How do I host a server?

[thehackerdude_SC]

Well i want to make my own server on my computer, ok. I got that down but how in the world do you do it? Well if you can help please do! Thanks!



:shoot :lucifer

 

[thehackerdude_SC]

thankyou will do but can i have more help>?

 

[jd-inflames]

yeah, search google for "appserv" its a program that installs mysql, php, and apache and sets it up for you. you can be a complete dumbass and still get it done

 

[thehackerdude_SC]

thanks

 

[Sicloan]

actually IIS is alot easier to install than any of those.. and it'll suit you just fine if all you want are web pages and images.


setting up IIS:


First thing is to figure out and manage your IP Address. An IP Address is an identifier of your computer's "location" online. It allows other computers to connect to your own and exchange data. It is not dissimilar to your street address. To mail "data" you need an address on the package so the mailmen know where to send it. Don't know your IP Address? Well, there are two main ways to find it. The easiest for people with high speed internet connections and windows 2000 or higher is to go to www.whatismyipaddress.com. After loading, the page will display your computer's IP Address. The other way is to click the "start" button and selecting "run". In the text field type "winipcfg" and press "OK". A window will show up displaying either familiar or unfamiliar data depending on your expierence with computers. If your IP Address is simply a bunch of zeros, select a different adapter until you get an IP address that is not completely null.
The second step is to determine whether your IP Address is static or dynamic. A static address is preferable for a webserver but not required. A static IP Address is an IP Address that does not change everytime you connect to the internet. In most cases, high speed modems will give a static IP Address and Dial-ups will give a dynamic. There are two main ways to figure out if your IP Address is static or not. One is to monitor your IP Address everytime you connect or simply daily to see whether it changes or not. The second, most efficient way, is to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and ask what kind of IP Address you have. If it is not static, do your best to persuade your ISP do make it so. Once again, it is not neccessary to have a static IP Address, but it is preferable.
Ok, now you know a little more about IP Addresses and such. The next step is to configure your router. This step is only for those that have a router. Configuring your router is not the same for all models. So, for this part you may need to do a little research on your specific router. Some have telnet based configurations and others have web-based ones. This may sound a little confusing at first, but once you do your research it should be relatively simple. You need to turn off the filter (if its already on) on port 80. Port 80 is the port which all HTML (webpages) go in and out of. After you unblock port 80, you need to redirect port 80 to your computer from the router. You will need to set port 80 transfers to go to your specific network IP Address. You can find your network IP Address by right-clicking network neighborhood and selecting properties. Click, but do not double-click, the "local area connection" icon. In the "details" part of the folder it should display something like "IP Address: 192.168.0.*" That number, is your computer's network IP Address.
WOW! You now have a mess of numbers running through your head. You now need to open up "control panel" (located by clicking "start" then "settings" then "control panel") and select "add or remove programs". If you don't have it already, you need to install "Internet Information Services" (IIS). You do this by clicking the "add/remove windows components" button and selecting the IIS check box. You will need your Windows CD for this if you have not copied the files to another folder. After you have successfully installed IIS it is helpful to display administrative tools on your start menu. Do this by right-clicking the start menu and selecting properties. Click the "Start Menu" tab and then the "Customize" button. Near the top of the "Advanced Start Menu Options" should be a checkbox labeled "Display Administrative Tools". Check this box and press ok. You should now be able to access IIS from the start menu by selecting Administrative Tools on the "Programs" list.
Now it is time to run IIS. Open IIS from the start menu. You now see a expandable menu on the left displaying your computer's name. Expand the menu. There should be another menu labeled "Web Sites"; expand that one as well. You now see labeled "Default Web Site". Right-click and rename the sucker to anything of your choice. After that, right-click it again and select properties. Make sure the TCP Port is 80 on the "Web Site" tab. Then click the "Home Directory", click the radial for "A directory located on this computer" and set the "local path" to the new or existing directory you want to run your website from. Also make sure you only check the boxes "Read", "Script Source Access", "Log visits" and "Index this resource" (for security reasons). Set "Execute Permissions" to "Scripts only" and set "Application Protection" to Low (low is not bad for this part). Now, select the "Documents" tab. Make sure "index.html" is in the white box and if it is not, "add" it. Press "OK" and exit IIS.
Now go to the "Home Directory" that you specified in the last step. Before you actually open the folder, right click it, go to properties, and go to the "security" tab. If you do not have a security tab, open up the folder and select "tools" and then "folder options". Click the "view" tab and uncheck "Use Simple File Sharing". Press "OK" and go back to the directory just above your website folder. Now, right-click and select properties. You should now see the "security" tab. Click it. Click the "advanced" button and go to the "owner" tab. Make your computer's Administrator the owner and "replace owner on subcontainers and objects". Click "OK" and go right back into the "advanced" section again. This time click the "permissions" tab. Select the computer's administrator's name in the menu and check the lower two checkboxes. Now press "OK" and open your folder.
You are almost done. Now, download this file, unzip "index.html" and put it in your root folder. This is just a starter page for your site and you are welcome to change and make more of them later. Now, right-click your index.html file and go to properties and then to security. Make the security options for this file match the ones you made for your home directory. Now comes the fun part. Open up Internet Explorer and type in your network IP address in this format: http://[network address here]. (example: http://192.168.0.3)You now see your new page! Now, tell a friend to go online and type in your IP Address (not your network one, but the other one). He should be online as well as you (duh). He can now see the same page you did, and guess who is hosting it - YOU! You can now go to HTML Goodies and learn how to change your index.html file and create an awesome website!
There is one more step you might wish to take. This is an optional step and it costs about $9. This is the part of webhosting that many covet - a domain name. Domain names are things such as www.battleforums.com or www.whitehouse.gov. You to can have a domain name. Go to Go Daddy and buy yourself a domain name (go daddy is the cheapest). After you have done that get a FREE Zone Edit account and link your IP Address to the domain name you bought. If you IP is dynamic, this is where you need to keep an eye out. Every time your IP Address changes you must update that change in your Zone Edit account or your site will not work.

