This project started as I got my ADSL line with my permanent internet connection, & the fact that the web space that I had on
a free host was getting short & they started sticking pop-ups on every page........ I think you all know how it works :o(.
Anyway I was sick & tired of having all those ads & pop-ups on my website, & also being told what / how much / how big......
& most of all.... SLOW servers!
I wanted to be my own boss, be independent. So the idea was born to build a web server for my own site. It was to be my first contact
with another OS, & that on a purely text command level, no graphics! As I said I had inherited the old desk top PC, there were only a
couple of modifications that had to be made. I had to fit a second network card & also a second HDD. The network cards are to provide a
connection to the internal network (over a hub), & the other to the ADSL modem. This physical separation of the internet & the internal network,
in combination with a firewall protects both server & internal network.
There were several considerations to be made before starting on this project. The Linux server was to provide & maintain the connection to the internet,
act as the internet gateway for the other 2 machines in my home network, collect all the emails from various accounts & provide for local delivery,
protect the internal network through the use of a firewall, run the Apache web server, provide web hosting for friends web sites,
provide an ftp connection for uploading the web sites, generate website statistics, ...... As you can see there is a lot to do
& much more to consider & think about than you realise. In the future there will be many other services to come, for example:
web cam video conferencing, full cgi support, chat services, DNS services, & so on.
