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When Using Cheap Computers For Self Hosting Your Website The Dell Optiplex Series Is One Of The Best Computers For Sale On the Market
Many individuals and businesses alike have discovered the benefits of self-hosting a website on solid, secure, but cheap computers located in their home or office location. Self-hosting is a moderately easy task to accomplish with the right equipment and platform to run it on. Cheap computers are a growing trend in the marketplace today as they are easily replaceable, but can provide the performance required. Some of the benefits of cheap computers and self-hosting are:

Cost savings – Hosting fees can add up fast and are due each month. Additionally, web hosts typically charge extra for specialized services you may need.
Flexibility – A person hosting their own website on cheap computers has the ability to install just the right situation that works for them, without limitations imposed by a hosting company.
Better Security – A lot of the shared hosting plans don't provide the best security and many times, your code is open to to theft or attack.

The Elements Of A Self-hosted Website On Cheap Computers
The two essential elements of hosting a website yourself includes; the hardware to run the web server on and the operating system platform that serves up the site to visitors. There a few secondary components like a domain name and DNS considerations, but mainly the box and operating system are the critical first steps.

The Hardware - Dell Optiplex Series
A prospective self-hosted webmaster that wants to keep costs minimal, can look no further than one of the most trusted computers for sale today, Dell. Dell has a long running track record for not only providing excellent, cheap computers for sale, but enterprise class servers as well. There are many computers for sale these days, but the Dell Optiplex 700 series computers are easily obtainable in either the new, or refurbished markets and have a proven ability to stand the test of time. Two specific models of Dell computers for sale that have a proven track record in the self-hosted web server arena are:

Dell Optiplex 780 – Definitely geared toward the business class server market, the Dell Optiplex 780 can become a great web server for a small business or home based individual that wants superior performance. Not cheaply made, but still a great example of cheap computers if purchased from the right place, the 780 can handle following hardware specifications:

Intel Core 2 Duo, Quad, or Pentium Dual Core

Up to 16GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333Mhz - 4 DIMMS Slots

Up to 1000 GB SATA 7200 RPM Hard Drive

The integrated graphics and network ports are adequate enough to get a basic web server up and running. Depending on the form factor, additional expansion slots are available for adding more network cards if needed. There are three, 3.5 inch bays, (2 internal, I external) for adding more drives and a RAID Level One backup plan, which is recommended. It would be hard to find a better example of new and used computers for sale that can meet the requirements for self-hosted websites like the Optiplex 780.

Dell Optiplex 760 – A slightly lower graded Optiplex model, the 760 can be a great self-hosting alternative for those looking for lesser expensive computers for sale. Typically used as a business class desktop computer, the 760 can be setup to perform as a top notch web server. Keeping in the Dell Optiplex tradition, the 760 are cheap computers that can provide all the computing power required to host your own web site and can handle following hardware specifications:

Intel Core Duo Processors
Up to 8GB DDR2 PC2-6400, DDR2 PC2-8500 4 Slots
250 GB SATA II Hard Drive (7200 RPM)

Like the 780, the Dell Optiplex 760 features a solid set of on-board network and graphics controllers that will definitely compete with any of the other computers for sale out there. The expansion slots and drive bays are also similar, thus allowing you to grow the system into a safe and secure server. Stability and reliability are the key points to remember when looking for computers for sale that will meet your self-hosted web server needs, which the 760 certainly meets.

The Operating System Platform - Automatic LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP)
In order to make a website accessible on the internet, it needs to be running on a server remotely accessible by external user computers. The typical web server is based upon an operating system and server ran applications that not only render the html that the website is based upon, but also backend applications that make the site function the way you want it to. An explanation of automatic LAMP is as follows:

Linux: The operating system hosted on your Dell Optiplex and cheap computers.
Apache: The application that controls web based functions and communicates with the rest of the internet.
MySQL: The backend database application that stores the data information about the website.
PHP: A server side programming language that interfaces with the other three elements and allows web-based applications to function within the website.

These four elements comprise the most widely used web hosting scenario in the world today and should be the platform you used to self-host your site. LAMP is a stable, one stop option for you to easily get a web server up and running on your Dell Optiplex computer and make your site available to the rest of the world.

Linux, as well as the other three elements, are freely distributed code that can be downloaded at no cost. Linux is also perfect for running on cheap computers, but can run in most environments. Some of the computers for sale on the market might not be compatible with Linux, but the Optiplex series doesn't have that limitation. All four are intensely supported by an avid group of volunteer developers world-wide so help and training are generally easy to find.

According to distrowatch.com, a leading authority monitoring the use and distribution of Linux/UNIX based operating systems, the most downloaded and used Linux distribution is UBUNTU Linux. UBUNTU is based upon the Debian Linux platform, a long standing Linux distribution that has been trusted for decades. The benefits of opting for the UBUNTU Linux Automatic LAMP solution are:

Freely available and can be downloaded at no cost.

Can be burned onto a single DVD and installed in around fifteen minutes on average.

Rock solid and stable due to years of development and testing.

Fanatical support by competent experts in the field.

Runs well on cheap computers.

When exploring the options for hosting your own website, you're apt to find many options available to you. The obstacles that you'll have to overcome to achieve a finished result that's stable and secure enough for your self-hosted site are many, but putting your trust in proven enterprise computing elements are the keys to success. The Dell Optiplex, one of the best cheap computers for sale, has a track record of trust and mass implementation. Linux and LAMP are the most stable web server options utilized world-wide and should be final element to your self-hosting success.

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