Introduction
You've had an intriguing time of it. You wrote your first bunch of HTML pages and uploaded them to a remote Web server. You submitted your Web site to all the search engines and let your friends know where to find you. If you were anything like me, you may have been deeply impressed by the whole infrastructure that makes it possible to publish content that can be viewed worldwide. Yet, did you know that you're only a small step away from orchestrating the entire show from your own computer?

Web Servers
What exactly is a Web server? There are at least two answers to this.

1. A web server is physical computer that stores and serves up Web content when requested. Every time a user clicks on a link, she sends a request to a physical computer, often continents away, which then complies by releasing the page so that it is displayed on her screen.

2. The term web server may however also refer to the software that makes the serving up of content possible. Thus, it is possible for ordinary computer users to turn their personal computer into a physical machine on the Internet. All that's needed is the Web server software.

Connecting Yourself
I'm writing this for the ordinary computer user. As such, you'd probably be running Windows 98. If you're using another operating system, congratulations - you're a true individualist - I'll have to write a different article for you. Having Web server software installed on your computer has two benefits. Content that you create can be tested on your local machine before uploading it to a live server. This is great in itself, however we'd like to show you how to connect yourself to the Net and become one of the millions of Web servers already out there. (Bear in mind that the process I describe relates to a personal website that receives moderate traffic!)

Firstly to run a proper web server you'll need to have a permanent connection and address on the Internet. If you're like most of us, accessing the Net with a dial-up connection, you've been assigned a dynamic IP (Internet Protocol) number that identifies your computer. This number or address is not permanent as it changes after each session. While it is quite possible to serve up web content during a dial-up session, you'd have to tell folks where to find you each time you logged off the Net. Permanent IP numbers and 'always on' connections became a reality when ADSL technology was introduced in Australia. These new cost-effective broadband connections, offered by a range of Internet service providers, are a giant step forward as they allow simultaneous telephone use and fast Internet access. As long as your computer is running, you're connected. In most cases you'll also have a static IP address. Make sure you clarify this point before you enter into an agreement with your ISP.

Setting up the Web Server Software
Assuming you now have a permanent ADSL connection and IP address, it is time to install the software. The Web server software, Microsoft Personal Web Server that you'll be installing comes free of charge with your operating system and is located on your Windows 98 CD ROM. The installation process should be completed in 20 minutes:

1. Make sure your Windows 98 CD is inserted in the drive.

2. Go to START - Run

3. Type x:\add-ons\pws\setup.exe
(x: being whatever letter your computer uses to refer to the CD-ROM drive)

4. The MS Personal Web Server splash screen greets you. Click 'Next'

5. For most users a Typical Install will work just fine. Choose this option.

6. Once the installation process is complete, you'll be prompted to restart your computer.

After your computer has been restarted, you'll notice that there is now a new icon in the system tray on the bottom right hand side of your screen. Double clicking on this icon allows the configuration of your web server. We'll leave things as they are for now.

Total Control
Now you can add your content. No longer do you have to upload your pages and media to a remote computer. You now run your own Web server! Create your files using your favourite HTML editor and simply save them to the Internet publishing directory created during the installation of the Web server software. The default directory below in which all your Web content must be placed to be accessible to folks on the Net is

C:\inetpub\wwwroot\

To preview your content in a web browser and test the correct operation of your Web server locally, type the URL using the following syntax:

http://localhost/mydirectory/default.html

Note that one does not specify www. If you have given your computer a specific name, then this name may be substituted for the word 'localhost'.

In order to let others on the Internet know where to find your web materials, they must use the static IP address assigned to you by your ISP. To display the above page, remote users would bookmark/type:

http://203.343.36.79/mydirectory/default.html
(where the number represents your computer's static IP number).

There you have it. Total control. There is nothing complex or mysterious about hosting your own content. Cinch, huh? When you're ready, we'll discuss how you can achieve even more sophistication and control on your site by adding server side scripting capabilities.