@Cider
I've had a similar setup at home for years. I used to work for an ISP, so i tried to recreate the functionalities of an ISP at home for training and expertise.
My suggestion would be to get VMware server (which is free) and load up several Linux distros. The only thing you'll need is RAM, at least 1GB, i would go with 2gb. Linux servers run happily with 256 mb of allocated ram for home usage, so you have the capacity to fire up 2-3 virtual machines without any problem

If you are up to the challenge, try setting up one Virtual Linux as a DNS server, with forwarder to your router. Avoid DHCP server - this WILL conflict with the router, which also does the same thing for you.
I would set-up another virtual machine with a mail server for the excersise, for a full scale function set go with the qmail toaster - http://www.qmailtoaster.org/

Then go about a web server with DDNS registration. This will keep you busy for at least 2 months to set up properly, and should build up your knowledge of a larger infrastructure.


If you need any assistance, send me a Personal message