So you've got a website, and want to host it but don't want to pay money or don't know how to host it yourself. Here's the resource you definitely need. To some people's surprise you don't even need a server operating system, much less an actual server computer, you can run it right off your windows XP machine. On this page I'll show you the basic steps of installing Internet Information Services on your computer, it's very similar between Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, but I'll show you on XP.
What you'll need:
First of all you'll need administrator rights to your local machine.
Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs and click on "Add/Remove Windows Components"
A window similar to this should show up
Windows Components
click on "Internet Information Services (IIS) and click details. A window similar to this should show up
IIS Details
If you want a Web site, make sure to have common files, IIS Snap-in and World Wide Web Service checked, FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions is also a good idea to be safe, and if you want to host an FTP server, make sure that's checked also, click OK.
You will then return to the "Add/Remove Windows Components" screen. Click next and windows will ask for your Windows CD to start copying files.
Then we'll wait for this screen to finish copying the files to install IIS
Copying Files
When the files finish copying, click finish on this screen.
Finish
Then close out of Add or Remove Programs.
Now a link to Internet Information Services has been put in your Control Panel\Administrator Tools folder.
Administrative Tools
When you open it up you will get an MMC window that comes up to manage your local machine.
IIS Main
Since this is on a Windows XP machine, we can only have one website setup, if this was a Windows 2003 Server you would be able to have many websites running on one computer. For now lets expand Web Sites and right click "Default Web Site" and click properties.
Right Click On Web
A new window will pop up similar to this.
Properties 1
Here you will give your website a name in the Description box for easier Identification in IIS.
Usually the IP Address box is left alone, unless this server is part of two different networks, then you would need to specify more than one IP address. But since this is most likely a personal webserver, then All Unassigned IP addresses will account for the one IP address you're probably getting from your router, or that's assigned to your network card in this server. For internal network purposes, leave the TCP port at 80, however when forwarding a port on your router, do not use port 80, use one between around 46,000 and 65,355, this is because many ISPs block port outgoing port 80 traffic in residential accounts. The rest of this information we won't worry about now... Click on the Home Directory tab.
Properties 2
First of all, if your web site files are located on this computer, make sure that is the radio button that is on, if it is on another computer, share that folder and make sure this computer and everyone has access to that folder, and check a share located on another computer and find the files there, or even though its pretty pointless for most users, you can have a redirection to a URL. click browse to find the folder holding your web site files. Unless you want the public to be able to write files to the home directory of this website on the web server. For everyone to be able to view files on the website, make sure they have read access. Log visits doesn't have to be checked but that, and Index this resource are checked by default, so leav them that way for safety. If you will be running applications on this website(not covered in this tutorial) then specify the application in the lower half of this window. Next click on the Documents tab.
Properties 3
Windows puts a few documents in here automatically for default file names of many websites. This tab is mainly meant for redundancy. If the first page you want to show up is named index.htm, them move index.htm to the top of the list, go ahead and delete the rest if you want. If the first page you want to show up is joeshomepage.html, then click add and type joeshomepage.html in the box and click OK. If the homepage is in a subdirectory inside the home directory called pages type pages\joeshomepage.html and click OK, next click on Directory Security tab.
Properties 4
If you want anyone to be able to access this website, leave this tab alone and move to the next step. If you want to require a username and password to enter this website, make sure a user account and password is setup on this machine and click edit.
Properties 4_1
check Anonymous access, and uncheck allow IIS to control password. Again make sure a windows account is setup on this machine. Click OK and click OK again. your website is now setup.
at the top of the IIS Snap-In, click the stop button, wait a few seconds and click the start button. Now open your web browser and type "http://localhost:<the TCP port number you put in>"(without the quotes and greater than/less than signs) and press enter. Your website should now come up.
Now for the last part of setting up your own website. You will need to forward a port on your router to your web server, I would recommend setting up a static IP address on the webserver so that it isn't constantly changing on you, for this, first you will want to check your current IP address to make sure you won't use an incompatible address. Go to Start, Run, type cmd and press enter. Type "ipconfig /all" with no quotes, write down your current IP address, subnet mask, DNS Servers, and default gateway. Then go to Start, Control Panel, Network Connections, right click the connection that you use to connect to the internet. Click properties, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click properties
TCP/IP
click Use the following IP address, and put in what you wrote down from the ipconfig /all command, do the same for Use the following DNS server addresses.
Click OK. Click OK again. For future reference, write down the TCP port number used for your website in IIS.
For the next section I will not be able to provide much detailed information or pictures as it is proprietary to each different router. You will need to forward an outside port on the router to the internal IP address and TCP port you specified, to find out how, search the itnernet with your router's brand and model number, or call their tech support line or look on their website. After the port is forwarded, you can test it to make sure it's working. find your public IP address on what will probably be called the status page in your router's configuration pages. Take that IP address along with the WAN TCP port you specified to point to your web server and put that address and port number in your browser like this "your public IP address here : your website's wan TCP port here" Don't freak out if it doesn't work right away, routers out on the internet don't always exchange information as fast as we'd like, however it should work from your location almost right away, but don't be surprised if other people can't see it from half an hour up to a day or two after it's active. For more support contact your ISP, or router's tech support line.
