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[jcrook1118 Profile Website]

I'm tired of the problems with have with our Web host, Qwest (who also is our local phone provider). We have DSL lines into our office (2 of them) and was wondering if anyone had some ideas on a simple product that could help us host our own Website from an in house server.
1. Is it possible with just a standalone box and DSL LIne?
2. Is there a easy to manage software product for setup and maintenance of the server?
3. What steps would be necessary to move our domain to our own service?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

[imnuts Profile Website]

i don't know much other than it is possible. you'll need a webserver app, such as IIS (not recommended) or Apache and that is about the extent of my knowledge. you might find more help for this at the General help desk, if you want i can put it there for you.

[marathonman]

I found Apache very easy to deal with. How do you want to name your site? the easiest way is just to go by your IP - if you set up your Apache, I could go to your site just by sticking

Code: Select all

http://123.123.123.123/

in my browser (123 etc being your IP.)

You'll probably want to be known by a domain though, so you need to instruct the Domain Name System (DNS) to route requests for

Code: Select all

http://your.domainname.com

etc. to your IP address (i.e. DSL connection ID.)

The way this is done depends on whether you have a static IP (never changes) or dynamic (might change if you disconect and reconnect). static usually comes at a premium.

There are services about that will, for a small charge, handle the mapping of your domain to your dynamic IP.

I'm rusty on the details but that's the basic skeleton of it, the innards are a bit more complex but it's doable without a college degree ;-)

[Dalsim Profile Website]

Our Local network guru here is Weaver. I'll drop him a line to make sure he sees this thread and he'll telll you everything that would be needed.

[Weaver Profile Website]

@marathon && imnuts: All good information here thus far.
@Jeff: Thanks Jeff

I will be repeating some of the information mentioned in other posts, deal with it. This writeup goes over self hosting on a static or dynamic IP unless otherwise noted.

You have 2 DSL lines coming into your office/location. You are going to have a few options as to dealing with multiple inbound/outbound Internet connections. If they are both through the same provider (most likely) then I wouldn't exactly call it redundancy I will not comment on setting up redundancy for your inbound/outbound Internet connection anymore.

I am going to assume that you have the DSL up and running and that you know how to "plug things in."

As mentioned earlier, if you want a professional appearance you are going to need a domain name. Whether or not you physically host your site yourself or have someone else do it for you, a domain name is pretty much required in order to be taken seriously.

You will register this domain with a registrar like Network Solutions. You will then have to arrange the DNS. Network Solutions can and "do the DNS" for you. I do not know whether or not they charge for this. All of the DNS business is going to depend on one thing. Whether or not you have a static IP address. If you are unsure, call your DSL provider. A static IP address is much better than a dynamic address if you are providing services (ie hosting web services).

If you have a static IP address I would recommend just letting Network Solutions do all of your DNS (technically speaking: they will do your authoratative DNS [have control over your zone]).

If you have a dynamic IP address, I would first recommend calling your ISP and asking them if you can get a static address. It is worth it if it is only an extra $5 a month. If you are stuck with a dynamic IP address, don't fret, just an extra step. Since your IP address will be changing, we will need a way to inform whoever is "doing your DNS" as to what your new address is.

There are only a handful of DNS providers that have the capability to deal with dynamic IP updates. One that I recommend is DynDNS.org . In order to "switch your DNS" over to DynDNS you will have to ask Network Solutions (assuming you register your domain with NS) to do a zone transfer. Once DynDNS has control over your domain's DNS, then you can go ahead and install one of the DynDNS recommended clients. These clients will sit on the machine and note when the IP changes. When it changes, they will update DynDNS's root DNS servers and then the changes will propagate through the Internet. Very handy.

That was just the DNS part. Quite long... Sorry.

Now onto the hosting. I would highly recommend a *nix platform. Linux is fine, OpenBSD is better if you need maximum security. If you are not familiar with *nix, get a friend or hire someone who is. You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you have someone who knows what they are doing administrating your setup. If you choose to go the Win32 route, have fun and good luck. I'll see you on ORBS and in my Apache logs with requests like "/c/winnt/system32/cmd.exe?/c+dir HTTP/1.0" That was a joke... Don't go the Win32 route, you are asking for trouble, especially if you are new at this.

Next is the server. Apache is the industry standard webserver and will run on both Win32 and *nix. It can be a pain to configure if you very unfamiliar, but is very modular and easy to configure once you have an understanding of how it works. To help with the initial curve, know or hire someone.

You can setup DBMS's like MySQL or PostgreSQL. The most popular SSI available is PHP and interfaces with both of the DBMS's mentioned quite nicely. PHP support is easily added to Apache. It can be compiled in or loaded as a dynamic module (DSO). Using a DSO allows you to update PHP without recompiling Apache.

Once you have your DNS and server setup properly it is time to start thinking about security. Make sure you are running a firewall, either a hardware or software one will do. Be aggressive and lock the box down.

A lot of information was posted here, ask questions.

-Weaver

[keithsa Profile]

To add to what Weaver said, Netsol does not charge for DNS setup. I have two domains registered through them. One of which is set up on a professional web host, and I have Netsol pointing it to their DNS numbers.

They do have an IP forwarding option. This costs $12.00 per year. I use IP forwarding for my second domain (this is the domain that I host myself, and is pretty much just something I use for experimenting with).

The IP forwarding is not a bad option if you have a static IP address and are doing your own hosting. When you use IP forwarding though, anyone going to your website will see your IP address instead of a "whatever.com" URL, and have to punch in your IP number to get to your site.

You can work around this by using a service like http://homeip.net which allows you to direct people to yoru server using a "yoursite.theirdomain.com/net/whatever" URL. Not very professional looking though.
Hope this info helps.

[Azhar Profile]

I haven't read Weaver's post yet - (too long - lol) - so i hope i'm not repeating anything..

I host my own website on my home pc - how i did it..

I download the Apache HTTp server - google for it and u'll find a link..

Once that's installed - i can access my site though going to http://123.456.789.011 (of course - replacing it with my own ip) - however, because everytime i sign onto the internet, my ip address changes - i need to have a redirector - a good free one is - http://www.no-ip.com - just set up an account with them and download their DUC (Dynamic Update Client) - then whenever someone types this into their address bar - http://something.no-ip.com - it will redirect to your new ip address even if it changed when you sign on to the net -

Hope this helps..


Azhar