Is there an easy way to turn an old computer into a web server?

[draegon]

I am a beginner so bear with me. This is my question: Is there an easy way to turn my not-so-old powerpc mac (now running yellow dog linux) into a web server. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of using that computer (800mhz processor, .5 gig ram, 60 gig hdd) instead of free hosting. Could I use it with things like cpanel and completely replace my x10hosting site? I repeat, I am a beginner so bear with me.

[lemon-tree]

You certainly could turn it into a server, although it wouldn't come without its complications and it is not something I would recommend to someone who has never even tried it locally before. The services you will likely want are Apache, MySQL and PHP. These services can either be built from source, downloaded as binaries or installed as a pre-built package such as XAMPP.
Setting up a personal webserver as a new user is no simple task, so here's a few things you will have to consider:

1. Security - You have to be able to secure your installations and know how to setup Apache and other services correctly to ensure that you wont be a victim of hacking.

2. ISP - Most consumer ISPs do not allow access on port 80, which prevents you from running a web server. You will need to check with your ISP as to what their policies are in regards to running your own public webserver.

3. Network Speed - The upload speed of your network needs to be able to handle the needs of your users. I suggest you go to a website such as SpeedTest.net and run the test to find your upload speed, which will correspond to the maximum speed at which all your users combined could access your website. If it is less than 1, then it will really be very slow for your end users. The speed for numbers above this will depend on how many concurrent user you expect to have.

4. Bandwidth - Like network speed, your bandwidth needs to be able to accommodate all your users. The amount you need depends on the site you are running: e.g. A small forum could make do with a few gigabytes per month whilst a video hosting site will use many times more.

5. Computer Speed - Again, depending on your website type this may or may not be an issue. Your computer will be able to host a small site with a few users just fine, but as it starts to scale up you may find issues with your server processes locking up under the load.

6. Network Setup - You need to be confident that you know how to setup your network to allow outside access whilst still remaining secure. This includes port forwarding and firewall setup.

7. Utilities - This includes things like electricity bills that are needed to keep the computer running 24/7, you should look into this first as if it comes to more than $5 or so a month you would be better off going with paid hosting here. You should also consider fire safety when positioning your server: it needs plenty of fresh airflow, so a tight enclosed space like a cupboard wont do, it may be rare for a server to catch fire, but you can never be too careful with your own safety.

8. IP/DNS - If you want to have a domain name you will have to setup DNS record that point to your IP address. If you have a static IP address this shouldn't be a problem at all. However, if you have a dynamic IP (i.e. One that changes every so often) you will have to use a service like DynDNS to host the domain name

My suggestion would be to try installing Apache, MySQL and PHP either manually or as part of a package and run it only locally (i.e. Only access within your local network) and get to know how it all runs and works together. This is the best way to learn what the best ways of managing the server are and perhaps in the process you'll also learn what a difficult job the admins here have running the same thing for many thousands of users.
If you want to custom compile the server from source in Mac OS X, DIYMacServer is a good site that'l walk you through custom building of the separate servers.
As for cPanel, I don't think that will be available without paying for it and setting it up yourself. The alternative will be to manually edit the preference files that control the servers or use a free one like WebMin.

I hope this has helped.

[Smith6612]

For the ISP part, you will need to use an alternate port from Port 80 if you wish to run a server and your ISP filters incoming connections. You can use a Port 80 Redirect in that case using your domain to point them to another port.

I might also mention, that old PC is plenty fast. Pop Linux into it so you're not having to deal with Windows (unless you prefer otherwise, keep in mind Linux is a bit on the educational side). Otherwise for connection speed, back in the day when I had 128kbps of upload on my DSL, I ran a small website and it didn't really choke at all. Obviously after 4-5 users got on, things would slow down considerably. Now with 1.5Mbps of upload on the same DSL connection, I can run a site off of my connection the way a T1 would run the site. I can put some fairly heavy stuff on it but keep in mind, it will load down rather easily when you get a few users coming on.

[cybrax]

It is do-able and we run three elderly iMac G3 classics as web servers on domestic broadband connections. The static IP can be a headache though, there are free DNS services out there but all tend to come with the 'no commercial useage' clause.

One workaround was to use a free web host such as Geocites/Google/yahoo/x10hosting etc as a web anchor and redirect visitors from the static landing page to the dynamic IP of the home server where the actual site was kept. We used the same technique with a little 2GB pro hosted account to shoehorn in 120GB of video and photostock as embedded content without any problems.

One other trick I'm told to reduce the load is the Google Apps engine and take advantage of the fact that Google can be 'encouraged' to cache most of the pages of a site. Not really up to speed on the google apps engine or Python myself but it looks to have some potential