I have the server setup pretty much complete. I found out to set static dhcp addresses to all of the computers on my network to give me some consistency. Again I decided to scrap the use of dns for the server, but in the process I discovered something called dynamic dns that should help me do what I originally wanted to achieved, and a whole lot more.
I’ve heard of ddns before, but never really knew what its purpose was. The thing is, I don’t have a static ip address for my router at home, which receives a dynamic one from my ISP. So I set up an account with www.dyndns.org and I found out how to configure my router to update the the ddns service with my correct ip address resolved from my the domain name I choose, joef.homelinux.com. The next step was to configure the correct (but secure) port forwarding on the router to forward all incoming traffic to the maverick server. Then I installed the ddclient daemon on the server, which aids in the process of updating my routers current ip address. Now, not only can I remotely access this box via ftp and ssh inside my network, I now have the possibility to access it outside of my network. I can also set up the http server and host websites from the lab. Pretty cool if I ask my self.
“Self, do you think this is cool?” “Yes, self,” I replied, “I think it is very cool. You should buy take the money that you pay for hosting services and buy a new server. Then you could host you website from home.”
At this point, I cant truly confirm that this is all working correctly, its still in its testing phase…damn near complete none the less. The final step is to get another domain name possibly more suitable for the lab, pay the money, and register it. Then ultimately host all of my sites here in house. But that brings some financial constraints that can be taken care of further down the road.
This is a big step as far as my networking knowledge is concerned. But the productivity doesn’t stop here. Its on to the next project. Which, at this point hasn’t been determined yet.
joe