Our own Web Server...

[eimroda]

my boss is asking if we can have our own web server... c'mon guys please give me the checklist of what is/are needed... currently we have Windows 2000 SP4 running and static IP provided by our ISP. what are lacking here? or can you direct me to a url where can i tutor myself?

[Hack]

Loading IIS on a network file server would be a step in the right direction.

[NoteMe]

Or downloading Apache for free and all the cute things that comes with that if you want..



- ØØ -

[mendhak]

Good bandwidth.

Maybe a load-balancing implementation if you're expecting heavy traffic.

[eimroda]

ok, after a while, our internet connection is now ready. tnx for the above advices!

here is now my setup: I am running win 2000 and IIS as my web server. my server is running behind IPCOP firewall. we also have now our static IP assigned in red interface. i already setup Port Forwarding in IPCOP.

when we browse within our network using our ip, ex. http://202.234.56.21/test, it does well. but when i browse it from outside our network, our server cen't be reached! is there something that we miss here? I try http://www.canyouseeme.org to test if it can see us on port 80, but it cant. so we can't be seen from the outside.

we have registered to no-ip and we got this url: http://sticdo.sytes.net and we can browse that site from within our network but not from outside. how can i open port 80 to outside world?

(this might not be a programming problem but please give me ideas)

[RobDog888]

Default document and permisssions on your test folder from Inetmgr?

[Al42]

i already setup Port Forwarding in IPCOP.
...
how can i open port 80 to outside world?

Sounds as if you didn't forward the port correctly. (It has to be forwarded at all points, not just one point.)

Are you running a router? If so, did you forward the port in the router?

Are you running any firewalls? If so, did you forward the port in all your firewalls?

Is your modem doing Network Address Translation? If so, did you forward the port in the modem?

If the modem is doing NAT and you're using a router, you won't be able to use your current setup. Not many routers can do a dual-router port forward. (A modem doing NAT is two devices in one cabinet - a modem and a router.)

What are you getting in IE when you try to connect from outside? There are a few different error messages possible, and each one means some different error on your part.

[eimroda]

RobDog888:
yes sir... default permissions are set...

Al42:
IPCOP is the only firewall that we have and i have already Port Forwarded port 80 there. I guess i did it correctly since all requests (to port 80) from within our network are redirected to our web server, and even when accessing http://sticdo.sytes.net fro within our network is redirected there.

Is your modem doing Network Address Translation? If so, did you forward the port in the modem?

If the modem is doing NAT and you're using a router, you won't be able to use your current setup. Not many routers can do a dual-router port forward. (A modem doing NAT is two devices in one cabinet - a modem and a router.)

please correct me if i'm wrong: at first, we didn't have IPCOP installed so our MODEM was doing NAT (modem/router). but since our provider don't want us to access their router (we need to since we are a school and we need to filter some URL's), we installed IPCOP as our proxy server/firewall and disabled the router in our modem. so i think the modem don't do NAT as of now? would it be in IPCOP (the NAT)?

What are you getting in IE when you try to connect from outside? There are a few different error messages possible, and each one means some different error on your part.

unfortunately i used FireFox when I tried it from the outside and i forgot the exact message was. anyway i'll try it again afterwards and i'll update you with that....

if you don't mind please try browsing http://sticdo.sytes.net/index.htm

[Al42]

IPCOP is the only firewall that we have and i have already Port Forwarded port 80 there. I guess i did it correctly since all requests (to port 80) from within our network are redirected to our web server

If you have even a half decent router, requests to computers in the intranet never need forwarding - they're sent directly to the internal address.

and even when accessing http://sticdo.sytes.net fro within our network is redirected there.

Same situation. The loopback logic in the router takes care of that. The only way you can test this functioning is from a computer actually connected to the internet from outside your router.

please correct me if i'm wrong: at first, we didn't have IPCOP installed so our MODEM was doing NAT (modem/router). but since our provider don't want us to access their router (we need to since we are a school and we need to filter some URL's), we installed IPCOP as our proxy server/firewall and disabled the router in our modem. so i think the modem don't do NAT as of now? would it be in IPCOP (the NAT)?

If you have more than 1 computer connected, something is doing NAT. If you have 2 things doing NAT, outgoing requests (like browsing web pages or downloading files) will work, but incoming requests (like people accessing your web server) won't.

if you don't mind please try browsing http://sticdo.sytes.net/index.htm

The request times out - in Firefox, in IE and in Ping. There's no computer at that address that's accessible.

[eimroda]

If you have even a half decent router, requests to computers in the intranet never need forwarding - they're sent directly to the internal address.

I tried to remove my entry in Port Forwarding of IPCOP and I could not connect now to my web server using http://sticdo.sytes.net/index.htm or even with the static IP given to us by our provider. but i can browse it anyway when using http://servername.

in your previous post, you stated that I have to forward it to all points. please help me with this, here is our setup:

tel. line ------> Modem ------> Proxy (IPCOP) ------->Switch/Hub-----> computers (inc. our assigned web server)

the gateway assigned to all computers (inc the web server) is the IP of our Proxy(IPCOP)

[Kasracer]

You should really higher a networking consultant. It sounds like you're not sure what you're doing (not to be rude or anything) and setting up a web server while stumbling through it is just askin for trouble and I can guarentee you there will be some security holes in your system.

[eimroda]

that's why I'm here buddy.... asking your professional opinions

[mendhak]

We're programmers and only a few of us may be real network consultants. Most of the knowledge we'd have comes from personal experience. Not to deter you from getting a solution, just pointing out that you shouldn't consider anything we say as professional help.

[Al42]

in your previous post, you stated that I have to forward it to all points. please help me with this, here is our setup:

tel. line ------> Modem ------> Proxy (IPCOP) ------->Switch/Hub-----> computers (inc. our assigned web server)

the gateway assigned to all computers (inc the web server) is the IP of our Proxy(IPCOP)

You'll have to test your modem - connect a computer to it directly and see if the IP the computer gets (when it's set to automatically get an address) is the static IP your provider gives you or an internal (192., 10. or 172.) address. If it's an internal address, you have to make changes.

If IPCOP (I'm not familiar with the product) does NAT, you'll have to make changes to it.

Something in there - modem, IPCOP or "switch/hub" is doing the translation between the (static) external address and your internal addresses, and you need to know which device(s) is/are doing so. There can be only ONE such device if you want to have a server visible to the outside world and you don't want to put that server into the DMZ of the first device.

So let's connect a computer first to the output of the modem, then to the output of IPCOP, then to the output of the switch/hub, and record the IP address it gets assigned at each point - and the gateway it sees (use the numbers you get from ipconfig). Post the numbers here. (You'll have to disconnect IPCOP for the first test, reconnect it and disconnect the switch for the second test, then reconnect the switch for the third test.)

@Mendhak - I've done this many times, which is why I'm trying to help eimroda. It would be faster and easier if I were there, but my TOIP (teleport over IP) module has bugs, so ...

[eimroda]

We're programmers and only a few of us may be real network consultants. Most of the knowledge we'd have comes from personal experience. Not to deter you from getting a solution, just pointing out that you shouldn't consider anything we say as professional help.

I've been here for years and confidence on you guys have been developed on me that's why even with this area, I am still asking your opinions...


Al42:
Thanks for assisting me up to this point buddy... I really appreciate it... I'm away for maybe a week so I can try your last post maybe later.... I'll keep you updated...

[Al42]

I'll be away for a week starting late Wednesday, but I'll probably be looking in here at least once a day.