Setup Guide

When starting to run a web server its best to choose one of the behmoths of global web serving. If possible start with Internet Information Server as its nearly all GUI based which makes the beginning less daungnting and easier to configure. If IIS is not available then the other realistic choice is Apache, which has been the most used web server client globally since 1999, it has a relatively small footprint and highly scaleable and customisable but more difficult to use for a newcomer as its not as simple as click to install and its running. That said it is simple to create a working website and with it being open source it has community help and a chioce of ready made solutions to fit most needs.

Installing IIS / Installing Apache

Windows Server / Windows Workstation

Modern Window Server versions come with a Server Manager that pops up upon log in to allow a quick setup of a machine. To install IIS, select the Add Roles section.

Dependant on the Windows version, choose either Application Server or Internet Information Services.

On the configuration screen the default settings will suffice for basic sites, however if dynamic content with ASP is required, select ASP.NET in the options.

Windows Server / Windows Workstation

Navigate to Control Panel then choose Add/Remove Programs then/or Turn Windows Features On or Off.

From the Add/Remove Windows Components window choose either Application Server or Internet Information Services.

To add dynamic website capabilities click the details button and tick ASP.NET

Configuring IIS

Complete the install, then open the IIS manager from the start menu, under Programs, Administrative Tools then Internet Information Services (IIS).

This is the window where all control of the web server is made. Navigate the tree view to websites, a default website has been created.

To test that IIS has been installed correctly, open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost. If successful the default website will display.

To add another website, first right click on the Default web site and click Disable, this is to stop the new site conflicting with the default.

On the Websites folder, right click and choose New Website. Choose a description for reference only, click next for the IP Address and Port Settings.

When setting up the first and only enabled website these fields can be left as is, this page becomes important when adding multiple websites to the server. Lets explain a little about this:

IP Address: If the server has two or more network cards, a website can be channelled through a particular card, All Unassigned means it can be accessed by all connections
Port: Almost all public websites use the industry defined port 80 for communication. This can be changed usually for websites used on a private network, or as a security measure against automated attacks, but by using a different port number for a public website it may not be visable to all users, such as those on corporate networks and libraries where security is high.
Host Header: When a request for a web page comes to a server with multiple websites, this field determines which website is served to a user trying to access. For a single website, this can be left blank as all requests will return the single site. Using a host header improves security and becomes helpful when accessing on a local network.

Choose a path to the new website, ensure the Allow anonymous access is ticked to allow the public to view the site.

On the Permissions options, the fewer chacked improves security, but Read Access allows the public to view the site, and ticking Run Scripts allows dynamic content.

Finish the wizard and the new website should be running on the server, this has replaced the default website and can be tested in the same way be opening a browser and navigating to http://localhost.

Installing IIS / Installing Apache

The Apache server (Apache HTTP Server Project) is officially offered as a source code that allows it to be manipuled in any way, this means it has to be compiled before it can be used and is complicated, Luckily there are people that have already compiled it and offers Apache in a ready to use form in Windows. For this installation I use Apache Haus that offer this service for free.

For a beginner a lot more reading is involved to avoid issues or seeminly dead ends when installing, but patience will get a fully working web server.

Visit the ApacheHaus website, navigate to the download page and get the latest version.

Apache is downloaded in Zip file, open and there is a folder containing all program files and the readme which is a must read to get the web server operational and to make it autonomous to the system.

Configure Apache

Once installed and running as a service as per the readme's guidance it can be tested by opening a web browser and navigating to http://localhost.

With the server running correctly, all configuration is made by editing httpd.conf file found at C:\Apache\conf. This can be modified by opening Notepad, clicking open and navigate and choose this file.

While this might seem strange to a Windows user, editing conf files directly is how Linux has been operating for many years. To help newcomers all options in the Apache conf file are well commented with the simple changes easy to manage, trial and error is the best way forward but before tinkering it is a good idea to backup the original file by copying and pasting to a different folder, this way the webserver can be recovered if an unknown mistake occurs.