Do I need Windows Server for this?
 

Hi,

I need a Windows server (from a hosting company) but I don't intend to use it for hosting/IIS. I need it to host a remote application and I just need Remote Desktop access to the machine, nothing more. Does this kind of setup require I pay a Windows licensing fee or is there a way to get the server to work without paying the $30-$40/mn surcharge? Is there a way to pay just a 1 time fee instead of a monthly recurring?

Thanks
WG

i'm sure a private convo can make that charge go away :)

Its not the charge I want to hide, but I just don't see why MS should be making $30-$40/mn where I'm doing nothing more than accessing a server remotely, its essentially a private machine where I'd be running my own client, no IIS or hosting would be on it. In my point of view it should be the same as buying Win XP for Home use (1 time license) and that's it, not a monthly fee.
WG

Not really. You can remote desktop into 2000 server, or just XP Pro. You could also use a vnc derivative on virtually anything from 98 to current.

Thats what I was thinking. So is there any key differences between Windows 2003 Server and say Windows 2000 or Windows XP? I'm sure some hosting companies out there must still have license and CD keys for these OS' which I could use on some machines?
WG

You can buy a Windows 2008 WebEdition license for a flat one time fee of about 400.00..

Check out CDNOW for prices.

At that rate I may as well pay the $30/mn fee. I was hoping to use an older OS like Windows 2000 and cutting the license fees.
WG

Put a copy of any windows install on there XP or Vista and use www.logmein.com to access the application. :2 cents:

Well, yeah, there are differences - but if you've turned off/disabled things you don't need like IIS, SharePoint, etc, it doesn't really matter unless there's some exploit in the remote desktop code, or protocol, itself. A machine with no sockets open is going to be a lot more secure than one that has an unpatched IIS 6..

You can likely find someone who will do a 2000 or XP Pro installation for you; I haven't managed Windows machines for years, but I know of a couple of people who had them at AlphaRed.

WG,
email me -- ill get you hooked up with one fitting your request

If it is to be hooked up, I have a windows2008 box that could be ready for monday:

- Xeon 2.4
- 146 GB scsi drive
- 146 GB scsi drive backup drive
- 2.5 gig of memory
- 500 gigs bw
- Windows 2008
- RDT installed
- 5 Dedicated IP ( more available id required )

hit me up if interested for a quote- short term or long term.

I think virtual hosting will do

you could also just build yourself a 1u server put XP on it and ship it out to the datacenter :)

oc3 has great prices on win servers...

cant you run a VM on a unix server that you already have?

Its a Windows specific client software I need to run on a Windows machine.
WG

why not run wine on a linux box?

Why not just surf the gay porn from your own computer? ;)

heya, sent u this in icq, not sure if it is getting to ya:

FightThePatent ‎(2:12 PM):
heya, saw your thread. use ultravnc open source. i run this on my windows machine so i can get to the desktop, w/o using terminal server

FightThePatent ‎(2:13 PM):
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ultravnc/


Fight the panes!

www.logmein.com is much easier imo.

when running on my own server with my code/data, i feel safer with open source.


Fight the curtain!

what i mean is if you run vmware, make a virtual windows machine

MS has a SPLA license for servers/software. Technically a hosting company can not buy a license for say 400 and then lease you a server at a monthly rate. MS has SPLA for hosting companies which allows them to pay a subscription license per server that is licensed for leasing hardware to customers.

The only way around this for you to buy the software yourself and load it on the machine or the hosting company loads it for you and you use it for you use and not for resale/lease.

It's not pretty, but you could try wine. If this is .Net software try mono.

Guess there really is no money in seo if you are wasting time trying not to pay a tiny surcharge :)

When you multiply this by 10+ servers, it adds up to a couple grand a year.
WG

I see, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying that, that's what I was looking for.
WG

A VM is never as stable as a dedicated machine; and every time your host upgrades your kernel, you'll need to rebuild VMWare. It's possible, but not worth the $1.10/day savings, in my opinion.

Cut out a doublecheese.

2008 Web Edition is a fucking piece of crap I would not let my worst enemy use ... :Oh crap

Stick to 2003 server

yeah, 2003 for the win...
2008 sux