XAMPP & Apache

Now that you’ve learned some theory about how all the bits of the Internet work together, now is the time to put that into practice.

The easiest way to get everything working is to use a complete bundled package called XAMPP.

This will provide all you need to allow your own computer to act as a server – a machine that can be seen by the whole world wide Internet.

Firstly, a little bit more theory and how to find out how your computer is configured.  (You’ll need this to progress to the next stage! )

DNS – the Domain Name System (and then… drumroll please – XAMPP!) http://diyws.ath.cx/lessons/lesson-3-dns-and-xampp/

Now that you have XAMPP installed, here’s what you need to do to secure it so bugs and nasties don’t destroy all your hard work. http://diyws.ath.cx/lessons/lesson-4-securing-xampp/

In order for your new server to be found on the Internet, you’ll need a domain name – here’s how to get one for free: http://diyws.ath.cx/lessons/lesson-5-create-a-domain-name/

Now that you have your very own domain name, you’ll need a way to edit your computers’ config files to allow you to type your domain name into a web browser – just like you do when you want to visit other websites on the Internet – and here’s the best thing – exactly like other people are going to do when they want to visit your website! Exciting isn’t it? Here’s how: http://diyws.ath.cx/lessons/lesson-6-hosts-and-htdocs/

And the missing piece of the puzzle – how to allow everyone “out there” in Internet land to actually connect to your brand new website? The answer is here: http://diyws.ath.cx/lessons/lesson-11-port-forwarding/

Once you’ve got all this setup, please leave a comment with your new domain name – the best way to test your new installation is for others to actually visit!

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