Member Avatar for viperman224

What types of programs and machine would I need to run a home webserver?

This is the machine I've got:

Maker: Acer
Model: no clue
Processor: AMD K6 300mhz
RAM: 64 megs
NIC card: Linksys 10/100
Hard Drive: maxtor 6.4 gig (master) Seagate 6.4 gig (extra)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 2000 Pro
Cd-rom: generic 56 times
Extra goodies: none


Network stuff:

Linsys switch
Linksys router
Belkin patch panel (not sure on its maker but i think its belkin)
Toshiba cable modem
Cox High Speed connection ( I have to ask cox to see if they would allow it one their network)

What software and upgrades would I need? just to run a small web server? I had my origininal site up on a PI-233 mhz with 64 megs of ram but the trial version of the program I downloaded ran out.

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For 's K6/300 box the important points are practical, not glamorous: a tiny, reliable web site with family photos will run on very modest hardware if the OS, server and network are set up for low memory and low bandwidth. Several replies in the thread offered different software/OS choices — and leaned toward classic Unix-style setups, emphasized an easy Windows package, and suggested re-installing a lightweight Unix-like system — all valid options. The gaps in earlier replies are the network and hardening steps that actually get a home server reachable and safe.

Short, actionable checklist (apply to the hardware in the original post)

  • Give the server a fixed LAN IP (or DHCP reservation) and configure the Linksys router to forward the external HTTP port to that IP.
  • Confirm Cox allows inbound HTTP on a residential account; many ISPs block port 80 or require a business plan. If blocked, use a nonstandard port or Dynamic DNS to map a hostname to the changing public IP.
  • Serve static images to keep CPU/RAM usage tiny: pre-scale and compress files, generate thumbnails, and enable basic caching headers so repeat visitors don’t reload full images.
  • Prefer a minimal OS for 64 MB RAM (a small Unix-like install will use far less memory than a full Windows desktop). If planning PHP/MySQL later, budget 256–512 MB.
  • Lock it down: close unused services, run the webserver under an unprivileged account, keep the system patched, and keep simple backups of the image folder.

Testing and reliability notes

  • Verify the server answers on the LAN first, then test from outside after forwarding. Check logs and the router firewall if it doesn’t respond. Consider a UPS for uptime. If managing a public-facing machine or dealing with ISP limits is undesirable, an inexpensive hosted photo service is a low-maintenance alternative.

Recommended Answers

All 10 Replies

Member Avatar for WEATHER CHANNEL

Depends, what are you going to be putting out?

Member Avatar for viperman224

its not going to be fancy I just want something to post pictures of my pets for my family and friends to see who live out of state.

Member Avatar for Lander

You could try Apache server. I've not used it myself but I intend to in the next couple of months for a uni project.

http://www.apache.org/

Member Avatar for Mosco

I have alot of exsperiance in Home based Web server's.! If you are thinking of launching one i would suggest you used Sambar server. It is extremely easy to install and easyier to use and setup. With apache it's a bit confusing trying to setup and it has no web based config system.! Plus you have to put file's onto your c: drive in your windows dir.

So if you like a bit of a challeneg use Apache, but if you want it simple and fast with out any editing of file's use Sambar Server .

Hoped this helped you out.!

Member Avatar for TheOgre

You can run Apache on Win32, or search SourceForge for httpd servers. I remember using TinyHTTP for awhile on a dinosaur of a system (P-75, 32MB RAM, 2.1GB HDD, Win95) and it ran very well.

Personally, I prefer Apache on *nix, but that's just my favorite. The config file may look confusing at first, but if you take the time to actually read it, it's extremely well documented and pretty much holds your hand with all the options. It also defaults to install as a service on Windows NT/2000/XP, and there *ARE* GUI configuration utils to help you, if you don't want to read the documentation within the config file (Apache Commander @ SourceForge to name one.)

Member Avatar for TheOgre

In reading the initial post again, I never did actually answer the question :P

OK, if you want to host your own website, you only need a machine with a webserver. Depending on your hardware, you could either use some flavor of Microsoft Windows as the platform, with a webserver (apache, tinyhttp, etc.) or some flavor of either UNIX or Linux, and Apache (or another http server.)

My personal preference is Apache on FreeBSD, which runs my personal site (both mail and web.) The machines are identical HP Vectra PII 350's with 128 MB of SD133 RAM, running FreeBSD.

Member Avatar for floris

Just install a linux distribution on your system (like FreeBSD or Debian) and they come with free web server, php and mysql and you link up the system through the router and leave it online without a monitor and a keyboard/mouse and just a link through the router.

This way its online and you can shuff it in a closet and remote control it through a intranet connection.

Member Avatar for TheOgre

FreeBSD is UNIX :)

Member Avatar for ChrisBoyd

FreeBSD is UNIX :)

Might just be me but isnt Linux a off shot of Unix :confused:

Member Avatar for blud

If you want to be technical, yes Linux is a Unix varient, however it was actually based off of the distrobution 'Minix' which is not unix.

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