My PC as a server - Help Please

Well to have a server at home you have to have a few things:

• A good connection to the Internet. A T1, T3 line or if your cable/DSL ISP allows it.
• A web server running either Linux w/Apache or Windows 2000 running IIs.
• You will also need a domain name from a Registar and a DNS server to point the domain to your IP address.

That is a basic getting started list. The main thing is to have a good connection to the Internet. Most cable/DSL companies don't allow you to run a webserver with your account. So check with them prior to doing so. You will also have to have a computer/server that is always on or your site will be down.

Keep in mind that you also need a dedicated IP or your sites will have a lot of downtime. I suggest you pay ~ $5-$10/month and get a real hosting package and save yourself a lot of headache and a huge electricity bill.

i agree, a virtual hosting account is absolutely the better way to go to get the reliability every webmaster needs(and should have).

Its just too damn expensive to buy the infrastructure you really should have, UPS, Good Bandwidth, fast responsive servers and mostly, administrator experience in maintainence of a server. Proper offsite backups and DRP's are a definite advantage of a virtual host. An intimate knowledge of TCP/IP is also extremely desireable, and a knowledge of technologies that exist above/on it, like DNS.

And if you get the attention of a good cracker(that be bad), you really dont want to be responsible for either the cleanup or explaining to customers (who think their websites are set in stone) why they are deleted and replaced with porn. Preferrably a good Host already knows his servers, and knows what he has to do to secure them BEFORE this happens (hopefully sometimes maybe ). And take note, this isnt just installing patches and service packs, its much more involved then that:)

If you just want somewhere to develop in house tho, absolutely go for it, setup your own linux/apache box intranet webserver and start developing locally, then later on, transfer your code up to a virtual host.

Okay I see... well thanks for the advice guys. It seems better off just to buy a domain name and a host. Thanks!!!

PS

Isnt it funny the moderator took off one of my posts from a different section, because it was a similar question to this one. But with 3 more sentences of info. LOL funny stuff.

Quote: Originally posted by IgorUAWebMaster

Isnt it funny the moderator took off one of my posts from a different section, because it was a similar question to this one. But with 3 more sentences of info. LOL funny stuff.

I deleted it. You asked the exact same question in another forum. You might have had a few more words but it was the same question. Double posting is bad forum etiquette.

Well, I agree having someone else host your website is great for not having to deal with security issues, or having a big power bill.The questions IgorUAWebMaster has asked sounds like he is not quite ready for running a server himself just yet.

Most ISP's give you about 15MB space on their server which is included with a regular home DSL line (1.5MB/s).

An extra 10-15$CDN a month on your phone bill for a domain redirect (where the ISP will point your domain name to the hosted space on thier server)will get you going after paying about 20-30$CDN/year for a domain name.

Its a lengthy process sometimes, on the phone with your tech-support and other anoying things but have patience.

That will keep you going untill you get board with that. I lasted a year before dumping that.

Webspace is kind of expensive. 15MB is great for small websites, but if you want lets say wallpaper, videos, or downloads, you cant beat having an 80gig hard drive running in the basement. That would break you at the bank to rent that over the internet.

I personally got sick of dealing with my ISP when they hosted it and am glad I paid the cash for the 2.5MB sec DSL line. You cant run a server through port80 with a home line, so you will have to upgrade to a line that costs twice a month, but you will get a 300kb sec download speed. A home DSL line only gives you about 150kb/sec.

One day, IgorUAWebMaster, if serving turns out to be your thing, and you decide to do it at home, you will feel proud to host your website YOURSELF. And you dont need a dual processor 1400mhz machine to do it. Ive ran many 233mhz servers that served videos and stuff, and no-one even knew the difference.

I would suggest reading all through the webmasters-forums, you can't beat these guys' knowledge, and no book will tell you everything.

Happy Serving,

Chris Shaw
Webmaster

http://www.maximum-digital.com

My linux server: 700MHz, 512MB SDRAM, 30GB HD, cable modem (more info)

That box is my webserver, running Apache (and all the typical web goodies). The webserver only hosts my personal sites and projects, so bandwidth isn't crucial. On the other hand, my ISP blocks port 80 and 25. And uploads are capped at 40Kbps per stream. To get around this, I use a redirection service for my domain names (note, domain forwards to an IP and port).

The same box is also running a Half-Life server (info). The game gets a little laggy at times, but that's the life of a residential cable internet account. But if anyone want's to donate a fatter pipe...

dyndns.ws

Register a free hostname.
Get an IP updater program to tell dyndns that your IP is this, or it has changed, automated.

Install apache (Linux or windows versions)
Install PHP
Install MySQL

Now, you're IP will be your hostname.

No need to register a domain name, no need to pay for hosting.

Ok, so now you want to host files, or big image files, then expect your bandwidth to go to nill with most basic DSL packages.

