Which version of Windows should I use to host a few simple websites?
I've been hosting a couple websites for a while now on a Windows Server 2008 machine. The website is a pet project, and isn't getting a ton of traffic, but occasionally will have spikes in usage. Given the amount of traffic the site is getting, I think I'm way over-stacked on my server. I'm paying a very pretty penny for a dedicated server, as I'm running custom code (C#, AJAX, ASP, etc), and a custom database using SQL Server Web. Since this is really a much smaller endeavor, I'm going to pull my server in house, and host it here. I simply used my Windows 7 laptop at home for all creation and testing--including testing with about 30 users all accessing the site simultaneously for bug checking. My question is: is there any reason why Windows 7 wouldn't work? If so, what version of server do I need? I've looked at Microsoft's site, and reviewed the different versions. They all mention things I really won't be using my machine for. Here is what the machine will be used for: * Hosting 2 web sites * Sending emails from the local machine (using MailEnable) -- no remote access for sending, or hosting mail * One of the web sites uses a database stored on the machine * The machine will have a Security Certificate, and will serve pages under https * LIkely no more than 30 concurrent users. On occasion, maybe up to 100 people will be viewing the site at any given moment * Remote access for myself only for administratoin purposes. If this is a roadblock, I can use TightVNC or some other free software Thank you!
July 26th, 2012 1:54pm

Did you think about Apache? http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/platform/windows.html You need to check for number of concurrent incoming connections Microsoft desktop OS can handle - that could be a limiting factor for you. http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itpronetworking/thread/7f2ab78b-eec0-43e0-af7f-f1ddf21a704a/ http://superuser.com/questions/253141/inbound-tcp-connection-limit-in-windows-7 -nismo
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July 26th, 2012 3:08pm

I have been using IIS for all of my development and hosting for several years. I'd rather not change fears now as I'm very comfortable with this system. Which Windows Server version can I get away with? The $800 Server 2008? The $259 Foundation? The $500 small business version? They all have varying degrees of file/print/database sharing. I don't need any of that. Just web hosting.
July 26th, 2012 6:18pm

So, what was the solution you came with? I have the same issue right now, i just need to run the IIS and the SQL Server Express... and I dont want to be an expensive solution...
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October 18th, 2012 4:16am

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