Home Web Server

[TheBigDog]

Ok Hypographers,

 

I want to set up a home web server. I have a cable connection to the internet with dynamic IP. I am going to build the box from scratch using either Linux or WindowsXP Home (those are what I own).

 

i want this to be a utility box of sorts. A potal to my home network via the net. Storage of various files that I would like to expose to the net. And possibly a SQL server that is exposed to both the net.

 

I am looking for some good advice on how to build this with as little dollar cost as possible. How should I begin this venture?

 

Bill

[Buffy]

Be careful what you wish for.

 

There are services out there that will maintain a web address for you on a dynamic IP, but I have one customer who does this and the connection totally bites the big one. I won't name the service he uses because I certainly can't recommend it (although I'll blast the cable company, Comcast, which does suck!).

 

I'll strongly recommend you go to DSL with a static IP if you're going to do this, although that may cost you enough that *hosting* becomes a cheaper alternative.

 

The *most* important issue is that buried *deep* in that clickwrap that you signed off on with your cable company is some obscure language about "abuse" of upload bandwidth. You can get into as much trouble running bittorrent of course, but you should be aware that the cable company has the right to cut you off if your upload bandwidth exceeds anything the deem to be "normal". In general you will also get much better *upbound* bandwidth guarantees from the phone company for dsl for the buck, and if you go through a third party provider (more $$$) you will get less restrictive bandwidth usage covenants. In any case, don't expect to support anything more than a trivial number of visitors out of your home!

 

Building the server is easy as pie: get any old machine, load up your favorite brand of linux or FreeBSD and add a copy of Apache and maybe MySQL or PostgreSQL, and you've got more power than you really need. Just be sure to open the HTTP port on your firewall and makesure that FTP is *closed* unless you are a professional driver on a closed course.

 

Seriously though, unless you really are just wanting to have fun building and maintaining your own server, you're going to be much better off with a hosting company like iPower or Crystaltech or even Yahoo, which cost less than $10/month.

 

Have fun!

Buffy

[Cedars]

I agree with most of what Buffy said.

 

But I would not recommend yahoo to anyone. I had a domain thru them and when I found out they were giving better offers to new people, and would not give me, a customer with a few years paying, any changes to my package I began to try to get my domain moved to someone who offered more. Now I had a .org and could not find this piece of paper they claimed to have sent me back a few years before with an authorization number. They refused to send me a copy to the postal address I had always used claiming security issues. I tried to resolve this for 6 months before my domain came up for renewal. They also use a company in Australia to do this and each kept blaming the other as an answer on how to resolve this.

 

I finally sent them an email saying discontinue registering this domain and I changed the credit card number so they couldnt charge me.

 

My domain is still in my name and I havent payed for it for like 3 years now. They keep renewing it and I cannot use it.

[TheFaithfulStone]

Hey BD. I did this recently. It's an older box, running FC4.

 

Zonedit will update your Domain to point to the correct IP. A lot of ISPs block port 80 outgoing, so you'll have to reroute the serice through a different port. Easy to do with zonedit though.

 

I used Fedora because I couldn't figure out a way to make WebDAV work easily with Windows XP Home.

 

The only advice I've got to offer is to set it up carefully, and then setup a forward on the servers local root to your email address. And then READ the logs.

 

Set up ssh so only someone with a really obscure name can log in, and then give that user sudo powers. Don't EVER have root able to ssh into the box. EVER.

 

It's working okay for me. I get like 500 or so break in attempts on ssh everyday, but so far none of them have gotten through.

 

TFS

[alexander]

lol, i know i may be an extremist, but i go with Gentoo server, cuz where performance matters, there is no better OS, or FreeBSD, but then you really should compile your own kernel and all the software, including system software. if you have the time, and choose linux, i would spend the extra few minutes to custom patch your kernel using grsecurity patches, which would make your kernel a lot more secure, setup port knocking for ssh access, which will eliminate the possibility of a gazillion ssh attacks going through, make sure you delete all the default apache scripts after you finish installing it. lets see, oh, rootkit sniffers, firewall, ids, and like a weekly redownload and rebuild of core system packages wont be a bad thing (that can be a cron job and a package management system hence why you should really run a gentoo system), updates, no x server (you just dont need it on a server).

 

basically dont use a windows system for a server, it is signifficantly slower, and a lot less configurable then a linux box, remember unix systems are built for security and speed vs windows.... well whatever it is windows is built for, i still havent figured it out (and no its not regular users)

[TheBigDog]

So, I never did make a home web server. I found that the prices for web hosting are just too damn low for me to bother with doing it myself. I found a host that gives me unlimited disk space and bandwidth (well, there are limits, but that is how they advertise) for less than $5.00/month. I don't need to worry about any administrative tasks other than my own website.

 

So, my question becomes this...

 

What is the reason one would want to host from home instead of using a host?

 

Bill

[TheFaithfulStone]

I did it because I wanted multiple server technologies for testing, and a "route through" box for VNC connections to my home system.

 

So I've got Ruby, PHP, MySQL and PostGre, as well as WebDAV.

 

I also run X on it, so I can SSH into it, and then VNC a Wine instance to run internet explorer on. Keeps me from having to buy a bunch of BrowserCam time.

 

TFS

[Tormod]

Well, unless I'm mistaken I think Bill wants a Microsoft box for .NET and SQL Server, not MySQL. In that case hosting is usually slightly more expensive.

 

Hypography used to be hosted on Windows servers over at Crystaltech - they used to have good service but I can't vouch for them anymore (two years since we moved away and to Linux now).

[Southtown]

I did it because I wanted multiple server technologies for testing, and a "route through" box for VNC connections to my home system.

 

So I've got Ruby, PHP, MySQL and PostGre, as well as WebDAV.

 

I also run X on it, so I can SSH into it, and then VNC a Wine instance to run internet explorer on. Keeps me from having to buy a bunch of BrowserCam time.

 

TFS

Yeah for learning, and for kicks. (ha) Also if you're mega-giganta-enormous like amazon and your bandwidth and processing/storage capabilities directly effect your bottom line...

[stephanie34535]

In your situation Bluehost and Squarespace would work perfectly fine as I have worked on your quarry. For following comprehensive instructions you can also try https://opencollective.com/bluehost-vs-squarespace it and learn much more. As you are looking forward to something that is available at cost-effective range.

So these two would probably work for your matter of concern. As some people have mentioned here that always be aware what you need and go for so choose anything cautiously and don’t let anything bothersome that raise complications for you. I hope these web hosting services would help you in the best way possible.

[GAHD]

A child born on the last day southtown posted here would be graduating middle school right now...

 

[exchemist]

A child born on the last day southtown posted here would be graduating middle school right now...

 

I think this may be a (rather bad) robot. The language is wrong, but not in the normal way of a non-native English speaker.

 

Let’s see if there is any response.

Edited July 30, 2019 by exchemist

[Vmedvil2]

I think this may be a (rather bad) robot. The language is wrong, but not in the normal way of a non-native English speaker.

 

Let’s see if there is any response.

 

Exchemist how do we know your not a robot? You could just be a very advanced skynet A.I. here to fool us all.

Edited July 31, 2019 by VictorMedvil