Setting up Your own Web Server
A Web Hosting Article Contributed by Ken Joy
How to Run Your own Web Server
You've probably always thought that setting up a web server is best left to the professionals. After all, they must charge those monthly fees for something, right? While there is a certain amount of knowledge required to run a web server, it certainly isn't rocket science, and is within the realm of most average computer owners. If you can read and follow instructions, know how to create folders, and where to find the control panel on your computer, you already know 50% of what the guys at the web server companies know!
How a Web Server Works
Think of a web server as a restaurant. When you want a certain kind of food you go to a specific restaurant. A Chinese restaurant doesn't serve Mexican food, and they don't serve pancakes at Taco Bell! When you want to go to a specific restaurant, you go to the address where the restaurant is located. That's how it is when you're looking for a specific web site. Each computer that accesses the internet has it's own "address". It's called an IP (Internet Protocol) address.
At that address, on that specific computer, can be run web server software that acts as a "restaurant" for a specific web site. When you're looking for a specific web site you, of course, type in the name of the site in the browser, and your computer searches the internet for the computer that is "serving" that web site. When it finds it, it "knocks" on the door of the server software, and the server lets you in.
You Can Run a Web Server on Almost Any Computer
You can run this kind of web server software on your home or office computer. In fact, Microsoft Windows comes with its own web server built in. There are four things you'll need to run a server on your own computer: An "always on" connection to the internet like a cable or DSL connection, a "static IP" address, web server software and a domain name. The reason you'll need an "always on" connection goes back to the restaurant analogy.
Let's say you're in the mood for Chinese food at 2 a.m. You go to the restaurant, but they're closed. They're not always open, or "always on". When that happens, you either give up and don't go back to that restaurant again, or you go find a new favorite Chinese restaurant. Same thing with web servers. If your computer and your connection to the internet isn't always on, then your web site is not always available for people to knock and come in.
Your Web Server Needs a Static Ip
A static IP is an internet address that never changes. When you use a "dial up" service like AOL, you're given a temporary IP address every time your computer dials them. Each time you log in, your address changes. Imagine going to the Chinese restaurant, and finding they've moved! That's what happens of you don't have a static IP address. Web surfers won't be able to find you because the web server will be at a different address each time you go online. Ask your internet provider about getting a static IP.
Where Do You Get Web Server Software?
You can always use the server software bundled with Windows, called I.S. for "internet server" (clever, eh? ). There are also commercial packages that provide everything from simple web hosting, to the ability to run your own e-mail server, and even start your own web server business! One program, The Complete Web Hosting Kit, provides everything you need to run a web site on your own computer, along with an e-mail server, and even a shopping cart so you can set up an online store.
Your Web Server Needs It's own Domain Name
Of course, your "restaurant" has to have a name. You can register a domain name with any of the hundreds of domain name registrars on the web. Domain name prices range anywhere from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars depending on the kind of name you're registering, and how long you register it for. Typically you can register a domain name at a site like www.domainsidekick.com for $9.95 a year. When you're registering your domain name, you'll need your static IP address to enter along with your name so your domain name will be linked with your computer's address.
Is That All There is to Running a Web Server?
That's the basics. If you already have a domain name and a static IP address, you can use a kit like the Complete Web Hosting Kit, and have your site up and running in a day. As you grow as a web master, there are many more avenues to explore, and features to add to your web server experience. And finding those features are the fun of web hosting!
