Hosting question...

[Ladogaboy]

Okay, if I were to get a connection that has permanent access to the internet, i.e. DSL or Cable, would I be able to host my own website from my computer?

Also, how would I go about doing that?

[Jeffbx]

Possibly. You'll need:

1. A static IP address (or a dynamic IP re-routing service)
2. A registered domain name
3. A DNS server
4. An ISP that will allow you to serve

Normally, the DNS is handled by your ISP. Unfortunately, if you want to use it for your site, they will usually charge you hosting, not surfing rates. Expect to pay about 2x more for a 'hosting' connection from an ISP.

Now, you can always get around this by using a 3rd party DNS or a dynamic DNS service, but if your site gets a lot of traffic your ISP is likely to shut it down. Most user agreements state that you can't host any type of sites from a personal account. There are the exceptions, however, so be sure to read the fine print.

[rajatQ2]

Originally posted by chosenfool
Im not sure how to translate that IP to a true domain name, though.

Speaking from the win2k, XP side of things, to get your nameserver resolution you can do this:
start->run->cmd
ipconfig (to get your current IP address)
nslookup (new IP address)

and usually the last entry in that output will be your nameserver entry. Good luck

[Jeffbx]

Originally posted by rajatQ2

and usually the last entry in that output will be your nameserver entry. Good luck

Yes - whatever DNS server(s) is(are) listed in the 'ipconfig /all' would be your default nameserver as well. However, the tricky part is getting the ISP to add your domain name to it. This is part of what they charge you for.

Now, the easiest thing in the world to do (especially if you have a static IP) is to just fire up your webserver & pass out your IP address rather than a URL. You can ALWAYS resolve to an IP address from anywhere on the internet. Of course, it's a lot tougher to remember an IP address than 'mysite.com'.

[Ladogaboy]

Originally posted by Jeffbx

Now, the easiest thing in the world to do (especially if you have a static IP) is to just fire up your webserver & pass out your IP address rather than a URL. You can ALWAYS resolve to an IP address from anywhere on the internet. Of course, it's a lot tougher to remember an IP address than 'mysite.com'.

Yeah, I forgot about that. The only thing is, that could be like giving someone an open invitation to your computer/network, no?

[Jeffbx]

Originally posted by Ladogaboy


Yeah, I forgot about that. The only thing is, that could be like giving someone an open invitation to your computer/network, no?

No more so than passing out your web address. It's pretty trivial to resolve an IP address from a web address - just ping it. This is what firewalls are for. Whether you're serving something or just surfing, you should always use a personal firewall on your system to keep out the casual snoopers.

[Markel]

Note that unless you make particular arrangements, cable IP addresses are usually dynamic.

This reminds me of something that happened to a friend of mine who works from home and was the "host" for his company's servers (using a good DSL connection). He would leave the FTP directory open for transfers by various members of the company. But he noticed that it was getting an unusually high amount of traffic. A little investigation revealed that some group in Europe had found the site and was using it for a "drop site" for transerring files (someone would dump the files off and notify the recipient, the recipient would get the files and delete them).

[Markel]

Originally posted by DarkFury
@home is always port scanning us to see who is doing what. Just be careful dude.
Heh heh. I remember seeing a lot of @home port scans being blocked in my ZoneAlarm log. Are you still with @home, DF?

[Ladogaboy]

Originally posted by Markel

Heh heh. I remember seeing a lot of @home port scans being blocked in my ZoneAlarm log. Are you still with @home, DF?

Hey, are ZoneAlarm and other programs that guard/block your ip freeware? If so, do you have any links to dl them?

[ironchef]

Yeah, that whole server issue is one of the primary reasons I chose my DSL provider, Speakeasy.net. They're worth a look. Their prices are a little high (I pay about $53 for two static IPs, 5mb webspace and telnet, and 604/128KBps ADSL. That price is higher now though for new customers, probably closer to $60-something). But, what's so great about them is that they *encourage* you to run servers, particularly game servers. They're really friendly to high-end users. They also encourage connection sharing, and include how-to's for setup etc.

I don't feel like paying for DNS setup, so I use a free service called Dyndns.org. You basically pick a third-level domain (mine is tenthirteen) and then give out that address, http://tenthirteen.dyndns.org. It's super easy for static IPs, and there are clients and such that can update their registry for folks who have dynamic IPs.

[nfarzan]

www.no-ip.com will let assign your domain name to a dynamic ip for $25/year