Creating a Server?

Kyonoko · 09-09-2004, 04:41

This may sound like a stupid question, but is it possible, using your own pc, to essentially "create" a server? just something simple to host one website with a some videos on it (it'd be for me and my friends and our home videos we make) if hard drive space is an issue, i have about....90-100 GB of free space on my computer i could use, also a cable modem if that has anything to do with anything, so...is it possible and/or could someone show me how? thanks

edit: now that i think about it....it'd be many semi-large video files, i could easily fit it on my computer, but if it's something about fitting it on any server on the net, i'd rather not pay for something that will be done for me that i could do myself, so......yeah......if it's possible to create a site and host it off my computer with many kinda big video files, then....please help me!

edit: oop! i just noticed the topic at the top of the page about this, but it's all in mumble jumble to me, i don't understand any of it!

KingPhoenix · 09-09-2004, 07:14

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=7622

dilli-theclaw · 09-09-2004, 08:19

Hello and welcome to the site by the way

Kyonoko · 10-09-2004, 01:19

gah, i already looked at that, it it's all a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me, i know a tiny bit about computers, but i am by no means a wiz! think of me as a newbie and please try to explain things a bit to me, try....everything, i'm completely confused, other than that, i have the no-ip thingie and the thingie you download from the first site

**Paul** · 10-09-2004, 01:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyonoko

gah, i already looked at that, it it's all a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to me, i know a tiny bit about computers, but i am by no means a wiz! think of me as a newbie and please try to explain things a bit to me, try....everything, i'm completely confused, other than that, i have the no-ip thingie and the thingie you download from the first site

I don't want to seem funny, but if that is really a load of mumbo jumbo to you, then setting up your own web server is probably not something you should be attempting. It does require a cerain technical ability.

Kyonoko · 10-09-2004, 01:57

haha, right, it probably is a bad idea, but i want to help my friends in any way i can, and me and my friend are the only ones with any technical knowledge to succesfully do anything, though i grant you, she knows a bit more than me, and her father and uncle are web designers and such, so they know about this kinda stuff, but i'm the only one with enough room on my computer (if that makes any difference) to do anything

Tricky · 10-09-2004, 07:25

If "father and Uncle are webdesigners" then go for some hosting package this will "Cheaply" give you a place to store your files whilst being available to everyone - See 2nd post above (many members on this site have a package).

Assuming you're on NTL, you could use your "personal" space for the files and create a basic site.

And unless you've got NTL1.5mb then the upload speed will be so bad that anyone trying to access your PC site would be waiting for ages for the video to download.

I would recommend you try get some basic skills in website design (magazines, Dummies range of books, online training www.w3schools.com) so that you can do some basic site design. As your skills progress you'll be streaming video and all sorts...

Good luck!

SMHarman · 10-09-2004, 09:06

But if you spend a tenner or more with iweb you can solve this problem and have oodles of web space, bandwidth, reliable pop3 and smtp and the ability to do more than serve http.

http://www.i-websolutions.co.uk/cfhosting.php

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=17187
http://www.i-websolutions.co.uk/hosting.php

Thats a bigger plug than KingPhoenix gave in post 2.

Running it on your PC has bandwidth problems as the pipe from your PC to the internet is quite restricted. 64k (same as a modem), 128k (like ISDN) or 256k (better) depending on whether you are using 300k, 750k or 1.5Mb NTL.

A server on the net in a server room will be connected to the net at 2Mb or above, so can shift the files 8 x faster, important with video etc, and if you are using your net connection then that is also fighting for this 256k of capacity.

If you are not confident technically then you may well create security vunerabilities and as a result expose personal information on your PC to anyone on the web, again a reason for using a third party host, not your own machine.

You will still need to design and upload the site, something that this 90Gb of spare HDD of yours will be good for.

KingPhoenix · 10-09-2004, 17:03

I actually directed him to the thread about running a server on his home pc that stuartbe started..........

But thanks for the plug guys

**Paul** · 10-09-2004, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingPhoenix

I actually directed him to the thread about running a server on his home pc that stuartbe started..........

True, but he didn't understand it.

KingPhoenix · 10-09-2004, 18:38

mmmm.... and he wants to set it up as a "production" box

VERY bad move imo!

Matth · 10-09-2004, 22:12

There is also the fact that over-use of upload bandwidth (on NTL) will get you the wrong kind of attention - while the download cap is 1gb, and it seems that's really only if they NEED a cutback, using more than 300Mb/day of the scarcer upload bandwidth will put you in their sights.

Kyonoko · 14-09-2004, 16:32

mmmmk, i'm getting a lot of talk about NTL, and i'm not sure what that is, i have a Cable Modem, that's all i know....

thanks for the w3schools site! this helps a ton for designing the page

Stuart · 14-09-2004, 18:00

TBH, if you don't understand the stuff on this thread, which is all relevant to you (as far as I can see) you are probably better off not setting up your own server.

Basically, what Matth is saying is that if the users of your site download more than a certain amount (300 Megabytes) of data in a day, NTL can either slow your connection down, or disable it until you stop running your own server. BTW, that's the total amount for all your users, so if one user downloads a 100 Meg file, then another downloads a 250 Meg file, you will be over the limit.

They would only do this if your server is causing problems for everyone else in the area, which, if it is busy, it might.

simpsonsFAN · 14-09-2004, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyonoko

mmmmk, i'm getting a lot of talk about NTL, and i'm not sure what that is, i have a Cable Modem, that's all i know....

thanks for the w3schools site! this helps a ton for designing the page

you dont know what NTL is?,
i assume you dont pay for it either then?

, its your ISP!, see http://www.home.ntl.com/icat/broadba...=ntlcom_bblink, you either have 150/300k, 600/750k or 1/1.5mb internet from them depending if you have been upgraded yet, but if you dont even know who is provideing your internet connection you dont have a chance of running a server, sorry.

-Chris