1) Probably not. I do. I say probably because running a server requires opening up certain ports on your box. If you run a sane Linux distro (like <plug>Gentoo</plug>), you can keep track of what network services you're installing and keep up fairly easily on any patches. If you go for RedHat, just keep in mind that you'll have all kinds of services running that you may or may not need. Just make sure you only run the bare minimum - you probably won't need more than SSH, FTP, HTTP, and your Shoutcast server.

2) Most routers come with a firewall built in. I would recommend getting a Linksys router/switch/access point combo. By default, all your ports will be blocked from external access. Just open up the ones you need for your services.

3) Depends on the firewall at work. It would have to allow external connections on the port you need.

4) Sure. But I don't know how intense of a server you're planning to run here. If you're expecting some crazy hits, make sure you have a decent amount of RAM. And if you want to use your box for serious work, you'd of course want to use as much power as you can get - Linux won't magically make a 300MHz box work as fast as a 1.4GHz Windows box.

And, yes, this is _very_ offtopic. :)

Bill

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