How to make XAMPP online?

[nikki05]

Hello,
Help please!
I am using XAMPP for my website. My website is almost ready now. It is working fine in localhost. Now I would like to make it online (public). And, this is my main OBSTACLE.
I have already bought a domain. I also configured the Port Forwarding in router. However, I am getting a problem to publish it online. I have no further idea on how to move ahead as this is my first ever website. Hope some of you could help me. I would greatly appreciate your step-by-step suggestion.
Thanks and looking forward to hear from you.

[cereal]

The best option it to get an hosting with the same features you need. So the bandwidth won't be limited by your connection speed.

If you want to run your website from home, you need to check if your IP is static or dynamic. If dynamic, then you need to use a system like dyndns or freedns, where you register an account, you setup with your domain and update your IP each time you connect to internet. Some routers can connect automatically with those services, so you're always online. There are also client programs used to update the IP.

If you have a static IP address, then you need to setup your IP on the domain control panel.

Then you need to setup the VirtualHost on your apache config for your website, and write the domain you choosed, the port used by the server and so on. Check here: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/vhosts/examples.html

You've bought a domain. Do you have hosting? If so, just upload the site using FTP. As cereal states, running the site from home isn't the best idea if you don't know what you're doing.

[nikki05]

Dear Cereal:
Thank you very much for a valuable suggestion. You saved my several hours. After I made the configuration in vhosts.config for an internal and external ip addresses as per link provided by you, I am able to see the website with both the domain name and ip address from any computer within my office. However, I cannot see the website from outside the office.
Also, when I ping the domain from any computer within my office, it replies correctly. However, when I ping from the outside, it shows time out.
I greatly appreciate your further suggestion to make it online.

[cereal]

I can't help you much on this.

For what I know you need to register your domain in association with the server IP address to a DNS server. In your case the IP is the public router IP.

Most of the times the Domain Registrar gives you the possibility to use their DNS, so you just need to login to their service and setup the right IP address.

I hope someone else can help you better. Bye :)

[ko ko]

You must register the domain name first, and you must point your host (ie, your web server) with that domain. You can easily done with your domain panel. Furthermore, you might have already setup DNS on your server, which will handle the domain/IP forward and reverse look up.

You need to ask help from any network pro, and they will keep your work on straight forward quickly.

Hope this help.

[sv3tli0]

nikki05 I have one question do you have FIREWALL protection and have you configure it to open apache port for out world?

[nikki05]

Thank you very much everyone. Interaction with you and your questions led me to double check everything and finally I found that the default gateway was unintentionally changed. That was the reason of not communicating the website with outside world. Now the problem is resolved and website is online!

Thank you again for your great help and suggestions.