Basic Apache Web Server Question

I have a Fedora Core 4 machine with Apache (system configured per this
tutorial: http://www.howtoforge.net/perfect_setup_fedora_core_4 ). I
placed my homepage files in /var/www/html/ and now can access them from
my local network as http://192.168.0.150/index.htm and so forth.

The question is, how can I access these files from outside my network,
effectively serving the website on this machine? Can it be done while
the server is behind my router? The router is a D-Link DI-524 and I
have set the HTTP(TCP 80/80) "Virtual Server" in the router
configuration to 192.168.0.150 , thinking that requests coming to my ip
for html would be redirected to my server. BTW I got my ip address from
plugging my computer directly from the modem (skipping the router) and
then using ipconfig - is this my correct address or is that still an
abstraction from my ISP just like 192.168 addresses are local and not
*really* your ip? Should I use a switch to split the connection from
the ISP to my router and the server? Can this serving be done without
my registering a domain name?

Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks,
Jo

On 2006-12-15, JMecc <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I have a Fedora Core 4 machine with Apache (system configured per this
> tutorial: http://www.howtoforge.net/perfect_setup_fedora_core_4 ). I
> placed my homepage files in /var/www/html/ and now can access them from
> my local network as http://192.168.0.150/index.htm and so forth.
>
> The question is, how can I access these files from outside my network,
> effectively serving the website on this machine? Can it be done while
> the server is behind my router? The router is a D-Link DI-524 and I
> have set the HTTP(TCP 80/80) "Virtual Server" in the router
> configuration to 192.168.0.150 , thinking that requests coming to my ip
> for html would be redirected to my server.

If they're not, then you probably misconfigured the router somehow.
This question is not really appropriate for a linux newsgroup unless
you're actually running linux on the DLink. Either that, or your
ISP blocks incoming port 80, in which case you are out of luck.

> BTW I got my ip address from
> plugging my computer directly from the modem (skipping the router) and
> then using ipconfig - is this my correct address or is that still an
> abstraction from my ISP just like 192.168 addresses are local and not
> *really* your ip?

Ideally, you should ask your ISP. But you'd better make sure that
your ISP allows you to run daemons before asking them.

--keith

--
kkeller-(E-Mail Removed)
(try just my userid to email me)
AOLSFAQ=http://www.therockgarden.ca/aolsfaq.txt
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JMecc wrote:

> I have a Fedora Core 4 machine with Apache (system configured per this
> tutorial: http://www.howtoforge.net/perfect_setup_fedora_core_4 ). I
> placed my homepage files in /var/www/html/ and now can access them from
> my local network as http://192.168.0.150/index.htm and so forth.
>
> The question is, how can I access these files from outside my network,
> effectively serving the website on this machine? Can it be done while
> the server is behind my router? The router is a D-Link DI-524 and I
> have set the HTTP(TCP 80/80) "Virtual Server" in the router
> configuration to 192.168.0.150 , thinking that requests coming to my ip
> for html would be redirected to my server. BTW I got my ip address from
> plugging my computer directly from the modem (skipping the router) and
> then using ipconfig - is this my correct address or is that still an
> abstraction from my ISP just like 192.168 addresses are local and not
> *really* your ip? Should I use a switch to split the connection from
> the ISP to my router and the server? Can this serving be done without
> my registering a domain name?
>
> Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks,
> Jo


Is your IP from ISP static or dynamic ?

If its dynamic then you will need to subscribe to a dynamic dns service (
many are free ) to reliably access your local server from the outside ( see
dyndns.org )

On the router you need to port forward 80 to the ip of your virtual server
and whatever port you have set apachie to be on ( 80 is probably OK )

You may also wish to give the web server machine a static address on your
lan.


On the web server host set apachie to Listen to either or all of ( 0.0.0.0
any address ), 127.0.0.1, its lan ip

That's all you need

IanR

It is sort-of fixed now - I registered for DynDNS and it detected my ip
as something different from what I thought - now either entering that
ip or the name I gave it on DynDNS reaches the server but only still
from my local network. I tried to access it from a friend's computer
and from the university but neither worked.

I am now trying to get info from Telus as to whether they allow you to
host a site like this.

Ian M Robertson said "On the web server host set apachie to Listen to
either or all of ( 0.0.0.0 any address ), 127.0.0.1, its lan ip" - how
do I set this property? I didn't see anything like this in
/etc/init.d/httpd.conf.

Thanks a lot for the feedback,
Jo

JMecc wrote:

> It is sort-of fixed now - I registered for DynDNS and it detected my ip
> as something different from what I thought - now either entering that
> ip or the name I gave it on DynDNS reaches the server but only still
> from my local network. I tried to access it from a friend's computer
> and from the university but neither worked.

did you try to browse or ping -from the outside ? ping would let you know if
the machine is visible whatever the http config.

You have set the virtual server up on the router ??
>
> I am now trying to get info from Telus as to whether they allow you to
> host a site like this.

Better not to ask. ISPs usually don't like you running public services like
this but probably don't mind if its for a restricted audience.
>
> Ian M Robertson said "On the web server host set apachie to Listen to
> either or all of ( 0.0.0.0 any address ), 127.0.0.1, its lan ip" - how
> do I set this property? I didn't see anything like this in
> /etc/init.d/httpd.conf.
>
> Thanks a lot for the feedback,
> Jo
Look for the part of httpd.conf which contains the Listen config will be
something like
-----
# Listen: Allows you to bind Apache to specific IP addresses and/or
# Change this to Listen on specific IP addresses as shown below to
#Listen 12.34.56.78:80
Listen 80
-----

Set your ip and port there -

IanR

OK I have it now - thanks for all the help. I called Telus (ISP) & yes
they block ports 80,21, 25... so I just changed the virtual server's
public ports (such that public port 5080 maps to private port 80). The
site is then accessible as before but with :5080 tacked onto the end of
it, which I then got rid of using DynDNS' WebHop service. I guess I
could do the same with port 22 for SSH but won't just to keep things
safer (since someone guessing my password now can't do too much bad).

Thanks a lot Ian & Keith,
Jo