«

On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 20:33:51 +1300, -=rjh=- <> wrote:

>Andrew wrote:
>> Looking for something very simple to host a webpage from my machine
>>
>> Does anyone have any suggestions for free software
>>
>> The machine is a Winxp pro system
>
>Doesn't Pro include IIS already? (I don't know, I'm just guessing here,
>but I think it does).
Yes. We use it as our server at work. You have to choose it from the
'Add remove programs' - 'windows compoents'. Not available in home
edition. By default it allows a very small number of connections but
that is remedied by a simple registry entry. Here I use Apache. I
think not so easy but probably more secure if you are not always 100%
up on patching and it runs on XP home.
Bruce.

Bruce http://www.baggins.co.nz
http://physio.otago.ac.nz

On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:23:25 +1300, Fred Dagg wrote:

> On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:13:45 +1300, Steve <>
> exclaimed:
>
>>On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:03:31 +1300, Andrew wrote:
>>
>>> Looking for something very simple to host a webpage from my machine
>>>
>>> Does anyone have any suggestions for free software
>>>
>>> The machine is a Winxp pro system
>>
>>I wouldn't start from here. The potential security problems in opening
>>port 80 to an XP machine don't bear thinking about.
>
> Such as?
Before then, nobody could directly access this machine. Now they can.
>
>>Go and get yourself an old P3 server and run linux on it. It won't cost
>>much at all. I use an 800 MHz P3. Since there's a fair chance that you'll
>>be hosting over adsl, then server performance will be the last of your
>>worries.
>>
> You're showing your naivety, Steve.
In what way?

This response is full of nonsense.

Steve wrote:
> On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:03:31 +1300, Andrew wrote:
>
>
>>Looking for something very simple to host a webpage from my machine
>>
>>Does anyone have any suggestions for free software
>>
>>The machine is a Winxp pro system
>
>
> I wouldn't start from here. The potential security problems in opening
> port 80 to an XP machine don't bear thinking about.

This being a risk would require serious flaws in the TCP/IP stack on
Windows and associated API. There is no significant additional risk
associated with running a Web server on Windows XP. Linux has not been
without serious flaws of this kind in the past.

There may be additional risks running IIS, or a buggy server, including
older versions of Apache.

> Go and get yourself an old P3 server and run linux on it. It won't cost
> much at all. I use an 800 MHz P3. Since there's a fair chance that you'll
> be hosting over adsl, then server performance will be the last of your
> worries.

With 128k upstream, if you're serving largely static content as the OP
suggests, an old P166 will easily cope with the load. A 486 would
probably do the job acceptably well.

The Other Guy

"Steve" <> wrote in message
news...

>>>I wouldn't start from here. The potential security problems in opening
>>>port 80 to an XP machine don't bear thinking about.
>>
>> Such as?
> Before then, nobody could directly access this machine. Now they can.

Ive run web servers on and off for a few years now and NEVER had any
issues - all have run on the standard port 80.
If it was an issue, then the internet would be a pretty boring place with
people changing their http ports and noone knowing what they are :-p

Steve wrote:
> On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:03:31 +1300, Andrew wrote:
>
>> Looking for something very simple to host a webpage from my machine
>>
>> Does anyone have any suggestions for free software
>>
>> The machine is a Winxp pro system
>
> I wouldn't start from here. The potential security problems in opening
> port 80 to an XP machine don't bear thinking about.
>
> Go and get yourself an old P3 server and run linux on it. It won't cost
> much at all. I use an 800 MHz P3. Since there's a fair chance that you'll
> be hosting over adsl, then server performance will be the last of your
> worries.
>
> $0.02,
>
> Steve
>
>
It will cost more then nothing though....

If i was willing to spend money i would just use any given hosting
company, However i just want this to put a simple html page up so that i
can quickly host an odd file or picture that i dont want to email to someone

The Other Guy wrote:
> Andrew wrote:
>> Looking for something very simple to host a webpage from my machine
>>
>> Does anyone have any suggestions for free software
>>
>> The machine is a Winxp pro system
>
> I quite like LightTPD. It is light weight, while having all the
> essential features. It is fairly new, and I'm not sure if Windows is
> supported or if binaries are available.
>
> http://www.lighttpd.net/
>
> Another alternative is Xitami.
>
> http://www.xitami.org
>
> The Other Guy
Thanks!

I first started looking for programs i knew of the one i wanted but
couldnt remember the name.. Figured i would ask in hope someone would
reccomend it..

and you have Xitami

> It will cost more then nothing though....
>
> If i was willing to spend money i would just use any given hosting
> company, However i just want this to put a simple html page up so that i
> can quickly host an odd file or picture that i dont want to email to
> someone
>

The built in XPPro web server will be entirely appropriate for your
purpose then. Just add-remove programs, windows components and select
IIS. Do make sure the machine is fully patched though.

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 08:11:36 +1300, XPD wrote:

>
> "Steve" <> wrote in message
> news...
>
>>>>I wouldn't start from here. The potential security problems in opening
>>>>port 80 to an XP machine don't bear thinking about.
>>>
>>> Such as?
>> Before then, nobody could directly access this machine. Now they can.
>
> Ive run web servers on and off for a few years now and NEVER had any
> issues - all have run on the standard port 80.
> If it was an issue, then the internet would be a pretty boring place with
> people changing their http ports and noone knowing what they are :-p

....and you call me naive? I've run internet servers for a living
constantly since 1997, and have never ( and know of nobody in their right
mind who has ) used M$ products as hosts. And there really is a reason for
that. SECURITY.


Steve

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 06:48:16 +1300, The Other Guy wrote:

> This response is full of nonsense.
>
> Steve wrote:
>> On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 19:03:31 +1300, Andrew wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Looking for something very simple to host a webpage from my machine
>>>
>>>Does anyone have any suggestions for free software
>>>
>>>The machine is a Winxp pro system
>>
>>
>> I wouldn't start from here. The potential security problems in opening
>> port 80 to an XP machine don't bear thinking about.
>
> This being a risk would require serious flaws in the TCP/IP stack on
> Windows and associated API. There is no significant additional risk
> associated with running a Web server on Windows XP. Linux has not been
> without serious flaws of this kind in the past.
>
> There may be additional risks running IIS, or a buggy server, including
> older versions of Apache.
>
Without opening port 80 on your router, and pointing it at your desktop
machine, the risk of getting hacked is, to all intents and purposes, zero.
However, once that port is opened, the risk is, by definition, infinitely
greater. If this is your desktop machine, then do you really want to take
that chance? Wouldn't you rather they hacked into a separate machine which
doesn't contain your bank details? Opening ports is a big risk: what I'm
talking about is minimising that risk.

Trust me, I do it for a living (:


Steve

Hello steve,

> I've run internet servers for a living
> constantly since 1997, and have never ( and know of nobody in their
> right mind who has ) used M$ products as hosts. And there really is a
> reason for that. SECURITY.

hmmm... so i guess that my windows server 2003 box hosting pop, imap, http(s)
is rooted then ?

buggar...

i better tell my bos who runs his own data center hosting some very important
websites that ms products are soo damned dangerous and he had better switch
to *nix before he gets rooted as well.

too bad... better tell microsoft too ...

all because somebody who has been running servers since the dark ages says so

what do you think ?

----------------
Steven H

the madGeek