Other than that, its fine for a small site.

Ok heres the scoop,If your running a DSL or Cable you can effectively host your own site with your own pc..it's really simple.There is a program out there at sourceforge.net that is called PHPHome Edition that consists of Apache web server,PHP and MySQL all rolled into one,very easy install.Install the program and your root directory will be in the WWW folder inside of PHPHome folder.As for the domain name for your IP..forget all about that because it's a hassle to get it registered...go here cjb.net and use your ip and make your URL anything ya want like yourname.cjb.net and use the automatic ip address change option,so if your ip ever changes cjb.net will automatically pick that up so you dont have to keep editing your account.Hope that helps you,need more info just email me at [email protected]

Yep all that stuff is fine and dandy but I really wouldn't suggest running sites on your home computer (unless you don't use it for anything but as use as a server)

Reason being is that there are so many security exploits out there that if you have anything remotely of value on your machine you might as well kiss it goodbye unless you are on your game about keeping up with all the latest security patches and updates.

Best just to let a real web host host you...but of course I am biased

You keep your finger on the pulse (IIS or Apache updates) and you are no worse off than any place you would purchase hosting.

With a Linux box, you can rely upon RedHat RPM updates (an easy example), or compile yourself and update manually. A bit of work up front, but once you get it going, it works well. A typical Apache/PHP/Perl/MySQL setup will offer you a lot of neat things to try out. You can also get such a setup working with Windows.

If you have Windows 2000 or XP Pro you can use IIS server which is fine for a small site. Plus you can (for free) install ASP.NET and mess with that. Windows will send you security updates as long as that feature is enabled on your computer and you will be as up to date as anyone. In fact, more up to date than 50,000 SQL Server admin.

One of the benefits of hosting yourself is that you have the freedom to add modules and customize without having to persuade a stubborn host. Of course (as people have pointed out) you also have the freedom to botch things up, but that's the price of free will in general.

Anyway, if for no other reason than to test things out, I recommend the home PC as a server.

Sure you can use DSL or Cable to host your own server. Just beware though that most providers will terminate your account if found out. Check your service agreement with your ISP before setting up your own home server.

Samsm, it is not just a matter of patching your system. There are other things like file permissions, what services you have running, etc. that lead to security issues. Most professional hosts have quite a bit more experience doing this. Some of it just takes a while to learn. An unsecured or missecured home server is far worse than a host that won't add a module for you. Some also have valid reasons like security and testing that for not adding a module.

First of all, if you have an important page that will require redundant power, connections etc, then you need to use a professional host or become one yourself.

Quote: Originally posted by mairving
Samsm, it is not just a matter of patching your system. There are other things like file permissions, what services you have running, etc. that lead to security issues.

Alright, you set up Apache/MySQL/PHP on a home computer you test it locally and it is working fine. Then you open up port 80 (or whatever) on your router.

Perhaps I'm blinded by my own opinions... but what then goes wrong? (Keeping in mind that you are writting scripts that don't leave you open to SQL injection attacks as those would affect you with any host)

Probably not permissions, since you aren't using a shared host. Probably not random service X since Apache will be handling all traffic to port 80 and everything else will be blocked by the router.

I know you weren't attempting to produce a comprehensive list of security problems, but I'm still of the opinion that there isn't an exceptional level of danger in hosting some of your own pages.... even for a person who does not have an exceptional level of experience.

Yes, you can use a pc as home server, but as in the previuos messages, i would install little services as possible on it, and dont use it for anything else, like playing games, printing or something. I personally think it is acceptable to edit webpages on it but thats it.

PWS is ok for practice and learning about web serving, but you will want something better after you notice the 10 connection limit on it. (Each user tends to use 2 connections)

I just went from IIS to Linux Mandrake 9.0. I never used that operating system before, but mandrake is very graphical, and you can still get it to run fairly quikly without needing to know too many command line codes. I learned how to install mandrake and setup the server in a couple of days. (Cheap too)

All you need to do is BACKUP (burn it) you website after doing changes to it and security shouldnt matter too much if its a home website that does not have private info.

Zone Alarm pro has particular settings just for IIS and I personally never had a problem with it.

If a hacker took out my server. BIG DEAL, I will be running in an hour again just like it didnt happen and will try to find out what happened to stop it. A big learning process, but worth it.

I have no sense of accomplishment anymore using someone elses server as a host.

I get a sense of accomplishment when:

I come home from work and its still running happily with users on it.

I can keep the sucker running without a reboot for weeks or months

I look in my firwall and webserver logs and can tell someone was trying to take it down, and couldnt.

And besides, webspace is VERY costly if you want it without banners or 500 rules. Compare those prices and then to a 40Gig hard drive is very cheap.

Its more fun to host it your self. Free hosting is for playing on or for people that dont want to spend money.

You gotta pay to play.