Newbies wants to understand how to host/create a basic website

**Peoplesoft bloke** · 14 November 2011, 22:50

From my limited tech knowledge.

The "speed" of your infinity connection is irrelevant as that's the download speed YOU (might) get - if you want a site serving others, that'll depend on your upload speed.

You need a static(ish) IP address and a proper DNS server - but you can get cheap/free space somewhere and set up the domain you own to point there.

You can use IIS or similar to "practice" serving up web pages on your home network then upload them to your actual webspace, although if they are just plain pages without any clever scripting, you can preview them in a browser on the machine where you code 'em anyway.

**fullyautomatix** · 14 November 2011, 23:47

What you need is a static IP. Some ISP's do provide a static IP as part of the package but it might cost more.

With a static IP, you can effectively host a website on a web server on your laptop. BUt it needs to be constantly on.

**css_jay99** · 15 November 2011, 09:06

I really did not want to go with external hosting because the website traffic will only be me and just a way to further develop my knowledge of how it works and how I can use my database skills with the web. So this will teach me more about the whole infrastructure rather than relying on a hosting company.

I thought nowadays there was no need to use static IP's since there are ways of getting round that?..... some kinda domain name resolving process?

css_jay99

**chef** · 15 November 2011, 09:18

If it's just you using it for teaching purposes then why not just create web pages on your laptop and view them through your browser using your local address?

**MrRobin** · 15 November 2011, 09:57

You don't necessarily need a static IP... just use a dynamic DNS service like dyndns.org, which repoints your url to your ip whenever it changes. You can even program this into most routers these days (I have it in my free router from O2)

**Sysman** · 15 November 2011, 15:32

Originally posted by MrRobin View Post

You don't necessarily need a static IP... just use a dynamic DNS service like dyndns.org, which repoints your url to your ip whenever it changes. You can even program this into most routers these days (I have it in my free router from O2)

WHS.

I was successfully running a server using dyndns.org for a couple of years.

Where I live I can't get a fixed IP address unless I go for a business package and that simply costs too much.

But as chef said, there is nothing to stop you running a web site on one of your permanently on systems.

Your Mac Mini already has the capability of serving up simple web pages: System Preferences -> Sharing -> Web Sharing On, and when you click that box it will give you a site URL and one for your personal web page (the files for the latter are in the Sites folder of your user account).

**v8gaz** · 15 November 2011, 16:29

Your Synology will already be able to provide DDNS updates and web hosting. Look at the control panel.

Install Joomla on the synology, and you have a web site.

Lemon Squeezy.

**escapeUK** · 15 November 2011, 22:10

Its one of those things where people say can you do this, and you can think yes you can, but why would you bother?

Tsohost do brilliant hosting from £14.99 a year. Do you really want to open ports on your firewall to the internet at large to save such a small sum?

**css_jay99** · 15 November 2011, 22:41

Ok these mac mini ideas and synology options are looking like what i need for now.

Will I be able to use the domain name i bought from 123reg on them?

css_jay99

Newbies wants to understand how to host/create a basic website