[ic] New guide for setting up a Centos / RHEL 5 server and installing Interchange

[Peter]

On 22/02/10 05:08, Steve Graham wrote:
> 
>> I have just completed documenting the process I use to fully configure
>> and secure and Rackspace cloud server with a Centos5.3 image.  While
>> this guide has some sections that are specific to Rackspace it should be
>> easy to use it for nearly any Centos or Redhat system.
>>
>> The guide is at:
>> <http://cloud.github.com/downloads/pajamian/stuff/Rackspace_Interchange_Setup.html>
>>
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any feedback.
>>
>> Peter
> 
> I just now got around to reading your guide - very nice.
> 
> I have considered utilizing the cloud for our next server.  Did you get
> your system up and running, and how is it working for you?
> Any data security issues, any problems convincing your customers that
> their data is safe/secure  - Appreciate the insight, I may have a tough
> sell....

I have set one customer up with Rackspace so far and set up a test site
of my own.  I know that Interchange runs well on it but can't say how
well it scales.  that said, Rackspace and other virtual hosting
providers can easily scale up to your demands without having to switch
to new hardware, or if you outgrow virtual hosting you can get a bargain
bin dedicated server for as little as $80/month (theplanet bargain bin).
 It all depends on your client's needs but I tend to recommend a small
virtual "cloud" server to begin with and then re-evaluate if that gets
outgrown.

As for security, you basically manage the whole thing yourself.  It's
like having your own private server and so you can set up the security
features yourself and control how much security you have.  That said,
someone at the host will have access to the image file and will be able
to mount it and read files from it if they really want, so while the
odds of this happening are slim, I wouldn't be storing any credit card
info on the server, especially if it's unencrypted.  This is sound
advice anyways, even for a dedicated server.

As for what my clients have been concerned with ... they are mainly
interested in the bottom line.  How little can they spend to get their
site running?


Peter