I am wanting to build and run a web server from my home.
Any suggestions?

Quoted: I am wanting to build and run a web server from my home. Any suggestions?

First, you need a decent network connection (fast enough in the UPLOAD  direction).

Make certain that you are allowed to run servers - virtualy no cable system allows this, and they WILL shut down your connection if they find one -- yes, they do scan looking for them.

Best bet is a DSL connection -- not to the Verizon/Whoever ISP -- they tend to be as bad as the cable companies, but to a smaller third-party ISP.

Once you have your connection in place, I would suggest using Apache running on Linux.

You can run Apache on WinXP too.  I do this to share my band's mp3s with the other members.

If you use IIS with Windows, you will have a maximum connection limit.  You have full ability with Apache, for free.

What kind of storage would you recommend?

Quoted: If you use IIS with Windows, you will have a maximum connection limit.  You have full ability with Apache, for free.

That only applies when running IIS on Windows 2000 Pro (and I think XP Pro as well). You are limited to 10 concurrent connections in that case.

There is no limitation for Windows Server versions.

And you would not want to run a web server on Windows 2000/XP Pro anyway.

SATA RAID is probably the most affordable.

Quoted: SATA RAID is probably the most affordable.

+1 on Cheap SATA

But if you can afford enough bandwidth to need it, then SCSI is still the KING.

( BTW try to find a SATA drive with a 5 or 7 yr warranty, SCSI is built to last under demanding use and you pay for it. )

Quoted: You can run Apache on WinXP too.  I do this to share my band's mp3s with the other members. If you use IIS with Windows, you will have a maximum connection limit.  You have full ability with Apache, for free.

But by moving to a UNIX/Linux platform you reduce the virus/hacking potential.

I think I am going to use the UNIX platform.

What is the purose of you running a web server?

If you want to host a serious site that will get even a low amount of hits then it is not wise to run the web server from home. you'd be better off buying a host, because of the bandwidth limitations of residential internet connections (cable, DSL, ISDN, etc.) which can in no way compete with a OC3 or better line that some internet hosting company would have.

If you want to host a personal website for friends & family then check out WAMP

http://www.wampserver.com/en/index.php

It's great, It's easy, I'm a web desinger and use it daily for website testing (php, cgi, perl, etc.)

In any event if you do decide to run a web server from home, you will need a static IP. Otherwise you will not be able to use domain names due to the fact that your IP will always be changing.

Hope that helps

what sort of web site? If it's just light traffic and static web pages you can do it for cheap on
a DSL or cable connection. Usually the DHCP leases are long enough that if you leave your
box up 7/24 your IP never changes. That lets you screw The Man out of a charge for
a static IP.

www.zoneedit.com is good for free DNS.

whats a good RELIABLE FAST cheap hosting outfit for runnning a small/medium phpBB with live chat? (not talking arfcom scale, just 1000 members, maybe 100 online max)

networksolutions is slowwwwwwwww

Quoted: Quoted: SATA RAID is probably the most affordable. +1 on Cheap SATA But if you can afford enough bandwidth to need it, then SCSI is still the KING. ( BTW try to find a SATA drive with a 5 or 7 yr warranty, SCSI is built to last under demanding use and you pay for it. )

SCSI is still the King, but the new SATA 2 (or SATA 3.0Gbs) will give SCSI a good run for it's money.

In price comparison, the new SATA 2 will be about half (or 1/3) as expensive as SCSI and will do good for applications like small web servers or gaming.

Quoted: Appache if you have to. It's so much cheaper/faster to run one at rackspace.com or some other dirt cheap hosting place.

+1. I gave up on the idea of running e-mail and web servers from home. The cheap hosts are so much easier. I use runbox.

Tagged.

I payed $3k for a juiced up server and $100/m for a nice connection to the net

-Foxxz

Quoted: Quoted: If you use IIS with Windows, you will have a maximum connection limit.  You have full ability with Apache, for free. That only applies when running IIS on Windows 2000 Pro (and I think XP Pro as well). You are limited to 10 concurrent connections in that case. There is no limitation for Windows Server versions. And you would not want to run a web server on Windows 2000/XP Pro anyway.

I assumed that if he wanted to run a server from home instead of pay for it, that he wouldn't want to spend the $$$ for Windows Server.

I run a small website from my home but it's a private one, just to share files with my friends.  Password protected and they don't affect my monthly bandwidth on my website I'm paying for with Hostgator.

1) For your average home box, disk storage is not an issue - your net connection is going to be much slower than even the cheapest modern ATA/IDE hard disk... RAID is nice for data protection, but you're not going to max out disk or CPU over a DSL line.

2) Unless you need special features such as custom softwae, or full administrator access to your server, it is MUCH cheaper to pay the $6-10/mo to use a hosting service. The only exception is if you get alot of lowspeed or off-peak traffic, which will run up against your monthly bandwidth limit on a hosting service, whereas your ISP won't have a bandwith limit (if they do they're a POS - can 'em) on your home connection....

3) www.dyndns.org (free) and www.dhs.org ($5/yr) provide a simple, easy solution to the dynamic-IP issue. You can do this with ZoneEdit and your 'own' domain (eg www.mysite.com) too, but that requires a more detailed knowledge of DNS than the ready-made dynamic-DNS services provide for free or near-free...