What you'll need:
- Your Operating System CD(the actual Windows Operating System cd you used to install Windows or that came with your computer)
- High Speed internet connection
- Broadband Router that supports port forwarding, (most do)
- 100 Mbit ethernet connection isn't required but i'd recommend it for ethernet networks.
First of all you'll need administrator rights to your local machine.
Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs and click on "Add/Remove Windows Components"
A window similar to this should show up
Windows Components
click on "Internet Information Services (IIS) and click details. A window similar to this should show up
IIS Details
If you want a Web site, make sure to have common files, IIS Snap-in and World Wide Web Service checked, FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions is also a good idea to be safe, and if you want to host an FTP server, make sure that's checked also, click OK.
You will then return to the "Add/Remove Windows Components" screen. Click next and windows will ask for your Windows CD to start copying files.
Then we'll wait for this screen to finish copying the files to install IIS
Copying Files
When the files finish copying, click finish on this screen.
Finish
Then close out of Add or Remove Programs.
Now a link to Internet Information Services has been put in your Control Panel\Administrator Tools folder.
Administrative Tools
When you open it up you will get an MMC window that comes up to manage your local machine.
IIS Main
Since this is on a Windows XP machine, we can only have one website setup, if this was a Windows 2003 Server you would be able to have many websites running on one computer. For now lets expand Web Sites and right click "Default Web Site" and click properties.
Right Click On Web
A new window will pop up similar to this.
Properties 1
Here you will give your website a name in the Description box for easier Identification in IIS.
Usually the IP Address box is left alone, unless this server is part of two different networks, then you would need to specify more than one IP address. But since this is most likely a personal webserver, then All Unassigned IP addresses will account for the one IP address you're probably getting from your router, or that's assigned to your network card in this server. For internal network purposes, leave the TCP port at 80, however when forwarding a port on your router, do not use port 80, use one between around 46,000 and 65,355, this is because many ISPs block port outgoing port 80 traffic in residential accounts. The rest of this information we won't worry about now... Click on the Home Directory tab.
Properties 2
First of all, if your web site files are located on this computer, make sure that is the radio button that is on, if it is on another computer, share that folder and make sure this computer and everyone has access to that folder, and check a share located on another computer and find the files there, or even though its pretty pointless for most users, you can have a redirection to a URL. click browse to find the folder holding your web site files. Unless you want the public to be able to write files to the home directory of this website on the web server. For everyone to be able to view files on the website, make sure they have read access. Log visits doesn't have to be checked but that, and Index this resource are checked by default, so leav them that way for safety. If you will be running applications on this website(not covered in this tutorial) then specify the application in the lower half of this window. Next click on the Documents tab.
Properties 3
Windows puts a few documents in here automatically for default file names of many websites. This tab is mainly meant for redundancy. If the first page you want to show up is named index.htm, them move index.htm to the top of the list, go ahead and delete the rest if you want. If the first page you want to show up is joeshomepage.html, then click add and type joeshomepage.html in the box and click OK. If the homepage is in a subdirectory inside the home directory called pages type pages\joeshomepage.html and click OK, next click on Directory Security tab.
Properties 4
If you want anyone to be able to access this website, leave this tab alone and move to the next step. If you want to require a username and password to enter this website, make sure a user account and password is setup on this machine and click edit.
Properties 4_1
check Anonymous access, and uncheck allow IIS to control password. Again make sure a windows account is setup on this machine. Click OK and click OK again. your website is now setup.
at the top of the IIS Snap-In, click the stop button, wait a few seconds and click the start button. Now open your web browser and type "http://localhost:<the TCP port number you put in>"(without the quotes and greater than/less than signs) and press enter. Your website should now come up.
Now for the last part of setting up your own website. You will need to forward a port on your router to your web server, I would recommend setting up a static IP address on the webserver so that it isn't constantly changing on you, for this, first you will want to check your current IP address to make sure you won't use an incompatible address. Go to Start, Run, type cmd and press enter. Type "ipconfig /all" with no quotes, write down your current IP address, subnet mask, DNS Servers, and default gateway. Then go to Start, Control Panel, Network Connections, right click the connection that you use to connect to the internet. Click properties, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click properties
TCP/IP
click Use the following IP address, and put in what you wrote down from the ipconfig /all command, do the same for Use the following DNS server addresses.
Click OK. Click OK again. For future reference, write down the TCP port number used for your website in IIS.
For the next section I will not be able to provide much detailed information or pictures as it is proprietary to each different router. You will need to forward an outside port on the router to the internal IP address and TCP port you specified, to find out how, search the itnernet with your router's brand and model number, or call their tech support line or look on their website. After the port is forwarded, you can test it to make sure it's working. find your public IP address on what will probably be called the status page in your router's configuration pages. Take that IP address along with the WAN TCP port you specified to point to your web server and put that address and port number in your browser like this "your public IP address here : your website's wan TCP port here" Don't freak out if it doesn't work right away, routers out on the internet don't always exchange information as fast as we'd like, however it should work from your location almost right away, but don't be surprised if other people can't see it from half an hour up to a day or two after it's active. For more support contact your ISP, or router's tech support line.
