I have a way better computer now than I did a few months ago. There was nothing wrong with the old computer, it was just getting on. It was/is a P2, 500 megs memory and 20 gig HD.
I have a cable net connect that is on all the time, and capability of leaving a computer on 24/7, (The electricity bill wouldn’t kill me).
I know I have to pick a domain name, and pay to register it and all that, through one of many services that exist.
But what about the box itself. What software do I need? What about firewalls and things like that. How do I maintain it? It would be used to host my page, any “HI MOM” pages friends would like to put there, just a general speck on the Information Super Highway. No store, no security stuff. Easy.
In short:
How would I go about setting this up?
I’m pretty savvy when it comes to the subject of computers, so feel free to geek out, that is, you needn’t dumb down your responses. I just don’t know where to start. So, if you wouldn’t mind, help start me up!
You can either use Apache or IIS for free. IIS comes on the Windows disk and can be installed by going to the control panel->Add/Remove Programs->Windows Components, then put a check on the Internet Information Services item, and once you hit next it will ask you to put in the Windows CD and it will get installed. Apache you can download off of the internet and install.
BUT, getting these suckers running where they can be accessed from outside and where that doesn’t open your computer up to every virus ever written will probably require you to do some various configuring. I would recommend that before you actually try to set up a server, to get a Dummies book on setting up a server. Either IIS or Apache will be perfectly fine for what you’re trying to do, so just go with whichever you find a book for that seems to be written the most clearly.
You might hook up with a users group in your area for the OS of your choice. Apache on Linux is a nice way to go, but not the only way.
Don’t just put a computer up and let it be accessed by anyone. If you don’t know what you are doing you will likely be doing just that. People who do that are menaces. You need to keep your machine patched after you set it up tool
You are going to need a static IP address to point your domain name to, which most cable internet providers will not provide for you. If they do provide it, they tend to charge an arm and a leg for it. A friend of mine gets a static IP with his DSL connection though, so it’s not like they aren’t out there with some ISPs.
Also, check with your service contract. Most cable internet providers specifically state that you cannot set up a server on their network, at least not for the typical home user rate.
Overall, your ISP generally doesn’t want you to set up a server unless you pay them lots more money. This is because servers usually use a lot more bandwidth compared to just a home user.
Oh, one more thing (why do I always think of these things after hitting submit? Oh well)
There are a lot of ways to set up your home network. In my basement I have one main computer that connects to the internet, and everything else in my house connects to it. If I want to run a server, I can just put it on that computer (except that my ISP won’t give me a static IP address… grumble grumble complain complain).
The way most other people set up their network, they have their cable modem go into a router. In this case, you’ll need to set up the router so that the incoming http requests go to the computer you want as the web server. This usually isn’t too difficult to do, but the specific setup depends on your router. It’s usually just a matter of browsing to the router and finding the right page in its settings.
Also, if I recall correctly, older versions of windows call the web server the “personal web server” not IIS.
Linux in general is more secure than windows, but is also more difficult to set up. But if you want a good excuse to geek out, go with linux and apache.
You’ll also want to start reading up on security issues, as was mentioned by previous posters. Otherwise your server will be used quite a bit by hackers for things like denial of service attacks and other nastiness.
You might want to look at SME Server - it’s an all-in-one distribution of Linux intended to run as a mail/web/file server (you can turn off the bits you don’t need) - installation is pretty simple and configuration is all done by a web GUI.
Bear in mind though, that attaching this to your existing net connection is going to eat up some of your bandwidth.
The OP says “Internet” server, but only describes Web functionality. As Mangeout touched on, there are quite a few other aspects to being an Internet server. You want to host FTP? IRC? Email? Streaming media?
In a nutshell, this is the kind of thing that Unix was designed for, and most of what you’ll need is built into every distribution of Linux, BSD, and all the other *nix distros. It underlays Mac OS X. Windows XP has most of it available from Microsoft, but you have to spend money buying the Pro version and adding other programs.
The question is what do you need the web-server for? If you are just going to host a webpage, wouldn’t getting it on a pre-paid webhost be much of problem of setting up one at home, and at the same time opening your machine to attacks?
If you are using your computer as a hub for your other home PCs or laptops to connect to, then I think Windows XP (sorry, not sure about your OS) has in-built functionality. In that case, your computer is a server, but not a web server. You shall probably get a firewall (to protect the server from hacking) and a good virus scan, but that’s as complicated as you need to get, unless you are going wireless, then you may wish to ways to prevent others from stealing your bandwidth.
A web server is always connected to the Internet and allows other to access. Your system configuration doesn’t seem it can handle much traffic, and ISP are often peveed when their bandwidth are used for this type of activity. (At least in Singapore, the ISPs forbid you to use their bandwidth to serve out websites).
you can automatically update your IP address anytime your ISP switches it on you. DynDNS also provides a load of free hostnames. I’ve been running my site -
using them for the past year. It runs on an older machine running Suse 9.0 and Apache2. You must remain vigilant with updates. I get a load of hack attempts everyday.
This was GREAT! An on line version of every thing you need to know, and how to go about Implementing it – a real “dummies” guide.
No, nothing like that. Just a place to set up simple HTML web pages. Not even a mail sever.
No PERL, no CGI, no FTP – just “HI MOM” Pages.
Again, I guess my OP wasn’t clear enough. It would not be cheaper. It may be easier, but I don’t care.
I am looking at it as a hobby, for the cost of having a computer turned on 24/7, (12 bucks a month maybe?). And no, it would not be a hub. My Cable connection goes into a router that has 3 empty ports on it. This machine would be dedicated only to this. Though I am looking at an ISP, it wouldn’t be as much fun.
This is good info, though I do believe the address is static, (has not changed in a over a year).
BTW, your page is exactly the kind of thing I am talking about. Cute kid!
