how can i change my computer to server and save money i pay to webhosting?

Question

if i let my computer on the whole time and make th necessary security why can not i make my websites and launch it from my pc?

Answer 1

you dont exactly need a server platform, there are thrid part application that you can install on top of your Windows OS to make it become a web host.

Caveat, you will need a fix IP and you dont want your personal and confidential file save/store in this computer, the chances of getting hack is high.

Heck you can also ran your own mail server if you want to.

Answer 2

How it is done, sort of depends on what kind of server do you want your computer to be.

If you just want to host a static website or a medium sized php driven website which uses mySQL for database manipulation, you could simply install WAMPserver (which is apache+phpy+mysql preconfigured in one nice package).

If you want to run a full sized website with php/mySQL on it, you'll have to install Linux (you could install Windows 2003 Server, but since you want to save money, i don't think thats a good option as it is not cheap). There are different linux distributions to choose from, and lots of help is available online on how to install and manage the Linux OS. Once that is done, you computer can be configured to run as a professional server which handles HTTP/FTP/POP3/SMTP or any other protocols which your site might utilize.

Also, one thing to keep in mind is that , if you use your computer to be a server, then you won't be able to use it for anything else, as running other programs on it might slow down the computer or the computer might crash (which is very likely if you are using Windows). and if that happens, your website users won't be able to access your website unless you restart the computer and connect to the internet.

I hope this helps

Answer 3

You would have to change to a server based operating system like Windows Server 2003 or Linux, for example.

You would have to reprogram your router to allow that HTTP traffic to come in, and you probably should check with your ISP to see if there is some limit to inbound traffic.

Then make sure you add some sort of backup so that if you have a crash you can recover from it quickly. If your PC has any traffic, you would need to bump up your memory and think about adding additional processors. If it is transaction based, you should think about additional storage.

Answer 4

you can all u need is microsofts web service ills or the apache(www.apache.org), follow the instructions, the apachesetup is a little more complicated thant the microsoft one, just make sure u have broadband and can handle being a web server