Need help with hosting web Applications
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Forum Name: General Discussion
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URL: https://forums.webwiz.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=16405
Printed Date: 31 March 2026 at 1:17pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.08 - https://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Need help with hosting web Applications
Posted By: iSec
Subject: Need help with hosting web Applications
Date Posted: 02 September 2005 at 8:40am
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I've purchased and installed Windows Server 2003 on my machine. Now I need to know how to host web applications so that my workstation serves as a hosting provider for my own stuff. Does anyone know how to go about doing that? Thanks. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Replies:
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 02 September 2005 at 9:03am
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First you need to make sure you have a static IP. If you have a router you need to forward port 80 to the correct internal IP address. Then you need to buy a name. I recommend Godaddy. When you domain is registered point the A record to your static IP. You will need to add some extra dns and port forwarding for e-mail to work |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 02 September 2005 at 11:40am
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Sounds helpful. I already have 4 domains registered and ready to go and I do have a static IP.
You mentioned that I need to add some extra DNS and port fowarding, is that done via the Internet Protocol TCP/IP properties window or how? Thanks. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: Scratch
Date Posted: 02 September 2005 at 1:19pm
GoDaddy.com is excellent. They are easy to use and very professional. But make sure that the email addresses you use for domain registration are ONLY used for domain registration. That's because, despite GoDaddy's and your best efforts, you're going to get spammed on those addresses, so it's helpful to keep them seperated.
At all costs, stay away from any service offered by Network Solutions. Besides openly selling your email address, they've been known to "drop" registrations because of a typo in your personal info, and you'll suddenly find that your domain belongs to somone else...
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huwnet wrote:Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 02 September 2005 at 1:57pm
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huwnet, your answer was short, yet very helpful. I have succesfully hosted web pages on my own PC after following the steps you provided. Now, I have a major problem.............. Someone can easily view other folders I have on my computer by typing a url like: http://www.myurl.com/../../Document%20and%20Settings/etc - www.myurl.com/../../Document%20and%20Settings/etc ...
How do I prevent them from doing that? I know for a fact that I can place an empty index.html file in any folder and when that folder is accessed the viewer would go directly to that page, which is empty. But you know, I have another partition that has like 100 folders mostly music and softwares and it is a hassle to go into every folder and place an index page.
------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 02 September 2005 at 4:34pm
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That should not be occuring. I assume that you are running IIS because you are on Server 2003. The default configuration does not allow access to hard drive folders like you have mentioned so you must have changed your configuration a bit. The default www root folder for IIS is: C:\inetpub\wwwroot. If you set that to the default root web folder in the IIS settings and put all your web files in their people will not be able to acces the rest of your drive. |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 02 September 2005 at 10:15pm
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That's good news. I have not changed the configuration but I was just assuming that other files are accessable. Now if I had more than one website how do I host it on the same wwwroot folder? ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 03 September 2005 at 6:08am
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There are two methods for doing this: 1) The least common but easiest method is simply to host it on a different port and then include the port in the dns. However this doesnt work on certain pcs with firewalls and wont be indexed by Google. 2)Enable host headers. In each web site go to properties. In the web site tab press advanced, choose the standard ip and press edit. In the host header value put in your domain name for site1. Do the same for site2 but insert your other domain. Had to write this in a rush so it probably isnt very clear. |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 03 September 2005 at 6:27am
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Going back to hosting a site on my own PC, I was able to view my site after typing its domain name in my browser's address bar >>> but when I asked my friends to view my website that is being hosted on my pc but they could not view it. What could be the problem? The DNS was updated more than 24 hours ago so I dont think it's a dn problem.
Per hosting more than one site, I will try what you stated in the second method and see. Thanks for your time. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: dpyers
Date Posted: 03 September 2005 at 11:16am
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You wouldn't happen to be using filesharing would you? dns propagation can take longer than 24 hours - and for some tld's, it can still take 3-4 days. Try having your friends hit the site by ip address - http://xxx.yyy.zzz.000/ If they can't, it's a firewall or network settings issue on your end. http://www.broadbandreports.com - www.broadbandreports.com has excellent tutorials on networking and server set-up ------------- 
Lead me not into temptation... I know the short cut, follow me. |
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 03 September 2005 at 1:13pm
As dypers said it can take a few days. I am assuming that you put the external ip in the dns setup and not the internal one. ^^ I have done this before and got very confused! |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 03 September 2005 at 1:59pm
Well yes I have some music and other files for others to download off my website if that's what you mean by filesharing.
