Hosting a website on a home computer

[Ventilaator]

I am trying to host a website on my own home computer. So far I have:
- Installed IIS 7.5 on my Windows 7 Ultimate
- Opened and forwarded port 80 (IIS default) to my computer on the LAN
- Using the default example website that comes with IIS installation, which is set as the default website to be served by IIS

Everything works fine in localhost, but I cannot seem to access the site over the web by using home network IP address. My home network has static IP assigned by ISP.

What am I missing?

- Vent

 

[JackMDS]

It might be that the ISP is blocking port 80 so you would Not violate the TOS.

Verizon (as an example) is one ISP that does it.

 

[Ventilaator]

I'm not familiar with configuring IIS, what I did was changed the http binding of the default website from port 80 to 8888.
Tried accessing the site from the browser with <network ip>:8888 with no results.

Pinging my network ip from an external network works fine though.

 

[Railgun]

It works via local host, but what about from another internal pc? Have a fw running and is it allowing 8888?

From an external perspective, are you listening on 8888 as well or forwarding 80 to 8888 on the router?

I do the same but just use Apache. Very simple setup.

 

[VirtualLarry]

It might be that the ISP is blocking port 80 so you would Not violate the TOS.

Verizon (as an example) is one ISP that does it.

Not anymore. when I got FIOS two years ago, they assured me (and later I tested it), that they are no longer blocking port 80 incoming.


Btw, OP, if your router doesn't support localhost loopback, then you won't be able to access your website on your home LAN, via the external IP/DNS. My router is the same way. I put my NAS on the internet as a web server, forwarded the ports on my router, etc., but I can only access it from outside the LAN.

 

[owensdj]

Your computer's firewall might be blocking incoming port 80 and any other port you've tried for the web host.

 

[bobdole369]

If you host the system inside your subnet, and you are forwarding a port to the webserver to allow access from the outside world - you cannot access that same website using the external name without some router tricks. Try explaining that to a CEO.

Use your friends computer or ask your mom to test it.

Are you trying via IP address, or have you registered a domain and are waiting for the DNS update to propagate?

 

[Railgun]

What tricks? Mine worked with no intervention from me. You go out...kinda...you come back in.

 

[Ventilaator]

If you host the system inside your subnet, and you are forwarding a port to the webserver to allow access from the outside world - you cannot access that same website using the external name without some router tricks. Try explaining that to a CEO.

Use your friends computer or ask your mom to test it.

Are you trying via IP address, or have you registered a domain and are waiting for the DNS update to propagate?

I have no domain registered ... just trying to access via IP.

Your computer's firewall might be blocking incoming port 80 and any other port you've tried for the web host.

... that's right, my firewall was blocking port 80. Feel so dumb for not checking it.

Thanks anyways for all the replies - problem solved!