inlighten me about mail servers...

[Sicnus]

i have heard read some posts that talk of making a webserver and a mail server out of a linux comp... is that true? could i make like a Sicnus@whatever.com? or is there more ot it then that?

[hambleto]

Yes and no.. A single linux box can easily be a web server and mail server (As well as many other servers at the same time) However, it can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. If I were you woudl would read through some of the Nebie Help Files. Do not get discouraged and jsut take everything step by step.
Ben

[Sicnus]

thanks, i was just wondering if there was a way to have bandwith limits of my own, cause i use freeservers for my website. http://treyscarpage.8m.com it was just to see if i could do it. and when you say server... i am guessing you mean on all the time, and is there a monitor on it? or can you do the needed work from another pc on the same small network?

[posterboy]

Web serving is easy, just start apache, open port 80 and it's going. Mail is more complex. You should have MX records, although, you don't have to, and the box will need to be on the net 24X7. Another domain should be available to take your mail when you are down for maintenance. I've been doing both of these about 2 years, now, from a single linux box, n/p. Ray

[TacKat]

You have to make sure that running your own servers are okay with your ISP. For instance, my cable provider looks down on people running their own web server because of the extra traffic it generates.

[Sicnus]

yeah i have a 24/7 connection and use roadrunner cable, but no clue if theycare. do i have to buy a .com? cause my webpage just ran out of bandwith on freeservers.com so i want to put my non-profit sit on my linux comp..

[bdl]

I can tell you right off, if your site was shutdown from freeservers.com, more than likely your ISP will shut you down for passing bandwidth limits on your own connection. Make sure you contact them and ask about limits before you set yourself up to serving webpages and files.

Generally it's a nice idea to have a domain name associated with your IP, (and be sure you have a static IP from your cable provider before even considering it) so you could grab yourself a .com, .net, .org or one of the many available domain extensions. Or you might just head over to dyndns.org (http://www.dyndns.org) and sign up with them.

[ 18 August 2001: Message edited by: bdl ]

[Sicnus]

is there a way to have a website online and not have to get a .com or .net cause they usually cost money.

[bdl]

Originally posted by Sicnus:
<STRONG>is there a way to have a website online and not have to get a .com or .net cause they usually cost money.</STRONG>

Well, its not as bad as all that, it's $35. per year, and I believe its a minimum of two years to sign up, so your output will be $70. for two years to own a domainname, and $35. per year afterwards. It might even be cheaper nowadays, I havent registered a domain in a couple of years.

The other option, as I mentioned in the other post, is to sign up with dyndns.org (http://www.dyndns.org) and you can either have a static or dynamic IP; you just sign up with them, pick a domainname like 'sicnus.dyndns.org' and you're set. You build your webserver's interface based on that domainname, start up services, send the IP address to the dyndns service to register the IP with them and watc h the logfiles.

[Sicnus]

sounds good, yeah i think i will do that, i am not sure if i have a static ip or dynamic i run through a router, i never have seen the ip that the router is, my comp and is 192.168.1.10* (the number of comp on network).

[bdl]

Originally posted by Sicnus:
<STRONG>sounds good, yeah i think i will do that, i am not sure if i have a static ip or dynamic i run through a router, i never have seen the ip that the router is, my comp and is 192.168.1.10* (the number of comp on network).</STRONG>

Ok in that case, you'll have to forward port 80 (default httpd port) to the machine serving webpages. The router/gateway's IP will be the one needed to assign to your dyndns address or .com domain, whichever way you decide to go.

[danrees]

Be aware that by running a web and mail server you are increasing the risk of somebody being able to crack into your system.

Other than that, Apache is the standard web server (for a good reason), and Sendmail is the standard mail server.

However, sendmail's configuration is less readable, and unnecessarily so. You might try postfix, which works just like sendmail in most situations, and is much easier to configure IME.

[Sicnus]

thanks yeah i will look into that stuff.. how do you suggest i figure out how to do all those things? i mean it can't be to easy, probably is very difficult. ok so postfix sounds good. and anyway to keep people from cracking into my system?

[TacKat]

A firewall will help.

You're most likely going to want to read this (http://www.linuxdoc.org/LDP/nag2/index.html).