 

[jd-inflames]

lol, have you tried appserv? heres the instructions for appserv:

run installer, then let the installer install...YOUR DONE


now wasnt that a lot shorter and you dont have to manage it like IIS. i used to use IIS as well, but toying with mysql is a pain with it.

 

[Sicloan]

bah... screw sql!! you dont need it... xml owns you. but no i havent tried appserv... sounds interesting though!


i like IIS for its ability to use .asp and .php though... and you dont need Mysql with IIS... you need microsofts SQL which is pretty much the same thing.

 

[thehackerdude_SC]

I have appache, but dont know how to use lol!

 

[thehackerdude_SC]

After you install what then? How do you use it?

 

[jd-inflames]

there is a www folder wherever you installed it...then your website is http:// your ip address.

 

[thehackerdude_SC]

Little more help?

 

[jd-inflames]

ok, type in http://your ip address, then it should bring up a screen where you can get to your phpmyadmin. ok, bookmark that site, and delete the php shit that is in the www folder. now make your site...your done. what else do you need to know?

 

[thehackerdude_SC]

so you type in http://mypin ?

 

[Sicloan]

no.... http://YOURIPADDRESSHERE/ or http://127.0.0.1/ which means your connecting to yourself.

 

[jd-inflames]

i just tested some things, and it takes some extra steps to actually get the dns to get you online. ill have to figure that much later, or you can just go with iis

 

[jd-inflames]

hmm...i didnt know that xp had those limitations, of couse i normally dont use it as a server. id suggest getting a standalone box for it and installing windows 2000 server. sicloan would prolly jump on me and say 2003, but its not good to install 2003 without the real server hardware, you wont get the extra benifits.

 

[thehackerdude_SC]

thanks it works!

 

[thehackerdude_SC]

O, and the limitations depend on the server type you are hosting! I am hosting a sever for starcarft for fun, not actualy part of b.net.