Getting more from broadband 4: Server setup

Setting up a server is a logical first step for any experienced user, as long as the service provider allows this.

Static IP
A broadband connection opens up the possibility of running your own server on the public internet. Serving web pages or files over file transfer protocol (ftp) is simple to set up and is a convenient way of sharing content or publishing small websites.

If you're planning to serve pages from a PC connected to a cable or DSL line, ask your internet service provider (ISP) for a static IP address.

With this, your machine will always be at the same 'place' on the internet so that you can point domain names at it using an ordinary domain name system (DNS). This makes it easier for others to find and remember. Most providers charge a premium for giving you static internet protocol (IP).

If you can't get a static IP address, you'll have to notify others of IP changes as they occur, which can be inconvenient. Otherwise, you might use a dynamic DNS service that tracks changes.

Besides static IP, check your upstream capacity: ADSL and cable in the UK typically have upstream speeds of 128Kbps, but vary between providers and packages.

Bear in mind that 128Kbps translates to real download speeds of about 14 to 15KBps. Some providers offer higher upstream speeds at increased cost, but if you plan on serving a lot of content or having many simultaneous users, a server hung off a home broadband line is probably not the right choice.

Spare parts
Ideally, a server should be a dedicated machine. This isn't for performance reasons, but because the security and setup requirements of a server are different to those for a standalone PC.

On a desktop PC, the primary goal is to provide a good user environment, whereas on a server it's to provide a robust, secure environment with as few unnecessary frills as possible.

If you have a spare, older PC, this can usefully be deployed as a server (and, if necessary, network gateway). The limited upstream bandwidth of cable and ADSL mean that a powerful machine would be wasted, since the connection would saturate long before the device became heavily loaded.

If you lack a spare machine, you can run server software on your PC. The load of serving a handful of web pages or ftp content is low and, provided you've enough memory your machine doesn't need to swap excessively to run the software, it won't slow things down too much.

Again, the limited speed of the upstream connection imposes a fairly low ceiling on the amount of work the server will do.

The choice of operating system is probably the widest when picking something to deliver services on the internet. Web and ftp server software is available for just about every operating system - from Windows 98 to Sun Solaris x86.

Unix and Unix-like platforms (such as Linux) are the best, as they can be stripped down to provide a minimal server platform with very modest hardware requirements. Also, many of these are available for free.

Sensible security
Windows 2000 and XP Professional ship with Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), which provides web, ftp and other services. Although easy to set up, IIS has suffered several security problems, so must be diligently patched to ensure security.

Some best-of-breed software, such as the Apache Web Server, is available for Unix and Windows - it's free on all platforms.

It's often claimed that Unix or Linux are superior choices to Windows for server platforms due to their robustness, modularity and security. However, any of these systems can be made insecure by poor setup and administration.

Whichever operating system you choose, it's vital to follow a sensible security policy when setting it up.

The software required to run a server will depend on what services you want to provide. While IIS provides an integrated suite of services on Windows, ftp and web serving on Unix would, for instance, be handled by two separate packages.

While ftp provides a richer and more robust set of file transfer facilities, if you only need to deliver files, just doing it over HTTP using web server software is a good choice. It's one less thing to administer and ftp server software has a particularly poor security record.

If you need to allow file uploads, SCP and SFTP are better choices. These are run using the Secure Shell (SSH). On Unix platforms, the Apache Web Server and the OpenSSH suite provide an excellent combination.

There isn't a free equivalent to OpenSSH for Windows, but commercial alternatives can be purchased from SSH Communications.

Finally, check with your DSL provider before you set up your server. Many have contracts that forbid them supporting such operations.

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