Running a website off your personal computer??

[S0lid Snake]

I am curious as to how you run a website off your own personal computer? Can someone please help me with this.

[khakisrule]

Lemme see here. Well, you use something called a server, a server processes requests from clients, using protocols, maybe http for web pages or ftp for file transfers. In any case you need a server, goto analogx.com and download their simple server, it is easy and you can try out lots of things with it.

[casper3699]

make sure your system is fully updated and patched. And make sure your ISP allows you to run websites and that you have a fast and full time internet connection. MOst people prefer to run apache, or linux, or even IIS. Depends on what you prefer.

[dspeidel]

It all depends on what OS you are using. If Linux and you installed a web server (I think the option is apache -but my linux knowledge is dated) you need to configure it. If your running win9x you need to download a web server such as apache. If the system is win2k server you need to enable it (IIS 5.0). w2k proffesional you need to download a web server such as apache.

I find many options using google and personal webserver. I find many more with just webserver. Might have been even more hits if I had entered "web server"

In the above I reference apache heavily. I am very familar with apache and find it to be very easy to configure and use. visit http://www.apache.org/ for details.

Cheers,
-D

[linuxelite]

Don't start out with any complex servers, the easiest one is simple server. Get it. And after you do get to webopedia.com and read up on what servers are. That'll get you started in the right direction. All you need to start a site is a server, which can offer people pages and/or files. After than you can experiment with different web languages and things. You can test your server by either typing your IP address or 127.0.0.1 in your browser.

[xmaddness]

You probably already know this...

To be succesful you should have a high speed internet connection with a static IP. This way you don't have to keep telling people your new ip when it switches.

Get a static ip, then goto one of the various DNS purchase sites and buy a DNS (www.something.com) that will be bound to your ip. Then when people type in the DNS they get your server.

For the actual server I would suggest Apache. www.apache.org Its pretty simple and is widly supported. If there is a new exploit found it is usually patched in a few hours, unlike IIS witch could take weeks.

If your have time I would reccomend you get a linux or BSD operating system and fool around with it and learn it. They are usually alot better server os's. Come to think about it I would suggest you learn OpenBSD. www.openbsd.org It is a very secure free Operating system for servers and is very stable. Although if you don't know alot about computers you could end up shooting yourself in the head trying to learn it.

If you want your site to be secure your going to have to be sure to always install the latest patches. If you use apache you can sign up for their mailing list that will inform you of updates.

Once you get your system up and running, use a security scanner to test the security of your computer. Make sure you close any services you are running that isn't needed. No point having telnet running if your not gunna have to get into it remotly, or actually at all in fact. Read thru some security posts, books, e-zines, etc... to learn the major exploits.

Well, thats a crash course in running a home server. Hope it helps. You have some reading to do now.

[|The|Specialist]

My grandma's ISP keeps changing the name to their site. To me finding a good name for a site is the hardest part because most names are either taken or are really lame.

But if your runing off your own server you shouldn't have much problems.

[digitalgadfly]

Things to think about before hand:

1. Learn about apache, it is a well documented httpd. IMO it might not be the fastest but it is the most stable. www.apache.org

2. Make sure your box is up to speed in terms of security, not everyone is a "nice guy". Your box is out there and will be subject to exploit testing.

3. Broadband w/ static IP. You have to realize that even though you have broadband in your home, like cable or dsl, the upload speeds are weak. And most providers go through some serious downtime.

Overall if you don't think that you are ready for that then you should look in to hosting somewhere else. It is probably going to be cheaper in the long run. There are many cheap hosting companies out there that handle the hardware/software side of the house for you. Check out www.icdsoft.com they have solutions.

[git]

1 little thing to concidder, if you do run a webserver from your computer, and it gets alot of volume, some ISPs have a small upload cap. (meaning you can only upload 4 gigs a month or something of that) so just as a side note, check that out before you maybe have to pay extra, just thinking

[RejectKnowledge]

Okay, I've been searching my a$$ off but I've had no luck..

A few months ago I came across this webpage that was offering a product, a software that allowed you to host your webpage on your own PC. This is a little different from the things mentioned above because you didn't jhave to go through the whole 'DNS-IP Register" part. I forgot how it works and everything but its there. Hell, I even forgot the name of the darn thing. I just can't seem to find it anymore. I had bookmarked it on my previous PC, but its lost now. Can y'all help me find it?

Cheers.