PC -> Web host server?

[spotonline]

Can i turn my pc into a server?

If tat's possible, what do i need to do?
Install linux?

Last thing, about the bandwidth thing? it's customizable? or it depends on my connection speed?

 

[ryza]

Xitami is a good windows webserver.
Built in FTP server and support for MySQL/PHP/CGI etc.
Or Apache for Linux, Windows, UNIX, BSD, etc

Asuming you have a standard connection
the only probem i can see with what you want to do is BANDWIDTH.
Your ISP has probably CAPPED your upload to 128Kbit/256KBit which would not be enough for multiple sites.

128KBit approx 15KBps.
if you have 3 pages loading at once it will be dialup speeds.

 

[niv]

Do not be confused as to the difference a server and a computer is--
The distinct difference is that the computer is a piece of hardware, the server a piece of software. Any computer can be made a server. You could go about this using as ryza suggested Xitami, or Apache. Both are recommended, and I strongly suggest that you not use IIS (MS's server software).

Your bandwidth is of course determined by your connection, it is your bandwidth. Keep in mind that you may be violating your ISP's Acceptable Use Policy agreement by running a webserver at home. There are luke warm cases though; Verizon for example does not allow webservers but the only measure they take to prevent such is by blocking off port 80, the default http port. Verizon users have successfully and without hassle ran servers on other ports, such as 8000.

 

[RangerOfFire]

Do not be confused as to the difference a server and a computer is--
The distinct difference is that the computer is a piece of hardware, the server a piece of software. Any computer can be made a server.

Not strictly true, servers are built for that one purpose using very high quality components and also have hot-swap capabilites (PSU/HDD). They are housed in datacenters and do not do anything else, whereas you'll probably be using your home pc for other stuff.
So, any computer can be made a server, but it won't nessesarily be a good server.

 

[niv]

Did you think before you typed that, because you just contradicted yourself and completely missed the distinction I made...

Server = software..IPCs, semaphores, connection configuration, etc. Computer = hardware. In a datacenter, a computer is specialized to give services such as hosting or processing. It is still a computer. If you do not install server software, it is not a server. It is a computer. Period.

 

[bluewing85]

so with 128kbps uploads speed and 256 download speed, wad's my bandwidth?

Sorry i'm a noob on such things ... haha

 

[ryza]

128Kbit* could be around 9-16KBps depending on the ISP.
On my home cable i get around 12KBps max upload on 128/Uncapped* connection

If running a webserver you need greater upload. The download speed does not matter as much.
Since you would be serving out pages not downloading them.

 

[thecrecarc]

er... srry to hijack this thread, but im wondering too. and i have 5mb dl and er... 200kb up i think.

 

[niv]

It's only your upload that counts--think about it, you're sending data to users. The roles are reversed. Imagine you're on 3mbps/768kbps for argument's sake, and a user accessing your site has 768kbps/3mbps. You download from the user at 3mbps (that person is uploading at 3mbps); you upload or send data to the user at 768kbps.

It's all a matter of visualizing how data is being transferred.

 

[rhianna]

Mahoro,

You know more about this than I, but in order to create a server out of a PC, wouldn't it be best if the person had a DSL or cable connection?

 

[tandoc]

ultimately you want a connection that had 5mbit+ available bandwidth at any given time, so access for others is fast. The more traffic you get, the more you would want to have more available bandwidth, or people simply wouldn't be able to connect to the server.

 

[niv]

To be running webserver software or something where the user's intention is to download from you, it would be best to have the fastest upload speeds possible, period. The difference between DSL and cable--it depends on what options you have in your neighborhood; however, DSL is often known for having higher upload speeds and more lax rules.

The thicker the pipe, the more users you can fit in.

 

[RivaCom]

I may be wrong but, I am not sure he is using it for a company, so everyone saying so and so per user loading it might be heading him off the wrong way. Another thing I think hes trying to relate his bandwidth to what you may get with a dedicated server(again may be wrong). If this is the case than most ISP's don't limit bandwidth directly, as others theres a cap that limit continuous flow. Although some ISP's also check on people sending out high supply of uploads, but you won't find a 1000 gig per month limit on your account(in most cases). Keep in mind that whatever your doing on your computer and any other computer will effect the speed people are getting to your site.

 

[niv]

Bandwidth is measured in time, usually seconds--I mean hey, what counts more, how much you can push per second or how much you can push per month at 1KB/s? In practice, you can measure it per month, but that's just silly, and yet everyone does it. Even if there are no transfer caps like on connections from most North American broadband companies, if you have a dismal upload rate of 16KB/s, you're going to have to consider making a low bandwidth design to reflect it.