Help with hosting and other issues

Logon · 12-06-2005, 05:59 AM

Hi, I've been trying to do some research in terms of finding out what type of software, server and other hardware or software I would be required to have if I decided to sell MP3's over the web and how much they would cost. I've looked all over the place and have found absolutley zilch on this topic.

I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

Hope you guys can help me out. Many thanks for taking a look.

**DumberDrummer** · 12-06-2005, 09:14 AM

You don't really need much. Most of it depends on how many people you have visiting your site.

If you are thinking about it being a large site, you might consider putting it in a datacenter, and that way it can handle a lot more traffic.

For software, I'd have to say Apache for the server, and PHP+MySQL if you are serious about designing a site such as this.

I have no actual server hardware experience, though I'm going to say that it should be pretty similar to any other server that has a high bandwidth need, which is to say it shouldn't be any different just because you are selling mp3s.

elf · 12-09-2005, 01:11 PM

You'd definately want a file server somewhere with all the mp3's on it, and probably a raid setup of some sort to prevent data loss. You'll also need insanely high bandwidth if you want more than a couple hits a day, because uploading songs is going to suck bandwidth like you can't imagine.

If you start to get a lot of traffic you may even want two seperate pipes, one for the website, and one for the file server to upload songs on...that way the site doesn't slow down because you have a lot of people downloading songs.

As for the servers, they don't need to be super fast, maybe 2ghz or faster, but they will need a lot of ram, probably dual channel. This will not be an easy thing to setup, it will take a LOT of time, especially if you don't know much about this sort of thing.

Skie · 12-09-2005, 02:35 PM

If you want to do this yourself, then Apache/PHP/mySQL for the server software. Perhaps some type of shopping cart or membership software to keep track of who paid and what they're allowed to access. As far as the server, a Celeron server will work as long as you don't get a huge amount of traffic and as long as the PHP scripts aren't very CPU intensive. If it'll primarily be a file server (uploading mp3's to customers), then you won't need a whole lot in server hardware. Unless you plan on rivaling iTunes, I don't think you'll have to worry about bandwidth. If an average song is 4 minutes, then it'll be about 4MB if encoded at 128bit. You'd need to have 250 downloads of that 1 song to equal 1GB of bandwidth.

If you plan on doing this from a Cable/DSL connection, you'll only be able to support 1 or 2 downloads at a time. Maybe a few users at most. And this is before you get caught with a webserver in your home. (Most ISP's -->

) Otherwise, I would recommend that you find a web hosting company and sign up for one of their packages. All you'd really need to do at this point is create your site and maintain it. If you outgrow the need for a shared/virtual server, then you can move up to a dedicated or co-located server.

~~Jayso~~ · 12-17-2005, 09:40 PM

You will also need to know how to code webpages. Most probably using HTML, PHP+Mysql, and JavaScript

My advice would be to find a web hosting company that will supply you with a dedicated server (this will cost a lot). You might be lucky enough to find a company that gives you a free domain name with that too

Just remember: Apache, PHP, MySQL, and TIME!!! (a lot of time)

Skie · 12-18-2005, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jayso

You will also need to know how to code webpages. Most probably using HTML, PHP+Mysql, and JavaScript

My advice would be to find a web hosting company that will supply you with a dedicated server (this will cost a lot). You might be lucky enough to find a company that gives you a free domain name with that too

Just remember: Apache, PHP, MySQL, and TIME!!! (a lot of time)

Unless he plans on starting out big, I don't think a dedicated server is necessary. A shared hosting account or a virtual server would be more then enough in the begining. This will also be a lot cheaper then a dedicated server.

~~Jayso~~ · 12-18-2005, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skie

Unless he plans on starting out big, I don't think a dedicated server is necessary. A shared hosting account or a virtual server would be more then enough in the begining. This will also be a lot cheaper then a dedicated server.

Yeah, shoulda specified that... I just naturally assumed that being a MP3 D/L site that he was planning big...

Yep, lots of money though for ded server...

**oldmn** · 12-18-2005, 07:07 PM

What's going to cost here is buying the rights to sell the MP3's. Unless they happen to be your own creations.

