Part two: ISP, Modem / Router and Registration
In part one we focused on building and installing the hardware and software needed to host a website. The article focuses on
In a residential setting internet connections are provided by an ISP. The ISP provides a gateway / modem to connect to the internet that include basic routing functions. Individuals may also install a router to implement more advanced routing rules and network management. The key to these components are to ensure the gateway forwards all traffic to the router and the router forward specific ports (80, http, 443, https) to the computer hosting the website.
Make sure to add port forwarding rules so the router passes data on ports 80 and 443 to the computer that is hosting the website.
ISPs may have some other gotchas that make hosting difficult. They may block specific ports. Normally, the block port 25 to prevent spam but other go so far as to block port 80 which will make web hosting really difficult. ISPs also normally assign IP addresses via DHCP. If the lease for DHCP is short it will make maintaining DNS really difficult.
The good news as all the hurdles listed can be mitigated through a call to the ISP.
- DHCP renewing all the time?
- Look at the setting on the modem and increase the renewal period to the maximum value.
- Purchase a Static IP Address for a few additional dollars a month.
- Port 80 is blocked? A call to the ISP tech support and they will open the port for you.
Every website needs a web address that is provisioned by a registrar. There are a solid list of them available and include names like Square Space and Go Daddy. Prices for web addresses vary. Most off brand names go for $20 per year. Choose a registrar enter some billing information and the domain is yours.
Now the web address needs to be associated with the IP address you are hosting from and this is managed by DNS entries. Normally, the registrar provides an interface for managing these values. The basic entry needed for forwarding traffic to your address is:
| Host | Type | Priority | Data |
| @ | A | N/A | <IP Address> |
In Part Three we will look at spinning up some containers.
