Last time, I talked about selecting a computer and operating system for your home webserver. This time, I will be discussing the research and planning for the site.
First, you will need to determine if you can get a static IP (internet protocol) address from your current internet provider. While it is possible to run a website with an ever-changing IP address as controlled by your provider’s DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) server and getting additional services from folks like dyndns.org, it’s just easier if your IP address never changes. Most ISPs will provide this service for an additional fee. Some may try to charge a large additional fee, as they will try to put you into a business plan. If they do, shop around for another provider using the databases on dslreports.com. One major ISP local to my area is so hostile to anyone really taking advantage of an “always on” DSL connection that they renew IP addresses of people they believe to be “hogging resources” as often as every 10 to 15 minutes! This is entirely legal, and for a typical casual internet surfer, totally transparent. Suffice it to say, renewing an IP address every few minutes does terrible things to a secure virtual private network connection between your computer and your employer’s network. Two of my co-workers were faced with this problem that was only corrected by paying extra for a static IP address. That was all the ISP wanted–to make users pay for bandwidth they were otherwise guaranteed they would have available. An always-on connection isn’t necessarily an always-on connection…
Once you have a static IP address from your ISP, the next step is to register your domain name. I use Register.com, but there are scads of domain registration services out there, including GoDaddy.com. Plan on spending anywhere from $6.95/year (introductory rate) to $30.00 per year or more. The domain registration service is needed to not only protect your domain name, but also is used to translate your domain name (www.mywebsite.com) to an IP (internet protocol) address, for example. Once registered, as long as your site is not violating copyright, obscenity, or other laws, no one else can take that domain name or take your site down. Setting up your account with a registration service can be different from service to service. You will need to find out if the name you want is even available. Most of these services offer free domain searches from their home page. You will need to decide if your site is a .com (commercial), .net, .org (nonprofit), .biz, .info, and so many more.
When you have identified and registered your domain name, you will need to locate the page that you use to translate your domain name to the static IP address assigned by your internet service provider. This is necessary because you and I work with names–much easier to remember. The internet, however, works with IP addresses, which are a lot harder to remember. Domain name servers store this lookup information and perform the translation from name to address. Also, domain name servers talk to other domain servers, so your address translation information is stored on multiple machines around the world, speeding the translation process, and thereby speeding the connection to the desired server. Most domain registration companies provide domain name services. You will have to locate those services on your domain registration company’s website.
When you have done this, you are almost ready to go online! It can actually take a few days for your new domain name to propagate throughout all the DNS servers across the globe, so people might not be able to see your site right away. This gives you time to start setting up your router to permit outsiders to see your webserver and only your webserver.
We’ll do that next time.
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