12-06-2005, 05:59 AM	#1 (permalink)
Logon Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1 OS: xp	Help with hosting and other issues Hi, I've been trying to do some research in terms of finding out what type of software, server and other hardware or software I would be required to have if I decided to sell MP3's over the web and how much they would cost. I've looked all over the place and have found absolutley zilch on this topic. I'm sorry if this is posted in the wrong place. Hope you guys can help me out. Many thanks for taking a look.

12-06-2005, 09:14 AM	#2 (permalink)
DumberDrummer Cymru am byth Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Oregon Posts: 5,385 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2 My System	You don't really need much. Most of it depends on how many people you have visiting your site. If you are thinking about it being a large site, you might consider putting it in a datacenter, and that way it can handle a lot more traffic. For software, I'd have to say Apache for the server, and PHP+MySQL if you are serious about designing a site such as this. I have no actual server hardware experience, though I'm going to say that it should be pretty similar to any other server that has a high bandwidth need, which is to say it shouldn't be any different just because you are selling mp3s. __________________ Living with Louie dog's the only way to stay sane _____________________________________________ ... and with those words so begins my lifetime of longing for the devil's warm embrace

12-09-2005, 01:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
elf Manager, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Knoxville, TN or Austin, TX depending Posts: 7,038 OS: WinXP Pro SP3 and Windows 7 My System	You'd definately want a file server somewhere with all the mp3's on it, and probably a raid setup of some sort to prevent data loss. You'll also need insanely high bandwidth if you want more than a couple hits a day, because uploading songs is going to suck bandwidth like you can't imagine. If you start to get a lot of traffic you may even want two seperate pipes, one for the website, and one for the file server to upload songs on...that way the site doesn't slow down because you have a lot of people downloading songs. As for the servers, they don't need to be super fast, maybe 2ghz or faster, but they will need a lot of ram, probably dual channel. This will not be an easy thing to setup, it will take a LOT of time, especially if you don't know much about this sort of thing. __________________ If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! I do not subscribe to threads, so if I stop replying, PM me with a link to your thread so I can find it again.

12-09-2005, 02:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
Skie Manager, Alternative Comp Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Chicago burbs Posts: 2,194 OS: Gentoo Linux, CentOS, OS X My System	If you want to do this yourself, then Apache/PHP/mySQL for the server software. Perhaps some type of shopping cart or membership software to keep track of who paid and what they're allowed to access. As far as the server, a Celeron server will work as long as you don't get a huge amount of traffic and as long as the PHP scripts aren't very CPU intensive. If it'll primarily be a file server (uploading mp3's to customers), then you won't need a whole lot in server hardware. Unless you plan on rivaling iTunes, I don't think you'll have to worry about bandwidth. If an average song is 4 minutes, then it'll be about 4MB if encoded at 128bit. You'd need to have 250 downloads of that 1 song to equal 1GB of bandwidth. If you plan on doing this from a Cable/DSL connection, you'll only be able to support 1 or 2 downloads at a time. Maybe a few users at most. And this is before you get caught with a webserver in your home. (Most ISP's --> ) Otherwise, I would recommend that you find a web hosting company and sign up for one of their packages. All you'd really need to do at this point is create your site and maintain it. If you outgrow the need for a shared/virtual server, then you can move up to a dedicated or co-located server. __________________

12-18-2005, 07:07 PM	#8 (permalink)
oldmn TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Gig Harbor Wa Posts: 2,150 OS: XP Pro SP3 X 3 My System	What's going to cost here is buying the rights to sell the MP3's. Unless they happen to be your own creations. __________________ AVG \| MEMTEST86 \| Zone Alarm \| XXCLONE \| Adaware \| Beyond Compare \| Everest If TSF has helped you, Tell us about it! or Donate to help keep the site up! Sorry no PM's for problems.[/center]

12-17-2005, 09:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
~~Jayso~~ Register user Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 66 OS: Dual-Boot: Microsoft Windows XP x64 Edition & Red Hat Linux Fedora Core 4 My System	You will also need to know how to code webpages. Most probably using HTML, PHP+Mysql, and JavaScript My advice would be to find a web hosting company that will supply you with a dedicated server (this will cost a lot). You might be lucky enough to find a company that gives you a free domain name with that too Just remember: Apache, PHP, MySQL, and TIME!!! (a lot of time)