Hosting....

[ppug205]

Hi gyys - sorry about the long post but any help would be much appreciated...

What i am wanting to do is have some space on the web (at least 300mb) for storing files such as .jpg, .mpg, .avi .gif etc etc. I have been looking at lycos and its 5 a month but you get all the 50 emails, php and all the rest of it. its poinbtless paying for it cos i am never gonna use it. all i want is space for files. i just want to be able to ftp to the site, and have certain people be able to download certain files when needed but cant find anywhere thats not over expensive.

This is why i thought of using my computer as a web server. opening a partioned section of my drive so people can ftp to it when they have the correct password.

I dont know how to go about doing this safely. i use norton firewall and dont want to have to shut it down. if no one knows of a place i can store info on the web as i was originally looking for could anyone please advise me on how to set up my home computer as a web server or direct me to a place i can find out. but i need to do it safely as i dont want everyone accessing everything on my comp.

many thanks in advance for you help.

 

[Nodsu]

You don't have to disable your firewall, you just have to make a tiny hole in it for web and possibly a little bit bigger one for FTP traffic.

For web, you open TCP port 80 for incoming traffic and install a webserver. I strongly advise against anything MS.

For FTP, you have to open at least incoming TCP port 21 and install a FTP server. Plenty of free ones out there. This is assuming your firewall allows all outgoing connections.

If you don't make any big blunders during setup you should be quite safe unless you expect some determined attacks by possible enemies or competitors.

 

[ppug205]

Thanks for that.

But rather than set the netowrk up in the first place does anyone know a site where i can host files without having to pay extra for all the other crap you get. like 50 email accounts, php and all the rest of it?

All i really want is a site i can ftp to and put pics etc up. then post links for people to click and download them from?

 

[Justin]

When you pay for webspace, you are paying primarily for the bandwidth and the space, NOT the emails or script support. The 50 email accounts, php support, sql support, and all the like, is just fluff. The real cost is the bandwidth.