Attempting to set up a public web server on Windows XP

[Cyclops6763]

I'm helping a friend set up his network (very simple network) which consists of 2 computers and one of them will be a public server which requires a specific IP and accesses ports 3060 to 3063. He has purchased a static IP from his ISP DSL provider. How would this be configured and would he still be able to use DHCP on the other computer?

Right now he has 2 Nics in the server computer and traffic from his private computer is going through his server. I explained to him that this is slowing down his server functionality. He has a LinkSys BEFsr41 router.

It's my thought that he could connect the modem into the WAN port and the other 2 computers into ports 1 and 2 on the router. Turn off DHCP on the router and configure the ISP provided IP addy in Windows along with the Gateway info and DNS info. I'm guessing that the Gateway IP would be the 192.168.1.1 and the ISP DNS addys Hopefully I'm on the right track here.

Please let me know if more info is needed.

[infringer]

Get another phone line most ISP's will allow you to get an internet only line if DSL ... If your going to have loads of traffic a dsl connection is going to return slow results espically on a slower PC but hey its a start dunno what your using it for really...

By the way your static address will be your modem IP no matter how you look at it and yes having another PC on the line running of the same connection is going to provide poor preformance.

Why you payed for this static IP is beyond me... You can set a static IP in windows settings if you really wanted a static IP for one of the computers behind a router on a network... It'd start with 192.168.X.X like so.

If your running a lot of traffic I suggest you go with a seperate connection unless your IP is giving you UBER connection speed upstream and downstream...

-infringer-

[cpugeniusmv]

Cyclops, you hit the nail on the head the way you described it. just plug the modem into the wan port, set the router to get a static external IP address, and forward the ports from the router to the server computer. perhaps the DMZ would be preferable.

[Cyclops6763]

Hi Infringer, Thanks for your reply! Ok My DSL was my mistake. I thought that's what he had... My friend tells me he has a business "cable" connection. He purchased a static IP because that was required by the server software.. not sure why they wrote it that way.

[Cyclops6763]

Hi CPU, thanks for replying.. Ok Is there a way to set up the router for a static IP? Right now it's set as DHCP if I remember correctly. If I know there is a specific setting for turning it off but I thought that was for the workstation computers to get an dynamic IP. I guess I'm a little confused on that part. I had another thought and I may be wrong about this, but couldn't a switch be placed between the router and the modem? and plug the server into the switch? I'm thinking this would put the server outside the router NAT firewall.

Jim

[cpugeniusmv]

on the first tab of the web-based configuration, you will see a dropdown box labeled "Internet Connection Type". right now it says Obtain an IP automatically, you should change that to Static IP, and set it up with the numbers provided by the ISP.

You can then set up the server behind the router with it's own (private) static IP, and set that private static IP in the DMZ of the router, which has the effect of forwarding all ports to that computer.

you can then use other computers on the network and have them obtain dynamic IPs, and everything will be just fine with the server.

[Cyclops6763]

Ok Very cool thats kinda what I had in mind originally but wasn't sure how it was done.. Thank you so much.

- Jim

[Cyclops6763]

Hi CPU,
Thanks for the info you provided yesterday, so far that's worked however we are running into another snag. The server we are hooking into the lan is a voice conferencing server and the way the license is on the software it requires it to see the public static IP otherwise it will only let one user access the server. This much has been tested and verified.. Right now we have a static private IP on the server of 192.168.1.10 and moved all the addys that the ISP gave us over to the Static configuration screen on the router. I was wondering if there was a way to Alias the server machine or stick the static public IP in the network settings. Oh, we also have the Server in the DMZ too.
Hopefully I didn't leave out any details. Thanks much in advance.. If anyone else has any ideas or comments please feel free to reply. Thanks again
Jim

[cpugeniusmv]

Hi CPU,
Thanks for the info you provided yesterday, so far that's worked however we are running into another snag. The server we are hooking into the lan is a voice conferencing server and the way the license is on the software it requires it to see the public static IP otherwise it will only let one user access the server. This much has been tested and verified.. Right now we have a static private IP on the server of 192.168.1.10 and moved all the addys that the ISP gave us over to the Static configuration screen on the router. I was wondering if there was a way to Alias the server machine or stick the static public IP in the network settings. Oh, we also have the Server in the DMZ too.
Hopefully I didn't leave out any details. Thanks much in advance.. If anyone else has any ideas or comments please feel free to reply. Thanks again
Jim
if the program is hard coded to only allow a public static IP, then you have no choice but to hook it up directly to the internet :(

that said, if you want the other computer to be able to access the internet, it will have to go through the computer that is connected to the internet.

i don't claim to be a networking expert, but i don't see any other solutions.

[Cyclops6763]

if the program is hard coded to only allow a public static IP, then you have no choice but to hook it up directly to the internet :(

that said, if you want the other computer to be able to access the internet, it will have to go through the computer that is connected to the internet.

i don't claim to be a networking expert, but i don't see any other solutions.
Actually I was thinking after I wrote that, that if we purchased a switch we could connect it between the modem and the router then connect the server into the switch. Another cable from the switch would connect into the uplink port on the router, leaving the remaining workstation behind the router. This would allow free access to and from the internet by the server. I think the problem we have is being caused by the NATing by the router.

[cpugeniusmv]

Actually I was thinking after I wrote that, that if we purchased a switch we could connect it between the modem and the router then connect the server into the switch. Another cable from the switch would connect into the uplink port on the router, leaving the remaining workstation behind the router. This would allow free access to and from the internet by the server. I think the problem we have is being caused by the NATing by the router.
i believe you can do that, but only if your ISP has given you two IP addresses.

[Cyclops6763]

i believe you can do that, but only if your ISP has given you two IP addresses.
Hmmm.. I was thinking that we could use DHCP on the router for both the public IP and computers that are connected to it, letting the server use the Static IP given by the ISP.

[cpugeniusmv]

Hmmm.. I was thinking that we could use DHCP on the router for both the public IP and computers that are connected to it, letting the server use the Static IP given by the ISP.
nope, can't be done.