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I’ve run a small business, in one form or another, since 1997-8. From a retail computer shop called Evolution Computers, to a an IT services company called Certified Solutions, to a re-branded company called Tech Dog (currently still have that). I’ve learned a lot, I’ve enjoyed it, I’ve struggled, I’ve failed, I’ve succeeded… I wouldn’t trade any of it. During that same time I also worked, off and on, full-time in various IT departments. It was truly the best of both worlds. A steady/reliable income combined with the the freedom to take on clients I liked while telling others to go jump in the lake. :slight_smile:

Blah blah blah… after many years of it, and having a server rack in my basement, I am considering shuttering the business. I do not dedicate as much time to it as I used to, and honestly have less interest these days.

What I do not want to lose is my domain (techdog.ca) or associated email address(es) … What might be the best way to do that? I was thinking I could host my entire server on my Win 8.1 PC in Hyper-V and carry on… but my server has 6TB of raw storage and my PC couldn’t hold that… I could host just portions of it, but not all the data on the server.

How can I sell my server / rack / UPS and maintain @techdog.ca is really what I’m asking, in such a way that it is less expensive than the cost of electricity … (if I end up paying more for hosting then it defeats the purpose).

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Transfer it over to Google Domains, keep your email all that with Google Apps. probably a lot cheaper than what you are paying now for hosting.

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If I were in your situation I would cloud source the website/domain hosting and file storage. Wipe the gear and donate it to get a nice tax break, or sell it on Ebay.

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Sell the kit on Ebay or ask around a few places here?

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just came here to say thats a pretty cool looking rack. nice setup you have there.

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You can get very cheap/free hosting if you are primarily concerned with maintaining your domain for email. If you want to maintain a website, it’s more, and if you want one without ads, even more.

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depending on web traffic and storage web hosting is pretty cheap these days, I run a side biz doing hosting and websites as a Hostgator Reseller and my basic package is $2.99/month

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Wow Kelly, your situation is almost exactly where I’m at. Time frame and all. I want to keep my domain name and associated email address but really have no need for the actual website anymore. Maybe just a placeholder or a 1 page to show I actually HAVE a website.

If anyone has more options/answers to check out, that would be great.

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Yep, move to Google Apps for your email. I got it while it was free, but it’s only $50/yr now for what you’d need. Not sure what other services out there would compete at that price (and not be shitty).

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You could always build yourself a nice little linux box and host things yourself at home. Use dynamic DNS, Postfix for mail, etc. If you are selling all that other stuff, you could get a Buffalo NAS with 12TB of storage for 700$ which would take care of your storage issue.

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I pay 0 for hosting… I host. I do pay for electricity (that’s it)

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I’d only be interested in maintaining the email… The website would go the way of the company (closed / shut down)

(at least that’s what I’m considering)

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hmmm The picture is my “nice little setup for hosting things myself at home”

confused

That is what I am debating getting rid of.

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You don’t need all of that for hosting it at home, don’t be confused. One box and a NAS, not half rack of equipment. I don’t think you are going to find a solution “cheaper than the electric” for hosting 6TB of data in the cloud, email and your domain. So, consolidate and lessen your footprint.

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Thanks Svybrewer…

That picture has 3 servers in it that no longer exist. The only thing that is actualyl still in the rack is the APC UPS, and the Dell 2950 server…

So there really isn’t “all of that” it a single server with 6 drives.

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Maybe part 2 of the question.

What would this be worth as a package? Would $1500 be appropriate?

For the Half-height rack (it has the cable management in the back) and is in almost perfect condition.

The server is a Dell PE 2950, 2 x Xeon 5160 @3.0GHz, 12GB RAM, 6x1TB 7200 RPM Sata drives, Perc 5i, dual nics and power supplies… all pretty standard. Currently running vSphere 5.0 hosting a single Server 2008 vm that hosts my email and website and so forth.

Lastly a 2400va APC UPS…

I know your number will be lower… but toss em out there none the less… I’m going to hit eBay and look for comparables …

Thanks everyone… I’ll check out the process for transferring to Google.

EDIT Corrected Server model (2950 not 1950)

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Google may be the best bet, but I would also check GoDaddy. IIRC, if they are your registrar, they give you basic email for free or very little.

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Nice rack!

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Kelly, I hope that is a snake or lizard tank on top of the server rack and not a fish tank???

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