Setting up a website from home - Hardware & Software

What is the most recommended way to do this? I'm thinking about picking an old computer and using that, and placing it into a closet somewhere. I know some HTML and CSS, but not so much about servers.

Why not just pay for the 5$ hosting?

Xampp

LAMP server [url]http://www.server2go-web.de/features/features.html[/url] [url]http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html[/url] though that includes linux, and you'll need to setup the security for the webserver.

You'll need to port forward. Check to see if your ISP blocks port 80.

You'll still have to pay for a domain name. [editline]07:35PM[/editline] Yea make a LAMP server.

[QUOTE=Yumyumbublegum;17660174]You'll still have to pay for a domain name.[/QUOTE] Not true. You can use a Dynamic DNS service, and have a daemon or even your home router update it. I use [url]www.dyndns.org[/url]

I meant a .com/.net/org/etc domain.

[QUOTE=Yumyumbublegum;17660303]I meant a .com/.net/org/etc domain.[/QUOTE] You don't have to. Dyndns provides a free subdomain for you to use. And if you don't want that, you can also just memorize your IP.

Which changes unless you pay for a SIP.

[QUOTE=CombineGuru;17660466]Which changes unless you pay for a SIP.[/QUOTE] Mine doesn't change, unless my xDSL modem is off for more then an hour.

[QUOTE=CombineGuru;17660466]Which changes unless you pay for a SIP.[/QUOTE] Jesus, how many times do people have to point out DynDNS? It's called [u]Dynamic[/u]DNS for a reason. Every time your IP changes, you run a script (or some routers even have it automatically built-in) to send your new IP to DynDNS, which then forwards your subdomain to the new IP.

[QUOTE=Van-man;17660486]Mine doesn't change, unless my xDSL modem is off for more then an hour.[/QUOTE] That doesn't apply to everyone. My ISP force-disconnects me to keep me from running a public webserver hassle-free.

[QUOTE=DrTaxi;17661035]That doesn't apply to everyone. My ISP force-disconnects me to keep me from running a public webserver hassle-free.[/QUOTE] Your ISP is a Dick. Mine doesn't bitch about anything.

[QUOTE=CombineGuru;17660466]Which changes unless you pay for a SIP.[/QUOTE] I've had the same IP on virgin media for 4 years, And it only changed because I got a new router (It's bound to MAC Address, I could of cloned it, but so what?) And it's almost certainly cheaper to just pay for some cheap hosting when you weigh up the cost of running a computer 24/7.

If you have an old computer laying around anywhere, install Ubuntu server edition and Apache2.

I found an old computer got it up and running, and put Ubuntu Server on it. This is the first time to use Linux, so I don't know what to do. Should I try the Ubuntu desktop edition, or try the server edition.

[QUOTE=Redoctober21;17667551]I found an old computer got it up and running, and put Ubuntu Server on it. This is the first time to use Linux, so I don't know what to do. Should I try the Ubuntu desktop edition, or try the server edition.[/QUOTE] If you're new to linux, you'd really prefer the desktop edition. The server edition doesn't even come with a GUI, so unless you already know the exact commands to install and configure things like apache, tomcat, and other useful dependencies, stick with Desktop.

Or you could not even fiddle with Linux at all and use Windows and XAMPP, it installs Apache, PHP, MySQL, Filezilla Server, and a few other things easily.

[QUOTE=advil0;17668295]Or you could not even fiddle with Linux at all and use Windows and XAMPP, it installs Apache, PHP, MySQL, Filezilla Server, and a few other things easily.[/QUOTE] Unless you're familiar with the Windows security issues and have a strong understanding of how web servers work, I can't really recommend hosting a server on an OS that vulnerable. Security for a home computer is one thing, but a web server is a way of broadcasting your IP to everyone, going "Look at me, free bandwidth if you can compromise my box!" Of course no system is fully secure, but for someone just starting out, I think that a distro like Ubuntu would be a great place to start.

[QUOTE=AesoSpadez;17668513]Unless you're familiar with the Windows security issues and have a strong understanding of how web servers work, I can't really recommend hosting a server on an OS that vulnerable. Security for a home computer is one thing, but a web server is a way of broadcasting your IP to everyone, going "Look at me, free bandwidth if you can compromise my box!" Of course no system is fully secure, but for someone just starting out, I think that a distro like Ubuntu would be a great place to start.[/QUOTE] Windows isn't swiss cheese anymore.

I'm running an 8 player HL2-DM server 24/7, and Comcast doesn't give a shit. [img]http://d2k5.com/sa_emots/smile.gif[/img]

[QUOTE=DrTaxi;17669814]Windows isn't swiss cheese anymore.[/QUOTE] That kind of statement is all kinds of questionable. The speed at which Windows releases patches is astronomically slow (on the order of 3-4 weeks minimum after an exploit is found), and the majority of bot nets run Windows-specific attacks when trying to add you to the collective. By running a Linux server instead of a Windows server, you can negate the majority of attacks. And even after that, any attacks left working are going to be on the common services for any open ports you've got. At the end of the day, why not? When it comes to web serving, you're going to have the same quantity of community help available to you, and it doesn't cost you a dime.

I would never use Windows for a server, but it still isn't full of holes and MS usually publishes notices on vulnerabilities and how to work around them until a patch is released.

If you don't have really high needs, go with the basic hosting at [url]http://www.limedomains.com/[/url] They are pretty good for my small site. If you still wish to host from home on a Windows machine, I suggest Dyndns + Abyss web server (The free version, there is no limits in the free version).

[QUOTE=AesoSpadez;17673175]That kind of statement is all kinds of questionable. The speed at which Windows releases patches is astronomically slow (on the order of 3-4 weeks minimum after an exploit is found), and the majority of bot nets run Windows-specific attacks when trying to add you to the collective. By running a Linux server instead of a Windows server, you can negate the majority of attacks. And even after that, any attacks left working are going to be on the common services for any open ports you've got. At the end of the day, why not? When it comes to web serving, you're going to have the same quantity of community help available to you, and it doesn't cost you a dime.[/QUOTE] You forgot the makefile override, which is why I use linux in hosting games. You can automatically patch the exploits if you know how to. It's a pain in the ass to wait for someone to release it, but you can fix it yourself. Honestly, there can be many problems when doing this, because you shouldn't edit the "hard-coded" information that is sent to the machine, but it will fix whateverthefuck you are vulnerable against.

[QUOTE=advil0;17668295]Or you could not even fiddle with Linux at all and use Windows and XAMPP, it installs Apache, PHP, MySQL, Filezilla Server, and a few other things easily.[/QUOTE] [img]http://crap.fi/archive/127.jpg[/img] I rest my case.

[QUOTE=UNIX_nikomo;17697521][img]http://crap.fi/archive/127.jpg[/img] I rest my case.[/QUOTE] Holy system tray batman!