post #1
01 July 2004, 15:25 UTC#1
Most programs you download or even IIS would lead you into thinking that setting up a webserver is as simple as having the right program. Sadly this isnt always the case, and blatently people tend to get a bit pissed off when it takes them months to configure their awkward router.
When setting up a webserver it is always a good idea to check that the router your connected to hasnt got all of its ports blocked. If you know it has then you may not be able to connect via the default webport and may have to port forward/route trafffic over another, e.g. port 1025 which tends to be in use a lot by xp machines.
you may access the routers interface via telnet in cmd, to do this go to start>Run> Type in "cmd", once the MS-Dos interface has appeared type in "ipconfig" then info about your routers configuration should appear, what you need to take note of is where it says "Default Gateway" now type in "telnet defaultgatewaynumberhere" telnet with a space then the number then hit the enter key, where it asks for a pasword type in 1234, this is the default router password. it will now provide you with a list of options on how to configure the router, you need option 15 this will provide you with a good resource for getting your server online.
Now to route all the traffic to your internal ip address you will need to type in your internal ip address in the ip field and the port number you wish to route to in the port field. Remember, on a router you will not be able to access the external address internally but will be able to access the internal externally if the ports are configured correct, and when using a different port other than 80 the external address will be yourip
ortnumber/filename. If you have made sure all of this is fine and you still cant get another person to connect externally then it may be a problem with the server software you are using, in that case test it internally by typing in the internal ip address and port number into your browser. If you have done everything corectly then your mates should be able to access your website on your server correctly.
You can set up an IIS server on your pc by going to control panel and selecting the add windows components tab, then choose to install IIS information services. You will need the windows setup disk to do this with, once it is setup you may access it in the directory in which it has been installed in, to add a website select the folder in which your website is located and make sure the index.html or .php is in there, make sure IIS says that the directory is online before giving out the url. If you do not have the windows disk or you are running an earlier version of windows than 2000 you will have to download a software trial of a webserver from download.com (this is usually shareware and you will have to purchase the software once the trial period has expired.
For assigning domains to your network you will have to download a DNS program from download.com and once again purchase the program once the trial has expired You will need to enter the details of your dns server into your domain names control panel to be able to host it on your home server, then make sure the domain is assigned to an account on your webserver.
For people to access your server remotely if you plan to host other peoples sites you may wish to get web-based administration software, you may find more info at cpanel.net or download an ftp server, and configure a different port in the cmd interface to assign it to your ftp server, so people can remotely download files.
Remember: when hosting sites reliability is important, make sure you have a fast enough connection and a fairly reasonable pc to do so, and also where cmd instructions are located do not use the "" where stated, these are merely to seperate the commands from the text.
I hope you succeed and remember not to host more sites than your connection can handle.
When setting up a webserver it is always a good idea to check that the router your connected to hasnt got all of its ports blocked. If you know it has then you may not be able to connect via the default webport and may have to port forward/route trafffic over another, e.g. port 1025 which tends to be in use a lot by xp machines.
you may access the routers interface via telnet in cmd, to do this go to start>Run> Type in "cmd", once the MS-Dos interface has appeared type in "ipconfig" then info about your routers configuration should appear, what you need to take note of is where it says "Default Gateway" now type in "telnet defaultgatewaynumberhere" telnet with a space then the number then hit the enter key, where it asks for a pasword type in 1234, this is the default router password. it will now provide you with a list of options on how to configure the router, you need option 15 this will provide you with a good resource for getting your server online.
Now to route all the traffic to your internal ip address you will need to type in your internal ip address in the ip field and the port number you wish to route to in the port field. Remember, on a router you will not be able to access the external address internally but will be able to access the internal externally if the ports are configured correct, and when using a different port other than 80 the external address will be yourip
ortnumber/filename. If you have made sure all of this is fine and you still cant get another person to connect externally then it may be a problem with the server software you are using, in that case test it internally by typing in the internal ip address and port number into your browser. If you have done everything corectly then your mates should be able to access your website on your server correctly. You can set up an IIS server on your pc by going to control panel and selecting the add windows components tab, then choose to install IIS information services. You will need the windows setup disk to do this with, once it is setup you may access it in the directory in which it has been installed in, to add a website select the folder in which your website is located and make sure the index.html or .php is in there, make sure IIS says that the directory is online before giving out the url. If you do not have the windows disk or you are running an earlier version of windows than 2000 you will have to download a software trial of a webserver from download.com (this is usually shareware and you will have to purchase the software once the trial period has expired.
For assigning domains to your network you will have to download a DNS program from download.com and once again purchase the program once the trial has expired You will need to enter the details of your dns server into your domain names control panel to be able to host it on your home server, then make sure the domain is assigned to an account on your webserver.
For people to access your server remotely if you plan to host other peoples sites you may wish to get web-based administration software, you may find more info at cpanel.net or download an ftp server, and configure a different port in the cmd interface to assign it to your ftp server, so people can remotely download files.
Remember: when hosting sites reliability is important, make sure you have a fast enough connection and a fairly reasonable pc to do so, and also where cmd instructions are located do not use the "" where stated, these are merely to seperate the commands from the text.
I hope you succeed and remember not to host more sites than your connection can handle.