How can I host a website on my computer.

Can I host from home.

[Deltasoft]

Hi guys, i might be in the wrong post dont know am new here so pls forgive me if i am and redirect me.

I have actually lots of issues with a site i recently did on microsoft publisher. I created the site and saved as a .html website. Now my question is how can i put it into my computer to show on the internet for others?

Like kinda host it on my own? I heard i can use the II's i dont know what it is. Can any of you guide me?

I was also told i can use dyn ip to obtain a static ip n stuff. Am new i have no clue. i've only been repairing computers my entire life and would like to host my own computer sells website along with forums..

Thanks-any help would be appriciated.

[mack]

Hi Deltasoft, welcome to WebmasterWorld.

I have to be 100% honest here and make a recommendation. Use a web hosting company. In most cases using a host is a far more appropriate way to host a website as opposed to hosting your own pages on your own hardware. Because you intend to run a business on your site is very important to get it right from the start. By using a hosting company you get their experience and ability. Hosting from home is not an easy task and has many, pit falls.

Now comes the part where I become a hypocrite and tell you that I host from home. The reason I hosted from home was because it would actually work out more expensive to host my site on a web host. My requirements where for 2 fairly high end servers, the cost of building them and hosting it myself was a lot less than the cost of leasing them.

In your case you will only need a relatively small amount of server space. Using a web host appears to be the way forwarded.

If you are still interested in learning about home hosting them I would recommend you use it as a learning exercise, perhaps get used to running a server on your network for example. But I would stay clear of hosting mission critical web sites yourself until you know exactly what you are doing.

Here is a thread that you may be interested in reading. It covers the basic of web hosting from home. [webmasterworld.com]

Mack.

[Deltasoft]

wow thanks a lot man, you really put my hopes up.

[mack]

I didn't mean to sound negative, :)

If you really want to host from home then good on you, I just think you shoudl spend some time getting used to how it all works before you commit to hosting on the web.

Mack.

[asptony]

Deltasoft,

I tooootally agree with Mack here, I would only host my own website if it ends up cheaper, for example, in mack's case. Hosting your own website requires a decent server set up, a static IP address, a decent firewall with port forwarding, and you still need to purchase a domain and point that to your server.

If you have any other questions, you can sticky me, I just set up a server at my house because I have multiple sites being hosted there. But, like I said, I would STRONGLY recommend using a hosting company for like $5-$10 monthly.

[Romeo]

Several points to think about:
If DNS, webserver setup, security, debugging problems, watching the logs, patching the server software to current levels sounds like Greek or too much work to you -- then don't do it.
If you want mail, you have to set up a mail server in a way that it does not work as a spam relay.
If you are on a ADSL line, your outgoing channel may not be good enough to provide acceptable response times for your visitors.
If you don't have a fixed IP address, add more hassle dealing with dynamic DNS.

If anything breaks, it is your own responsibility to analyze the problem and fix it.

All this can be fun, but it is time consuming and can also be frustrating.

Do you want to invest your time more in building content or in maintaining the technical infrastructure?

If all that sounds sounds still interesting and worth studying and learning, then do, if it is a small non-commercial project, where it does not matter if it works well or not. Otherwise don't.

What are your vacation plans? Let the server run unattended during that time?

Regards,
R.

[Deltasoft]

no i know that bro sorry if it sounded bad what i said but sincerally u really put my hopesup when i heard ur reply with tons of information since am new at this. :-) something great!

[Deltasoft]

hey guys i setup everything in my pc, except i have comcast as a high speedprovider. I can view my website locally if i do [soandso...] but i want it to be public. I was told by a buddy to user dyndns since it gives u static ip just incase my ip changes. The point is i sign up for dyndns and my website does not come up, says unable to find page. I would guess my ip is not correct one or perhaps ports are being blocked? Help! any ideas! thanks

[coho75]

A lot of times, if you use a dynamic DNS solution, you will not be able to use the dynamic IP address to see the page on your own network. You will have to type in the server's address on your network to see it. (i.e. - 192.168.0.x)

[Deltasoft]

i have, i have tried every adress associated with my pc u can think off. Am running out of ideas on what to do next :-( pls any help thanks.

[Burner]

Hi there,

A few thoughts,

1. If your hosting from your home account are you sure that Comcast in your area doesn't have mail and web ports blocked? They do in some locales.

2. You have a router attached to your modem? Did you remember to forward port 80 to the internal tcip/ip address of your webserver?

3. If you're using a firewall (ie XPsp2), are you allowing port 80 in?

Good luck,
Burner