How often do you check over your server logs?
 

I go over my server logs with a fine tooth comb daily. I think part of being a good server admin is keeping up on the logs. I always look for something out of the ordinary. And I pay very close attention to the MRTG. I for sure do not want to get a shock at the end of the month because I went over on my bandwidth. My server has systemstats which works much like MRTG. I compare my systemstats with the MRTG at the data center to make sure there are no differences. So how about it, how often do you check over your server logs?

I don't go through my raw logs that often unless there's an issue, I do however monitor my server/sites through awstats for website statistics and vnstat for overall server bandwidth monitoring.

Same here I don’t go through my raw logs but I look at AW Stats and bandwidth stats

Site stats, sure, but not raw server logs. I checked my logs pretty thoroughly, when I had number of problems on my server, but I implemented a workaround; the workaround doesn't solve the core problem, but it enables to give very good uptime (to me). After I did this, I haven't really checked raw logs.

So you don't check your server daily/weekly to make sure it hasn't been hacked? I always check over my server to make sure there is nothing wrong. :)

Well, I have to confess. I am an amateur when it comes to server administration. I mean, I'm just getting by. You may be thinking "This boy is such an amateur, man ...", but to be honest with you, I wouldn't be able to tell if my server got hacked or not unless I see Britney Spears' naked picture on one of my sites ...

Well you could hire a system admin or start here http://www.eth0.us/rkhunter . The last thing you want is for your host to shut down your server in the middle of the night. Most server companies act first and ask questions latter. If your server starts sending out a ton of spam or launches a doss attack they will shut you down in a blink of a eye.

I think that the main concern is the cost. There are a bunch of things I'd like to do, but I always have to look at costs and make decisions. Server administration is certainly one of them. How much does it cost usually? Also how can I verify the validity of the server administration server? Suppose that I learn how to administer my server on my own. How difficult is it? How long does it take for me to learn basics? How much time should I spend every day to administer my server?

Well if your going to hire a company your looking at $30 to $60+ per month. Depending on who you hire. I have used www.acunett.com in the past and I can highly recommend their services.

As far as learning it your self, that all depends on what you want to learn. Is your server harden? If not your at a high risk of being hacked. Even if your server is harden, some one could hack you if they really wanted to.

I usually spend about 15 minutes to a half hour going over my server logs/server each day. I also run a RDD tool much like MRTG. I check the history of the server daily, CPU usage, load, and bandwidth. I also have another tool installed that tells me how much ram the server is using, and how much space is on the hard drives. I am always checking for anything out of the ordinary that might indicate that the server has been hacked.

I guess I need to ask about several dozen questions to you, and here's one of them:

How do I check if someone attempted to hack my server or not?