Newbie Question

[PseudoEvolution]

So I have a dynamic IP from my ISP right now, but I am looking to get a static IP so I can host a web server.

My question is how would I set up a web server in a network environment of about 20 computers?

How exactly will people be able to connect to this machine from the internet?

Sounds like an easy question: "just type in the IP", but there's more than that...

Correct me if I'm wrong but when we order a static IP, the last octet is different for each machine, right?

So if I have a static ip of: 67.123.456.*
Say 67.123.456.01-20 are desktops
and say 67.123.456.32 is the web server.

Does it work that way?

Or do we get a full static IP (all 4 octets) and the web server will be recognized automatically? If so, what happens if 2 web servers run in this environment?

So if a user types in my static ip, how does it know which computer on my network is the web server?

I know a lot about networking and computers, but I have never deployed a web server to the outside world, only in LANs, so this is new to me.

[Nobbie]

>I know a lot about networking and computers,

Really?

You should know then, that the local arean network (LAN) *must not* use "public" IPs like 67.123.456.01, but must use special ranges like 192.168.*.* or 10.*.*.* which are part of TCPIP specifications RFC1918 for private Network.

You *should* setup a "Gateway" (which actually is the server with the public IP assigned from an ISP) for the LAN, in order to establish internet connection for the LAN clients. This gateways acts also like a router and it may be a good idea, to install a simple router instead of a full server. The server may act behind the router via portforwarding.

>Correct me if I'm wrong but when we order a static IP, the last octet is different for each machine, right?

If you order ONE static IP you will get ONE static IP - not(!) a range (as you expect in your model).

>So if I have a static ip of: 67.123.456.*

That is NOT one IP, but a pattern for 255 different IPs. A static IP is (for example) 67.123.233.1 (and nothing else).

[PseudoEvolution]

Really?

You should know then, that the local arean network (LAN) *must not* use "public" IPs like 67.123.456.01, but must use special ranges like 192.168.*.* or 10.*.*.* which are part of TCPIP specifications RFC1918 for private Network.

Are you just trying to show off what you learned yesterday in class? Of course I know this, but local IPs are completely irrelevant to the topic.

You *should* setup a "Gateway" (which actually is the server with the public IP assigned from an ISP) for the LAN, in order to establish internet connection for the LAN clients. This gateways acts also like a router and it may be a good idea, to install a simple router instead of a full server.

*sigh* I know what a Gateway is. I said I already had a network of 20 computers, how else would I allow them to connect to the internet?

The server may act behind the router via portforwarding.

This was all I really needed, though you could have expanded on it.

But it's ok, I posted this question in another forum and they understood what I was asking:

In summary:
- Your web server needs a static IP on your LAN, as you'll tell your router to forward port 80 to that specific IP.
- You need a static IP from Comcast, as your outside visitors will be looking for that specific IP to connect to your router (either directly or via whatever domain name(s) you buy for that). Note that this IP is usually assigned automagically nowadays, just as dynamic ones are. With a "static" one, your ISP will make sure from their end that whenever your router asks for an IP, it always gets the same one.

If you order ONE static IP you will get ONE static IP - not(!) a range (as you expect in your model).

>So if I have a static ip of: 67.123.456.*

That is NOT one IP, but a pattern for 255 different IPs. A static IP is (for example) 67.123.233.1 (and nothing else).

I'm surprised you didn't know WHY I expected a static IP could be a range. Know about subnets?


But thanks for trying... I guess.