I did, I asked them to view it with the IP address but they could not. And yes, I have windows firewall on... but I don't want to turn it off... you know it's somehow risky not to have a firewall...however, there is an option in the firewall called "exceptions" where you can specify what applications to allow. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 03 September 2005 at 2:04pm
external and internal, where are the two located? in the domain's setting or in my connection properties? Here is what I have done in the domain's settings:
 ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 03 September 2005 at 4:27pm
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Ok everything look ok except the firewall. Edit the settings and make sure IIS is allowed if not add it! |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 03 September 2005 at 10:59pm
Update: I added it but nothing has changed -no one is able to view it! Here are the IIS components i added to the exceptions of the firewall:
 ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 04 September 2005 at 3:24am
I am running out of ideas now  1)Do you have an external firewall? 2)Check the access settings in the web site properties. 3)What ISP do you use? |
Posted By: Mart
Date Posted: 04 September 2005 at 4:14am
| And make sure port 80 is being forwarded to your machine from your router |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 04 September 2005 at 4:30am
1) No, I do not have an external firewall.
2) How do I go about checking the access settings in the website properties? Is that something inside the Inetpub folder of the IIS?
3) I have Adelphia Powerlink as my ISP. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 04 September 2005 at 4:31am
I don't have a router. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 04 September 2005 at 8:42am
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Access settings is in the site properties, Directory Security. In authentication and access control settings make sure that enable anonymous access is ticked. Then check here (http://www.webwiz.net/asp/faq/server_permissions.asp) for fixing permissions! |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 04 September 2005 at 10:33am
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I've just found out that my IP address is dynamic, even though it's been the same IP address since so long...but still it isn't static So I went ahead and called Adelphia to order a static IP, they will be contacting me in the next 2-3 business days.
huwnet, I'm sure that if I did had a static IP it would have worked from the first time we talked. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: dpyers
Date Posted: 04 September 2005 at 12:32pm
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You could get hosting a lot cheaper than the price of a dedicated ip in my neck of the woods. You may want to check out one of the dynamic dns services. Basically, you run a client on your pc that keeps the remote dns service updated whenever your dynamic ip changes. I've heard mxed reviews about the services but they basically work and are cheaper than a dedicated ip. -------------
Lead me not into temptation... I know the short cut, follow me. |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 07 September 2005 at 4:59pm
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Ok guys just so you know, Adelphia called me today and told about the rates for issuing a static IP. And...... the prices were: $119/Month to Month... and $99/Month for paying 12 months in advance. So I said okay I'll think about it....
I didn't expect it to be that much so I think I should forget about it. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: dj air
Date Posted: 07 September 2005 at 5:21pm
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be beter to get a low /medium end dedicated for that price |
Posted By: Bluefrog
Date Posted: 07 September 2005 at 5:59pm
If you're an ASP member, there's another ASP member with dynamic DNS services that offers their services for free to other ASP members  http://www.asp-shareware.org - www.asp-shareware.org BTW - they also make one of the most popular FTP servers. ------------- http://renegademinds.com/" rel="nofollow - Renegade Minds - Guitar Software http://renegademinds.com/Default.aspx?tabid=65" rel="nofollow - Slow Down Music |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 08 September 2005 at 7:31am
------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |
Posted By: huwnet
Date Posted: 08 September 2005 at 11:36am
Not nessecarily. Look at dyndns: http://www.dyndns.com/ They do web dns for dynamic ip addresses. Transfer you domain name for there custom dns service and you can host you site with your domain using you dynamic IP! Also check prices of other ISPs! In the UK BT Broadband is pretty expensive but static IPs are only 12 pounds a month |
Posted By: iSec
Date Posted: 08 September 2005 at 11:30pm
Cool, that website offers many options and I'm not sure which one I should get... Would it be the first or the second of these two?
By the way, i live in the US. ------------- "When it gets dark enough, you can see the stars" -Charles A. Beard |