hardware. Currently, I am considering using virtualization to provide virtual servers for everything I need, rather than exposing the "bare-metal" to the internet. Right now I'm not completely sure on what hypervisor/virtualization software to use, but will most likely use something from VMware, specifically, VMware Server or VMware ESXi, both of which are free. There's also Xen and KVM to consider.