Hi guys, I was looking for some advice on what kind of software I'm going to be looking for when turning one of my parents old PC's into a web server. My dad is quite keen on sound mixing and the idea is that he will have his website on this server which can be accessed 24/7 with the ability for people to upload their songs to the server which he can then transfer to his audio computer, upmix and do his thing, then send them back to the sender. He has already designed his website and is just at the stage where we want to put it on this server and allow people to access it. Will I need to get my hands on some kind of FTP software or does windows XP/7 have something which would be suitable? The other issue we thought about was routers. My parents like to switch the wireless router off at night so my little sister can't sit on it all night, however doing this would obviously prevent access to the server if it was plugged into it. Is it possible to have the wireless router switched off but have a wired only router serve just the web server so that is can stay on 24/7? i.e having 2 routers running in 1 household, would there be problems with static and dynamic IP addressed involved here? If anyone has an idea's or tips they would be greatly appreciated.
FreeNAS has an FTP client service built in, as well as Dynamic DNS service too so anyone can type in the address given (rather than IP) and login. Use an old PC and it'll be most compatible - I've just finished writing an article about 30 minutes ago with a guide to setting up FreeNAS, but it's not specifically designed for your situation it'll give you an idea. It'll be published this week hopefully. You might possibly get some routers that have a scheduling service for turning the WiFi on and off, but I've never specifically seen it, although I don't look at many routers tbh. You could also try: Code: Internet -- Wired only router --- switch with wireless access point | -----------> Dads server That allows you to turn off the wireless access point separately.
Thanks for the advice, that diagram is ideal I don't know why I didn't think of that one. I look forward to your article being published i'm sure that'll be a great help in getting things up and running.
What operating system are you using on the web server? I wouldn't recommend using IIS in XP for a proper public facing website. Better off using Windows Server or Linux if you've got the skills.
You'll need a decent internet connection to support the server, not just a decent download speed but a decent upload speed as well. If you're going the windows or linux route, then there is XAMMP. Has Apache, PHP, Mysql and Filezilla FTP and a mail server in one simple to use installer. Sets it all up and configure it for you. I run it as a development environment very easy to use.
Its so incredibly easy to set up an FTP server if that's all you need, or a basic website with an uploader if you prefer, in just about any Linux distro you care to mention. If you decide you don't need a full fat FreeBSD, I can give you a step-by-step install guide for FreeBSD. Its already written, I'll just need to post it if you want it. The guide will help you install: - Base FreeBSD 8.0 - Apache + MySQL + suPHP - ProFTPD-mysql And the commands you need to admin it too
Would you be happy with posting it here anyway? As I feel that would be useful for anyone that is coming across this and is in need of that type of guide. I know I would be interested in it to fill gaps in my own knowledge
Hi, thanks for the advice, I have absolutely no experience with Linux so I'd probably be looking at Windows Server unless I could find a pretty easy to follow guide on how to use it and do what I want to do with regard to setting up a server but I'm open to giving it a shot. I had considered the connection thing, he's running a crappy AOL 2Mb line with like a 50Kb upload which is pretty garbage, might be a good excuse for him to upgrade as I've been at him for ages to do it. With regard to XAMMP, seems like a pretty decent program, does it have walkthroughs for setting up each feature within the software? I can't seem myself setting up every one, just enough for a website and to create some sort of drop box for people to upload songs and what not. That sound great if you could post that up it would be much appreciated. I mean I would be quite keen on actually trying out Linux as I consider myself to be quite tech savvy but it's something I've never messed around with so any opportunity to learn would be great.
