Can see pages from LAN but not the WAN

I can access my pages from apache server on my LAN, but cannot from the WAN

[ccamp3175]

I am sorry to keep posting on the *nix forum, but it seems that hosting queries are acceptable, and I much appreciate the help. I'm running apache on XP, but have got great advice here about configuring, both the server and a BEFSR11 Linksys router I have. I have a static IP addy from Verizon for the WAN(call it 68.161.xxx.xx), and have set the router to pass 68.161.xxx.xx:8080 to port 80 of the server IP. As I said before, Verizon is blocking port 80. I can see my pages both thru //localhost AND thru Machine-TWO on my LAN, where I type in 192.168.1.100, the addy assigned by Linksys to the server machine. Anyone, however, who tries 68.161.xxx.xx:8080 from the Internet gets "This page cannot be displayed." I know. I've called all my friends!

Can I presume on your time and ask 3 questions?
1) do you know what I'm doing wrong so that no one can get into my static IP from the WAN?
2) Is there any way I can test Internet access from my LAN? It seems to involve loopback, which I don't understand. I CAN, btw, type in 68.161.xxx.xx (the WAN IP) into machine-TWO and contact the router (I mean the "admin" window comes up). I don't know what this implies though.
3) Does it matter whether I configure my Server PC as static IP? I know that the the DHCP server in the router can change its addy assignments, but I believe this only really happens if it's turned off or reset. For the time being, my DSL is on all the time, and I'd just like to test with the dynamic IPs. As usual, thank you all for your time and patience! Charlie

[littleman]

It is your Linksys router...
You need to open the admin interface for your router and click on advanced settings. ( I am going from memory, so this could be a little off) In there you will see a tab that says some thing like "service forwarding". You need to ad your LAN IP and port in there. So, you set 192.168.1.100 for the IP and 8080 for the port.

[ccamp3175]

Well, thank you for your response. I'm sorry: I meant to add that I have indeed set the "(advanced) forwarding" boxes on my "admin" Linksys screen. I've asked it to pass port 8080 requests (i.e. in combo with the EXTERNAL IP addy) to my server PC, Mr. 192.168.1.100. Again, do you know if the fact that THIS IP is dynamic is a problem (as long of course as Linksys doesn't change it!)? This forum is excellent; people obviously are reading it. Charlie

[littleman]

Yeah, try to switch to static -- I have it working with I have port forwording set and an internally static IP.

[ccamp3175]

Thanks again, littleman. I know what you mean: everyone recommends going static. May I ask you just 1 more question about that, though? I tried it (put the apache machine static addy BELOW the dynamic range, and everything else they tell us to do), but not only did I still not get access to my pages from the external IP, I lost access to the internet on that machine. Is this what happens when you make a machine a server?