Help with creating a web server?

could someone please help me with making a web server. i think you call it that - one that can host domains. i have an old computer to do this on. i am a complete novice in networking. what%26#039;s linus? can you recommend it? thanks.

Help with creating a web server?

Linux is an operating system for computers. It serves many of the same purposes as Microsoft Windows, but it%26#039;s engineered differently.

It can often be dowloaded for free (or purchased on CDROM for just a few dollars). It usually comes with a free web server (Apache) bundled right in, which is why so many people suggest it for hosting from home. No licensing fees!

If you%26#039;re not yet familiar with it, it can be a little difficult to use. If your computer is old or has any weird hardware pieces (networking, video card) that are not common, it can be a little difficult to use. But there are many different varieties of Linux out there, and some come with very easy to follow instructions or are ready to go right out of the box for web hosting.

Hosting a web domain is not hard, but it does take a little education about networking and routing, IP addresses and such.

For instance -- unless you have a static IP address from your ISP, you%26#039;ll need to use a Dynamic DNS hostname to send traffic to your computer at home since the IP address won%26#039;t be the same from day to day.

Alternatively, web-based hosting packages can be really affordable. Have you looked into the cost of simply buying monthly hosting from a reputable provider like GoDaddy? Their basic packages start at just a few dollars a month. You just upload your files and done. No servers to configure, and nothing to learn. Easy, easy.

If you are dead set on hosting out of your house, it can be done fairly easily with Linux, but it will require some patience on your part, and probably a lot of reading on web forums to get your basic setup questions answered.

But if you%26#039;re good with system setups, even on Windows, some of the concepts will make sense, and you might have a better experience than I did when I first started with it.