Results 1 to 13 of 13
  1. #1

    Question can i set up a server on a pc not directly connected to the internet? plz help

    hi everyone.. i have a home network consisting of 3 PCs and a hub, the setup has been so that one of the pc's connects directly to the internet through an ADSL modem and the other 2 connect to the internet throw that pc. All 3 run WinXP and i was wondering, is there any way that i can set up a self host on one of the other 2 pcs? not the one connected directly to the modem, but the ones connected to it? (Also i have Dynamic IP). If that is the case, how can i do that? I dont own a credit card and as such can't buy any DNS services and would have to suffice with something like what's available at no-ip however i think the fact that i want the server to be one of the 'secondary' PCs is causing a problem... i really would rather it be one of those PCs as i already have Apache, PHP, and MySQL set up and working on one of them. Thank you

    ps. I'm not expecting nor seeking a lot of traffic

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    80
    Yes, you can do this by installing proxy server software such as Wingate on the PC that is connected directly to the internet.

    Even early versions of Wingate, such as 2.1 will work for this. There are probably other choices out there too. I mention Wingate because as I recall version 2.1 was available free in single user (trial) mode. (That was the extent of the trial limitation - simply that it allowed one user. It had no expiration).

    Once installed you would simply set up the proxy server to direct all incomming port 80 requests to the other PC (and give its inside IP address). In fact if I recall correctly it asks you this question when you are setting up - "do you have an internal web server you'd like to access from the outside?" or something like that. Pretty handy.

    Be sure to turn off all other proxy services in wingate (everything other than www) or someone will send spam through your server and get you in trouble with your provider.

    In fact I've used PC's loaded with Wingate to redirect www, smtp and pop services when moving across town and getting a new IP address, to allow painless service forwarding for those who hadn't picked up the new DNS info for some reason. (There always seems to be a few of those when making DNS changes, regardless of TTL). All that just to say ... Wingate 2.1 works for this.

    Tom
    http://www.dynamis.net
    A small domain host focusing on personalized service.

  3. #3
    Thank you for ur reply.. i will definetly try out the solution u suggested however i was wondering, i've tried to set up the server on the other pc, and had problems in that my shared folders on the computer connecting to the internet kept comming up on the homepage of the website... (dont know if that's clear).. can u tell me why that was happening and 'why' the software u recommended will fix it (trying to have more of a clue as to why things are working and others aren't Thanx a bunch!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    80
    Sorry ... actually I'm not understanding what was happening there, can you be more specific?

    Tom
    http://www.dynamis.net
    A small domain host focusing on personalized service.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    80
    BTW you'll want to uninstall Apache (and any other webserver software that happens to be installed) on the PC connected directly to the modem. Not sure if there is any but if there is you should uninstall it before installing Wingate.
    http://www.dynamis.net
    A small domain host focusing on personalized service.

  6. #6
    well i tried using dyndsn and setting up the sever on one of the 2ndary computers, and then i wanted to check if the url that i registered wtih them does point to the laptop, so i checked it from the computer connected to the modem, however instead of showing me the first page of the site (which resides on the server pc- no the one connected to the modem) i saw a list of all the files that are in my shared folder on the pc connected to the modem

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    80
    Originally posted by lost141
    well i tried using dyndsn and setting up the sever on one of the 2ndary computers, and then i wanted to check if the url that i registered wtih them does point to the laptop, so i checked it from the computer connected to the modem, however instead of showing me the first page of the site (which resides on the server pc- no the one connected to the modem) i saw a list of all the files that are in my shared folder on the pc connected to the modem
    OK I think I get it. Problem is you've got some kind of web server installed / enabled on the computer connected to the internet. (maybe you tried installing one or it was included with windows XP?)

    You'll *definitely* need to uninstall or at least disable this webserver software (on the pc connected directly to the modem) before you try installing your proxy software, or the proxy software will not work.

    I'd recommend you verify that it's been disabled before proceeding. I.E. go on that PC and point Internet Explorer to: http://127.0.0.1

    If you've successfully disabled the web server software on that PC you should get "The page cannot be displayed"

    Tom
    http://www.dynamis.net
    A small domain host focusing on personalized service.

  8. #8
    actually ur right when i looked at localhost on my main pc (conn. to modem) i did get the same list.. weird though! i mean i didn't install a server on it hmm thanx for that!

  9. #9
    ok.. another problem.. i can't find any webservers running on my pc that's connected to teh modem.... tried going to control panel and there weren't ne there (even in add/rem windwos compent, IIS is not there) what can i do!??

  10. #10
    ps. i have kazaa and as such have P2P Networking.. could that be it? since it is only the shared files (ie ones i allow kazaa users to download) that come up when i type localhost... if so, is it safe to uninstall that?

  11. #11
    me again :blush with lots of questions:

    1. if i install WinGate on my "main" pc (i.e. conn. to modem) what implications would that have on:
    a. the other computers that connect to the internet via that PC, ie would i need to reconfigure ne thing in them? their internet connection??
    b. right now i use the "main" pc just to connect to the internet and just run Kazaa on it, i do my ohter work on the other pc, can i still use Kazaa (p2p) on the "main" machine after i install WinGate or any other proxy?

    2. i'm thinking of getting a router to replace the hub that i have right now so if i hook it up to the modem will that do with the need for a proxy? (can't get it just now though .. )

    3. given my 'equipment' 3 pcs (one is not mine, so technically 2) and a hub, what would u recomend as the best setup? thnx

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Houston, TX
    Posts
    80
    Ahh ... yes ... if you're willing to buy a router, that is BY FAR the best solution at this point.

    Otherwise we'd still have to work out figuring out what's running a webserver on your main system and how your other systems will connect to the internet. It was getting complicated .... let's not go there.

    I'd recommend a Netgear FVS318 router/firewall. It has stateful packet inspection built in, and can be updated every once in a while with new firmware that Netgear posts on their website.

    The FVS318 (like so many other hundreds of routers) also makes it easy to map a port to a particular host inside your network -- such as mapping port 80 to your webserver.

    You should be able to get one of those for about $140, maybe even less. Do a search on shopper.com or something similar.

    Tom
    http://www.dynamis.net
    A small domain host focusing on personalized service.

  13. #13
    that's great! thanx a lot!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •