Setting up a Web Server

mpsnedag

New Member
Hello people,

I have a question that needs to be answered as soon as you guys can possibly answer.

FIRST OFF: I am trying to set up a web server on my desktop computer.
I used to go through Microsoft Office live, but due to their lack of web space available (1 GB) I decided to go with building my own web server on my desktop computer, which has over 100 GB hard drive. My internet is AT&T Yahoo DSL.

Problem is, now the website can only be accessed through computers in the network. How can I make this website available to anyone on the internet? I suspect it has something to do with my Router's Firewall, but not sure.

Also, 1 more questions, will this slow down the loading of the website a lot, that I'm doing this through a DSL connection? Just wondering. Thanks

mpsnedag
 
DSL connections have crappy upload speeds to begin with, and your ISP could be blocking incoming port 80 requests. They do that to force you to purchase a business class broadband for web hosting.

What OS are you using?

Most likely your router at home is running NAT, so you will have to do some port fowarding to your web server box. However, with all the hassles and performance issues I suggest you just pay a cheap host to host your web page each month.

Check out

www.phpwebhosting.com
 
what larkin said basically! its more than likely going to be that port 80 hasnt been forwarded. If your expecting a decent amount of traffic on your site I would probably just pay for hosting or if your adament on hosting it yourself get a fancer connection.
 
Also if it's just for your use and/or a few friends, you could just change the port number of the program your using on your web server and have them remember that. You also can't chose a site name such as www.mysite.com, unless you pay for it, so you will need to remember your IP.

DSL connections can have crappy upload speeds, but some higher end rates may offer up to 512Kbps upload, which is fine for a few users as long as theres no videos, audio, flash, or large photos on the site.
 
This is how I did mine:

1) Download apache and set it up on your desktop for whatever OS

2) Move all your documents to the right folder

3) Go to dyndns.com and register. Choose a free subdomain.

4) You possibly have a dynamic ip, so download their software to automatically update your IP address on their servers

5) Go to portforward.com/routers.htm to learn how to forward port 80 (or whatever port you're using) on your specific router.

6) Get someone to test it. You most likely can't access it from within your home network, so get someone else to check.
 
How do you download apache? There's a whole bunch of links and mirrors, can someone provide me the direct link for the download? Thank you!
 
For what OS?

Check here and go to the "Apache HTTP Server 2.2.8 is the best available version" section. Pick the link you want. Unless you specifically work with OpenSSL, pick the "No SSL" package.
 
I highly suggest just buying some server space. It's like $10 a month and much more stable then anything you could run at home. That and they are all redundant servers, so unlike a home server, if the server crashes, other servers fill the gap and your website is still up. Basicly, more uptime.

Also that and you are probably spending just as much on the electricity from having a computer on 24/7 as you would from a separate host.
 
lol agreed, while hosting space is very very cheap nowadays, its more rewarding to setup one yourself from scratch.
 
Where's the fun in that, lol.

The link I posted gives you a home directory and apache or anything else you want to install and ssh access, I mean you get to do everything but maintain the server and maintain back ups, sounds pretty sweet to me.
 
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