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sailor · 03-11-2004, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnnyRoyale
Okay, here we go:

1. If you want to setup a server, the server will have a network connection (NIC Card), rather than a modem. The NIC card will connect to the switch/hub/router with an RJ-45 cable, also called CAT-5, or CAT-5e. The cable looks like a phone cord on steroids, with 8 copper wires in stead of a phone cord's 4.

2. The difference between a hub and switch is they're both on the same LAN. A hub will forward all packets through all ports all the time, so if you have 5 computers on a hub, all packets between two of those machines will be heard by the other 3. A switch, on the other hand, has intelligence enough to know which machines are plugged into it where, so, if the same 5 machines were plugged into a switch, and 2 were talking, the other 3 wouldn't hear anything, since the switch is smart enough to send the packets only betwen the two machines.
A router, on the other hand, will connect your LAN to antoher network. For example, a cable router will connect your home network to the cable company's.

3. You need a web server to host a web site. If your looking to host a site publicly, you'll also need a domain name (tfproject.org is a domain name), and a public IP address. Apache (www.apache.org) is free, good, but can be difficul for the novice. Microsoft has server software for the Professional/Server lines, called IIS, which is easier to manage for the newer user.

BTW, if your looking to host a simple web site, nothing too big or fancy, and your not too sure how to do it, you might want to look into hosting services. There are a number of comapnies that will (for a fee) setup the domain name, the server, and give you an ID and password, so all you do is log onto the server, put in your files, and your rocking.

What he said.

I run my own webserver as a project to host my webpage. It is fun, but can be a lot of work too. It isnt something for the faint of heart. If you dont have the time or patience to sit and tinker for a long time, its probably best to find a host.