Ask YC: Server Administration?

Slicehost has a few good articles: http://articles.slicehost.com/

I have used them for setting up my own slice and it worked out really well.

There's really no substitute for setting up a system that you can break without negative consequences. Also, putting a public server for which you have root access out on the Internet entails a degree of public responsibility: if your box gets 0wned and becomes a DDoS attack node or spambot, it's your fault. (I say this coming from the POV of someone who had their first "real" server cracked wide open within 90 days of putting it online due to an OpenSSH remote exploit many years ago.)

If you haven't already done so, download an install ISO for Debian/Ubuntu or CentOs/Fedora, and install it on a spare machine, or even in a VMWare image on your regular workstation. Work through some of the examples on HowtoForge, and learn to install and configure Apache, MySQL and/or PostgreSQL, PHP/Ruby/Python, and Postfix or Exim w/basic spam filters.

Running a virtual private server (VPS) is a bit easier, in the sense that you don't have to manage the actual hardware, but the fundamentals are the same, and you'll be glad you have physical access to the system when you screw up the configuration or forget the root password. Get comfortable maintaining a machine locally, then go out and inflict your administration skills on the 'net at large.

Why Slicehost sucks and you should use Linode:

1. Slicehost makes you prepay 3 months to get started. Linode charges month to month with discounts if you prepay.

2. Slicehost does not prorate if you decide you don't like the service. Ie. Try it for 1 week and the rest of those three weeks are lost. Linode prorates on a daily basis, whatever you don't use they give you the money back.

3. Slicehost customer service is slow and more reliant on the community boards. Linode responds to emails within 8-10 hours.

4. Slicehost does not give you as much RAM (which is a lot more valuable). Linode gives you 15% more.

5. Slicehost's web admin is clumsy and crappy. Linode has a very useful admin that does everything from host management to network/cpu graphs to account management.

Down mod because this thread is about something else.

The basics are easy to learn, it's just a matter of following some tutorial ( howtoforge has some great ones!). But keeping it running is harder I'm afraid... I suggest you try to find someone in your area (or even join a LUG, Linux User Group) to help you with the more advanced things. You can first try setting up a server as a VM, you can get virtualbox for free and it works great! Good luck but if you want something, you can do it (some people here have learned me that)