How to Build a Web Hosting Server

There are a number of pieces to the puzzle when it comes to setting up a web hosting server.

The task of hosting your own website requires a good head for system networks---and a good deal of ambition. If you aren't intimidated by network configuration settings and are confident that you can manage the upkeep of server administration, you have several software options for building the host server. The following instructions are aimed at the two most commonly used programs---Internet Information Server (which runs on Microsoft Windows Server) and Apache (which runs on most versions or Linux and Unix)---but you may want to investigate WebSphere, Tux and Google Web Server to determine if they better suit your needs.

Things You'll Need

• One or more IP addresses
• Personal computer
• Operating system software (such as Microsoft Windows Server or Linux)
• Web server software (such as Internet Information Server or Apache web server)
• Network address, netmask, and broadcast address (for Linux installations; available from your Internet provider or network engineer)

Instructions

Building a Server to Run on Microsoft Windows Server

1. Install the base operating system (Microsoft Windows Server) on the computer that will act as the web hosting server.

2. Configure the server with the basic network settings. Go to the Control Panel and select "Network Settings." Right-click on the appropriate network connection and select "Properties." Double-click on whichever version of Internet Protocol (IP) you are using (most likely version 4 or 6). Under the General tab, choose "Use the following IP address" and enter the permanent IP address you wish to use.

3. Install the Internet Information Server web hosting files on the computer. From the Start menu, select "Server Manager." Select "Add Roles" and choose "Web Server." Ensure that you have the Windows 2008 installation files.

4. Finalize setup of either IIS or Apache web servers. You will want to ensure that the web server is configured with the right IP address. While this is not an issue for web servers configured with only one IP address, it is a concern if you are multi-homing.

   Go through either IIS or Apache and make sure that permissions are set up properly, verifying users who need to access the site have the right level of access as well. For IIS, open the IIS Manager and select "edit permissions". For Apache, ensure that the permissions are correct for where the web files are located. For information on how to specify read, write and execute permissions on a Linux server running Apache, go to the command line and type:

   man chmod

Building a Server to Run on Linux

1. Install the base operating system (Linux) on the computer that will act as the web hosting server.

2. Configure the server with the basic network settings. Because the Linux graphical interfaces will vary by which version you are using, you may want to configure settings via the command line. To do so, use the following format to enter addressing information that you should have obtained from your Internet provider or your organization's network engineer:

   /sbin/ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.1.255

   In this example, 192.168.1.2 is the network address, 255.255.255.0 is the netmask and 192.168.1.255 is the broadcast address.

3. Download the latest Apache RPM version of the installer files (available at linux-sxs.org). RPM is a package management system, which simplifies the installation of Linux application files.

4. Install the Apache web hosting server files on the computer by running the following command, with the # symbol the prompt you see when in command line mode:

   # rpm -ivh httpd-2.0.49-4.i386.rpm

Tips & Warnings

• When selecting a computer for your host server, be sure to factor in the number of simultaneous users who will trying to connect to it---the more users, the greater the performance demands. Also consider which operating system you plan to install (for example, Windows 2008 Server has greater hardware requirements than Linux).

• Although you can configure the server to have a dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) address, it is highly recommended that you assign a static or permanent address (assuming that you have registered a domain name to the IP address in question).

• Both Apache and IIS web servers have both extensive documentation on how to fine-tune performance and, in some cases, free utilities to help secure the web server.

• Until you are confident that you have configured the web server properly, do not install and turn on the web server until ready. Web server functionality is one that hackers commonly circumvent; without the appropriate measures in place this can be accomplished with a minimum of effort.

References

• Windows Networking.com: Installing IIS 7.0
• Linux-SXS: Apache 2 RPMs
• Top Web Hosts: How Do You Setup Dual NIC, multi-homed host?

Resources

• Microsoft TechNet: Security Guidance for IIS
• Apache HTTP Server Version 2.2: Security Tips