While this isn't exactly on the topic of _debian_ ISPs, it is related to ISPs running Linux in general.
I'm running a very small ISP. I mainly only host domains for clients I consult for; no dial-up. I add machines to my "server-farm" as I can. I usually buy pre-owned equipment to save on costs (since all of my capital comes out of my profit). For instance, I have an old Sun SparcServer 20, Apple PowerMac 9300, and a K6-III/450 (they all run debian). None of these machines are speed demons; but, they get the job done. As I get more load, I'm thinking more and more about the upgrade path. Are there any strategy guides that talk about how/when to split up services on differnet servers? Are different platforms better at different tasks (like network I/O, disk I/O, cpu)? For instance, when do you decide that your database should be moved off your web server? When should mail be split out? How do you know how much cpu/RAM you need to handle all your mail traffic? How do you know how many hits/hour a particular apache box can serve? My guess is that this is all a matter of personal tastes/experiences. In my case, you get a box and put stuff on it. If it's loaded (using top or something) you try and move stuff off of it. -- (__) Doug Alcorn (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.lathi.net) oo / PGP 02B3 1E26 BCF2 9AAF 93F1 61D7 450C B264 3E63 D543 |_/ If you're a capitalist and you have the best goods and they're free, you don't have to proselytize, you just have to wait.
