For those who have been attending the State Board Quarterly meetings over the past 3 years you may recall me mentioning in my Webmaster reports I was looking for a new webhosting plan for the AOH/LAOH websites that was affordable, reliable, and provided fast site loading speed. I tried four different web hosts in the past 3 years, and none were able to meet all 3 requirements. One web host provided the flexibility, reliability, and speed I was hoping for but came at a cost of $700/year. With the help of ChatGPT, I decided to build my own webhosting/email server (something I’ve never done before). I started with a 3-year-old refurbished Dell OptiPlex 7070 computer with a 1 terabyte NVMe solid state drive, Intel i7 – 8 core processor, and 32GB RAM. I installed Ubuntu Linux Server operating system and Virtualmin administration console. Ubuntu Linux and Virtualmin are both open source available at no cost. Ubuntu Linux Server operating system is the most widely used operating system for webhosting servers. After a week of fine-tuning, customizing, securing, and hardening the server, I started migrating the AOH/LAOH websites to their new home. The results were much better than I had hoped for. Using the WordPress optimization testing site https://wordpress.com/speed-test/ 17 out of 20 AOH/LAOH websites scored a 99% speed and optimization rating which represents a dramatic improvement from previous webhosts. Total cost: $500 for the refurbished Dell OptiPlex computer. I anticipate a 5 – 8 year lifespan for the server. Each division will still be responsible for the domain name annual renewal fee which typically runs between $15 – $20 per year which goes to the domain name registrar (I had no way to get around that expense).
In addition, I configured an email server for each of the AOH/LAOH domains which utilizes Amazon SES email sending service which will ensure emails sent from those domains will not end up in the recipients SPAM folder. If you would like your own email address using your division’s @<domain.name>, let me know and I’ll create it and provide you with the webmail link and/or mail client settings for Outlook or other mail clients at no cost. Currently, the LAOH State Board Officers have their own email addresses on the server (president@valaoh.com, vicepresident@valaoh.com, treasurer@valaoh.com, etc.).
System information with all AOH/LAOH websites loaded.
