arithma wrote@rahmu
Linux kernel is a dark and creepy place. I'd suggest you start with a CentOS, and read the rackspace cloud server documentation for a wide range of things you can do.
So far I've (well we, me and my partner) managed to host SVN repositories, tried to host email, didn't work exactly right, installed basic webserver and mysql up there. I am sure there's a lot more of things to try out, especially with Apache.
The kernel is more OS features (threading, synchronisation, IO management, memory management, devices and driver interfaces..) Hardcore stuff that only esoteric experts need to worry about.
I would advise (from my humble position) against going there, but if you insist, I'd love to know reasons and for later it would be nice to have updates.
"Apache Pro" is a good read.
My interest for the kernel is purely out of curiosity. I really don't
need it, but it would be interesting to know. And it would be a great C exercise, as you get to read a lot of code. I have a book "Understanding the linux kernel" by Daniel Bovet.
I also recommend you shift away from CentOS and try an APT-based distro. Debian would be my favorite for a server. They have the most active community, and working with apt is a lot simpler.
If you want to look into Apache, the easiest way for you is to set up a web server using XAMPP.