OS/Software/website help

[henry1006]

I am going to build a website for myself and I am fully going to use adobe dreamweaver however I have some domain/software issues.

 

I understand that inorder for websites to work,  the website directory needs to be uploaded to a hosting system. (I'm assuming they are hosting servers). Based on my assumptions will I be able to building a windows server system for hosting attached to my home network, for the time bring.

 

Also after  gaining a hosting system,  would I still need to buy a domain? I'm assuming that the hosting does not include a domain. How do I only purchase a domain and not a domain and a hosting server. 

 

Please correct my assumptions if they are wrong and also let me know. Additionally please help me as much as you cab.

[ErfanT]

You can buy a domain and not have to buy a hosting a service if you're running your own server.

[cuddles86]

Hi henry1006,

 

Will try and pass as much knowledge to you as I can...

 

First off trying to run a website off of your home network if you want it to be accessible to the outside world is actually more difficult than it sounds. Most household internet connections don't have a static IP address, it will instead have dynamic IP allocation, meaning that when your modem disconnects from the internet (even for a second) then the IP address that your ISP gives you might well have changed. There are ways around this and you can have a dynamic IP and host a website but to be honest they are a lot of hassle and if it is your first time then you shouldn't be trying to set one up! You'll also need to set up your router to expose the correct ports from the correct pc on your network to the outside world.

 

What are you trying to get your website to do? If you just want a website up to play around with, blog and things like that then you are probably better off going with a free solution, think about something like wordpress, something that to be honest I would recommend for most people.

 

For what its worth as well, the majority of simple hosting platforms are based on linux as the server versions support hosting solutions with very little set up. They are also much easier to set up as "headless" machines that can be controlled remotely via command line only.

 

I would really really really not recommend trying to set up the hosting and things yourself as you can get basic hosting (the only hosting that you will need) to get your own website online for very little and you won't have to worry about what went wrong if your website has gone down because 99% of the time it will be someone else's problem to fix!