Web Server on Win98SE?

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CeaSaR
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Web Server on Win98SE?

Post by CeaSaR »

Hey guys (and gals - I know there are some out there),

I have been hemming and hawing for some time trying to figure out a good place to host my website. I have also
taken on the responsibility for developing 2 other sites. Since I have a highspeed connection and a couple of older
computers laying around, I thought I might try to set up my own server. The only caveat is that it needs to run
on Win98SE. I have Microsoft Personal Web Server 4.0 (on the Win98 disc) and would like to know if it can be used.

Thanks,

CeaSaR
Hey, what do I know?
desy2820
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Re: Web Server on Win98SE?

Post by desy2820 »

I like the idea of re-purposing the computers, but I wouldn't use Win 98SE with such an old Microsoft web server on them. I'm assuming you just want to do your initial development and testing on these computers, to be rendered with IE 7/8 and Firefox on the clients. Check with your ISP, as many don't like it when you host a server from home, not to mention static vs. dynamic IP addresses. Some ISPs do offer free personal website hosting, included as part of your service.

Have you considered a Linux OS with Apache as your server? May even be able to use MySQL for your database back-end, if your sites need it. There are also quite a few low-cost hosting sites, might be worth checking out.

Hope this helps.
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CeaSaR
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Re: Web Server on Win98SE?

Post by CeaSaR »

Well, that was the whole idea of using the older machine so as to not have to redo the whole OS, etc. As long as the
machine could serve the page(s) up, it really wouldn't matter so long as the bandwidth was there. Theoretically, Win3.11
would do if the NIC could handle it. I just wanted to see if MS PWS 4.0 was able to serve WWW. I know it is generally
meant for intranet, but I remember seeing somewhere that you could get it to go outside the local net. I just want to
know if it can be done and how with the existing stuff.

CeaSaR
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kheston
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Re: Web Server on Win98SE?

Post by kheston »

CeaSaR,

I'm with desy. Any MS web server product that would run on a Win98se machine will become a spammer's paradise before you know it. Soon thereafter, spam filters will block any calls to your site for fear of downloading a worm. You'd be hosting a slave on a botnet along with your web content that few would ever see.

Have you considered loading Ubuntu or another Linux distro onto that old machine of yours? The server flavor of most of them comes with the latest and greatest version of Apache and would be hardened to better deal with the ne'er do wells out there on the net. Security patches would arrive regularly as well.

If you've never set up a Linux web server, there are lots of tutorials available about how it's done. All you have to lose is your time. Frankly, the time you spend learning Linux/Apache would probably end up being less than what you will spend repeatedly disinfecting the Win98se OS.

My $0.02, hope it's helpful.
Kurt - SF Bay
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CeaSaR
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Re: Web Server on Win98SE?

Post by CeaSaR »

I probably won't even do that then. Thanks anyway.

CeaSaR
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reloadron
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Re: Web Server on Win98SE?

Post by reloadron »

Hi Ya CeaSaR

I don't thing Personal Web Server would work for you anyway. It was designed to use on a local network or local system and not the WWW. It was later replaced by IIS (Internet Information Server) in Windows NT (I think) and IIS was available in Windows 2000 Professional. Then IIS was only available in Windows XP Pro and the higher end versions of Vista and Windows 7.

PWS and IIS give the user an opportunity to run a website using server side functions (Run At Server) on a local machine or Intranet but not the WWW.

Even with server software another problem arises (problems seem to do that). Your high speed Internet Service Provider assigns you an IP address. That address is generally dynamic meaning it changes periodically. This is unlike a static or fixed IP address which is needed to host a site on a server. This presents a problem with any server software being run.

That would be my $0.02 worth. :)

Ron
lepooner38
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Re: Web Server on Win98SE?

Post by lepooner38 »

Apache has a windows web server available. I think the WIN98 SE will work OK, I have used it on XP with no issues.
Dynamic IP can be conquered using a service like dyndns (http://www.dyndns.com/) and they offer a simple update utility to keep the IP address current. A free domain name is available at the following location:http://www.freedomain.co.nr. The only stipulation is that you have to post a link back to the website using their GIF (I placed it in a side area, and listed them as a site sponsor).
Whether it is for a projects page, family website or a forum, you will find that the setup is not too bad, in fact it is pretty simple. I hosted a personal web site for several years with no issues and had several hundred megs of traffic week
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