well you dont really need an uptight comp to run your own server i mean its so simple i run to instances of apache on on the default port and the other on port 3000 and they all jus take up 40mb ram each so you see its not that hard well heres part two.
to run your own server you are gonna need.
a server software apache preferable
perl. mysql and python (these are optional)
also if you wish to run a web hosting company you gonna need a webhosting control panel.
a mail server
a ftp server
and the most important thing about running your own server is to have it accessible to other people to see it, and this you are gonna need, a dynamic dns client software and a dynaminc dns provider.


you see when you are on a dial up network your ip address changes every time and you need the dynamin dns client to update you ip to the dynamic dns provider every time it changes.

well sorry for all the linux people but this article is jus gonna really focus on poeple running windows coz when it comes to servers everybody knows that windows people have a disadvantage.


so next im gonna show you 5 simple ways you could get your server online and working

1..download the tsw{the saing wamp}thats basically an acronym for windows apache and mysql / perl installer. it will do everything for the configuration of all that crap and save you days of headaches. trust me been there. you could download this from tsw the saint wamp download page
that is there latest version and it features most of the features i mentioned on the first article. and please note that it also features php 5.

2...just make sure that when you are installing it you do not install the services that it the ftp server and the mail server they got there coz they not so user friendly i will tell you which ones to use . for your mails server i stronly recommend that you use.hmail server and you can find that here. hmail server .com and for the ftp server you could possibly go for cerrubus ftp server according to me its the best just use you favourite search engine to find that.

3....configure both the ftp server and the mails server . that should be a walk through. its really easy .

4....dynamic dns...<> first get a uni.cc account. another domain that is and in the domain setup point it out to dns option. then point the external dns servers to ns1.afraid.org
ns2.afraid.org
then go to www.afraid.organd register for a dns account and add your uni.cc domain name . it will probably take some time for the dns servers to change so be patient. then from there you can configure dynamic dns for your domain name. and for the dns client i insist you use dynsite for window. its the best and the easitest to use.

5..everything is done you got your own domain name webserver and everything there is nothing that the server you just setup . cannot run its mega featured lol. take my word for it.for the webhosting control panel for people using windows there is this great one called the zpanel you can grab it at www.thezpanel.com its for people using windows.

well if you have a problem with setting up any of the above esp the dns (trust me that can really be hektic. )just pm or post in this forum ill be sure to help. well there have fun running your own server.....
if you need any other thing jus pm me i'll be glad to help you..

This post has been edited by stevey: Jul 31 2004, 05:21 PM

Nice guide u got here, I prefer my simple way though. I have a T3 line and Im hosting about 4 servers.

Server 1:
Webserver:
I used PHPTriad (yeah i know it isnt very good but its very stable and I personally love it). It just installed and I was ready with a webserver

Server 2:
FTP Server:
I used NetFile FTP/HTTP server (disabled HTTP). Set up accesses and accounts and I was done with taht.

Server 3:
Ragnarok Online:
I used FusionWeiss x.x (dunno what version) for this. This is on a dedicated pc that has a uptime of like 100% (never down to my knowledge since i put it up like 4months ago)

Server 4:
Battle Net Server:
Used PVPGN (Player Versus Player Gaming Network). Pretty simple to setup and get it online. Only hard part was getting on Blizzard ftp and getting the patch files (.mpq), that part i hadda figure out myself. This is also on the same dedicated pc. Currently supported games on this are: StarCraft and EXP, Diablo, Diablo 2 and LOD, WarCraft II BNE, Warcraft III/EXP, and World Of WarCraft.

Soon to come Server 5:
Half Life / CS / 2:
NO idea what ill use as a server, but all Half Life games will be supported including HL2 and any expansions it may have.

PS. this server is on USWest (washington state) and ppl from UK have had a lag of max 500bps...not that bad, everyone has smooth gameplay...

Oh the RO server is public so anyone can register, its at www.ruinro.ath.cx or ruinro.ruinroms.net or ruinro.esqemulation.net (this shud be up in a few weeks)

lol iight kool but you kinda running a hell lot of servers if you ask me, but well if you can maintain them well thats kool. but well what i usually hate about all this is the setup and configuration of every bit that makes it diffucult thats y i wrote this guide.

heh yea its a pain to maintain but things take care of themselves usually plus i got a pretty good system so it all works nicely

I don't think my ISP allows you to put web servers on your computer. And it's not like I could just switch to a different ISP, since I'm only 13 and I don't have the money to pay for Internet access. =P

wow not bad ! maybe i should build my own..thanks for the info!u guys rocks!

To get the domain, do you have to register with a domain website, and pay a subscription?

I was running a server a while ago and im gonna start again once I get my new 30mb connection. It worked well with my T3 conection but it started to get slow when more that 2 people were donwloading at once. Oh well. I guess il just have to wait for a few more months for my 30mb internet connection

Running a webserver just is not worth it unless you have a T1 connection or better. Undedicated bandwidth is great for websurfers but bad for webservers because you never know what your speed is going to be and the speed is faster for downloading than uploading (not good for people accessing your site). Not only that I know that Comcast does not allow you to have a webserver if you read their TOS. Like I said if you don't want to buy T1 just use shared hosting, enough said.