starting a web server - Tech Support Forums

sr71000 · August 5th, 2004, 01:52 AM

i want to turn a computer into a web server. i understand the risks but have more than a few people willing to pay me a couple bucks to host thier web sites. i'm going to hook it up though a router. does anyone know if i can use port forwarding or do i have to use dmz (i can use either....already have capabilities for both) anyways. if anyone knows or a program or whatever to turn a comp into a server..please let me know. the port forwarding or dmz question i'm just currious...less figuring out i have to do later! thx guys

soot · August 5th, 2004, 08:41 AM

windows? you can use the two main web servers: IIS (from microsoft) or Apache
you just need to forward port 80 for it

sr71000 · August 5th, 2004, 09:05 AM

sorry...by now you'd think i'd remember that. im going to experiment on a windows xp machine but would like to move it to a linux machine and save myself the price of an os for the new server i build.

also, thank's for the quick reply

would you recommend either of those? i'll probably try them both...see which one i like better. if you can let me know where to get them....apache i saw when i googled web server...but i didn't get anything about iss. i'll try searching the microsoft page. lastly, if i have more than one page on the web, how would people access the different ones. we'll just say that my ip address will be 111.111.111.111 and the page is named kevin. how would people get to that page? thanks for all the help

Rand Dusing · August 5th, 2004, 11:03 AM

Go with Apache it's free and easy to set up, I'm not sure about IIS.

Say your ip is 111.111.111.111 and the page named kevin is kevin.html. If you have it set up correctly you could type http://111.111.111.111/kevin.html into a web browser and it would take you to the webpage. If you want something like www.kevinspage.com you will have to host a nameserver or get someone else to do it.

sr71000 · August 5th, 2004, 11:47 AM

i downloaded apache but im lost....when i installed it it asked for some info...server name and dns name and stuff....what am i supposed to do...im still a noob with the internet

sr71000 · August 5th, 2004, 08:22 PM

ok...so i'll download apache...but what do i do from there....when it asks for my server name and stuff what do i put in. i have my wan ipaddress and my router & firewall already set up to forard port 8080 i believe...whatever port the program said it uses. i have a few web pages i want to put on the web...he has a domain name...but he dosen't want to forward it to my ip address until it's ready. how do i set this up. the web page is arleady built..im ready to start sharing it....i uninstalled apache because i think i set it up wrong..i'm going to go into program files and completely get rid of everything apache and use the new version of spybot to look for errors in the registry. so if someone responds that's what im doing..i'll check back when im done please help...im going crazy....i've spent all day trying to figure this stuff out!!

Siliconjunkie · August 5th, 2004, 08:26 PM

First things first. If you don't understand what you are doing at this point, you really should not hang a web server off the internet.

Play with it for a few months/years, get very comfortable with it, understand excatly what it is doing and why. Then you can start thinking about exposing it to the internet.

As it is, you will most likely be a target, you will be compromised and at minimum have something defaced, or become a spam relay or other bad internet citizen.

Not trying to be rude here, you just need to understand what you are doing.

sr71000 · August 5th, 2004, 08:31 PM

i know...i don't plan on leaving it up for long yet...that's what i want to do basically....i'm waiting for some books on it in the mail now...and i want to have something to experiment with...and no one likes spam..i know how that goes. im not looking to make a full blown web server and put peoples pages on it and stuff yet...i just want to get it set up and running so i can go play with it....but i won't leave it connected all the time. that's all

forgot to say that i plan on practicing on my actual computer (used just for games, nothing important) which i am reformating and giving to my gram in about a month...so no real danger to me....and it won't be on enough to be much of a problem to anyone else....fully protected with zonealarm (i know i'd need to make a hole for people loading the web sites) spybot, adaware, and avg antivirus. options are kind of limited now...as im still in highschool but im looking for as much practice as i can get before i go to college. either way.....it's your call...but we'd all be rookies if no one gave us a chance to learn.

Siliconjunkie · August 5th, 2004, 08:34 PM

Doesn't take long. It is VERY hostile out there. Script Kiddies going nuts, spammers looking for someone, all that.

You can still set it up, just don't do the port forwarding. Use the actual IP from another PC behind your router. http://192.168.1.xxx and you will still be safe.

The problem with exposing it at all is that if it is compromised while it is exposed, it could still be a problem even if you turn off the forwarding. Too much bad mojo out there.

sr71000 · August 5th, 2004, 08:46 PM

yea...i know.....any trojans installed will send a message out to the host therefore killing the effects of any firewall. i've been though that on other computer...that's why i'd use teatimer (packaged with new spybot) which when enabled protects your registry from changes and i dont' use ie so no active x worries. my computer is pretty safe...and i constantly scan, have it set up to scan every night. what your recomendation about would be to host the web site on my computer...as i planned but instead of using port forwarding and opening it up to the web....use the computers ip address and keep the page in my lan. (if i understood you correctly) either that or you are talking about dmz and i don't want to open my computer up that much.....that's just asking for trouble.

the other thing is you say i can set it up that way...but i don't get how i set it up.....i've really only been learning bout computers for 5 months...web for maybe 1 so im still crawling my way along. i need like a step by step guide...what to put where...you don't actually have to give me the numbers or whatever...just say your ipaddress there.....your computer name there.....that kinda stuff....i just don't understand what goes where....and then...once i get it up and running, how do i link to a web page? i know it's a risk...and i've backed up my computer and im not worried about my computer....also my computer isn't on long enough to cause many problems on the web for other people and i use zone alarm which means all programs have to ask for access to the web. i understand that dosent' mean im invincible....but i gotta learn somehow.