Need Help: Apache Server
I have an online game, and I needed a webserver for it. I asked around, people said that apache was good, and so I downloaded it. I have it in front of me, but I'm quite lost as to what I'm actually supposed to do to these files to reach my goal.
I was wondering if one of you out there knew of a very helpful tutorial, or if someone might actually be able to help me personally. Right now I have the client on an ftp server, so people have to download that, then play my game. My only goal is to set up this server so that it will allow players to just click on a link on a website and the client load up for them.
Thanks for any help. My AIM screen name is ReptileKing234 My MSN handle is ReptileKing234@hotmail.com
ReptileKing234
A voice of reason in a world gone mad
your files go into the folder:
local path/Apache Group/Apache2/htdocs
you can make a webpage with a link to your client and it will do an http download when a user clicks on it.
OK, these may be too simple for what you wanted to know, or not, but it is a place to start. What else do you want to know? Are you doing applets or JSP's?
My client is in Java, my server in C++ (btw, the Java version is old, I'm going to re-write code this summer. Reason for it being old is to get largest player base possible. This is the senario I wish to happen; User goes to my website (not currently up) clicks on link saying something like "Click here to play Game (or whatever)" Window pops up, game loads, and they can just enter in their information and play. Tis all I wish to accomplish
I'm going to try what you told me to do now, and I'll respond based on what happens. Thanks for the info though.
oh, and by the way, the version of Apache I downloaded is Apache 2.0.45, and I'm running Windows XP. I'm not sure if that will help or not, but in case it does, there it is.ReptileKing234A voice of reason in a world gone mad
Ok, well, there is no local host folder on my computer. I am now wondering if I downloaded the wrong thing for my purposes. I downloaded the Win32 Source: httpd-2.0.45-win32-src.zip under the "Apache 2.0.45 is the best available version" sub heading at: http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi. I installed it into my C:\ directory.
Should I have downloaded something else? or will this work just fine? If I do need to download something else, what is it? Thank you for all your future help :-)
ReptileKing234
A voice of reason in a world gone mad
the local path part of the original path i posted is probably c:/Program Files/ if you just used the default paths with your setup.
Unfortunately, I'm dreadfully confused. I downloaded the zip file from the Apache web site, I unzipped it to the C:\ Directory. You speak of local host\Apache Group\Apache2\... yet it doesn't exist... I've scanned my whoel computer for any folder or file by the name Apache Group, and there is none.
The folder with all of my Apache things in it is at C:\httpd-2.0.45. In it are the folders build, docs, modules, release, srclib, test, Debug, include, os, server, and support. There are too many separate files to list. In my C:\Program Files\ directory, I can't seem to find anything Apache related. So the only place Apache files are stored right now is C:\httpd-2.0.45. There doesn't seem to be any Apache Group, or Apache2 folders.
ReptileKing234
A voice of reason in a world gone mad
*chuckle*Any files with -src on the end of the name are source code files. You need to download the binaries. Go here and click on Win32 Binary: http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi
Ok, I downloaded the binary for Windows, and I went to that folder that was mentioned to me, the htdocs folder, I'm in the folder, what do I do? Do I create a web page a put a shortcut in there, or do I just edit one of the files? I'm closer, but still don't quite have it, hehe.
ReptileKing234
A voice of reason in a world gone mad
htdocs is the "root" of your web. Put your webpages and subfolders there and you should be ok.
I greatly appreciate your help, but I ask if you coudl please be a little bit more specific? Also... I don't have a domain name, so I would have to run all this from my IP address. Detailed help, hehe. This is a first for me... and despite my programming experience, I can sometimes be a tad bit dense.
Jus so you know where exactly I am with things. I will start the server, and type in my IP address, and it will bring up a page sayin that the apache server was successfully installing. Then a line, then it says "Seeing this instread of the Web Site you expected? Contact the system administrator, ect, ect.
How would I make it so that I can display my own stuff up there? Remember, all I want to be able to do it make a site where you can click on a link saying something along the lines of "Click here to Play" and my client load for the people, and then they can play without haveing to download a Zip file, unzip it, and run the batch file.
ReptileKign234
A voice of reason in a world gone mad
you are exactly where you should be now. There is file called index.html, it is the "default page" for your web. If you want to just type in your ip address and have your web start up, then this "index.html" has to have your webpage put into it. Any other page in the "root" of your web many be run by using your ip address followed by a "/" and then the name of the file: <ip address>/<file name> and if you have subfolders in your root, then <ip address>/<subfolders/><file name> and any time you use a file called index.html in your folders, the web will use it for a default unless you specify file name: <ip address>/<subfolders> will look for index.html in <subfolders>.
ok. I understand what you are telling me. There is one problem though. What index.html file are you referrring to? There is an index.html file in C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache2\manual\developer ~ when I double click on that one it bring me to this site C:\httpd-2.0.45\docs\manual\developer\index.html so I'm assuming that isn't it, hehe. But then, which one is it?
and in C:\httpd-2.0.45\docs\docroot there are files such as index.html.dk, .ca, .ee, .el, .en, ect ect. Which index.html file is it? forthere seem to be several.
when all else fails, open each and every index.html on your system and see what one you are loaded for your default page.
Wait...
You need to make a decision first.
By default, the Win32 executables-only version of Apache should install in the C:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache directories.
The developer version of Apache, which installs in the C:\httpd-2.0.45 directory is primarily for people who want to develop the Apache webserver itself. If you wanted to code your own SSL module, you need this. If you just want to serve web pages, you don't need this.
The reason I'm raising the issue is that we can explictly tell you where to find files and set up your web server if you have one and only one of these two versions on your computer. Otherwise, it gets too confusing.
I realize you would not want to hear this, but if you are running into trouble following the instructions in the Apache documentation, I strongly recommend uninstalling every version of Apache you have (via the control panel), delete the files, reboot your computer and then download the Microsoft Windows Apache executables.
Once you have installed those, then your index page (the page you see when you go to the web server via the browser) will be at:
c:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\htdocs\index.html
If you need to change how the server is configured, i.e., you want the web server to point to your c:\MyGame\html\index.html page, then you'll
want to change the following file:
c:\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache\conf\httpd.conf
If you decide you want to use the development version of Apache instead, then these files will be in different locations - they are that way so that you can run multiple versions of Apache at the same time, i.e, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.1.15 whatever.
Come back when you get to this point (you've decided which version to run and found your index page) and we will tell you where to go from here.
TheDavid, I hope you are a patient man.
:)I'm sure he will be fine. I remember five years ago they were paying people mad money just to set up and run web servers. And now the dude flipping hamburgers at McDonalds' has a web server running in his basement.
hehe. I have a web server up now. Wasn't as complicated as I was making it seem. THough, since you all were so helpful... I'm here posing another question to you all.
Ok, got the web server up, nice, now I get domain name. I went to cheap domain registration (place sucked) then to web.com. I got a domain from them, things were going well. I checked a box saying that I would be hosting from someone other than them (I'm locally hosting) went through everything.
Now that i have to set the servers up, it wants me to put in a DNS name, the FAQ tells you that your host has the name... but ****, I'm the host, and I don't know. So what do I do? I tried just entering in my IP address, but that doesn't work. ANy ideas?
ReptileKing234
A voice of reason in a world gone mad
run winipcnf.exe, and click the "more info" button--it will have a listing for DNS servers.By the way, do you have a static IP?
yes, I have a static IP. Ichecked that a long time ago to make sure that I could host locally. FUnny... I actualy did something smart for a change :-p
winipcnf.exe ehh? well, I tried running it, but windows says that it can't find it. I'm running XP, and I know that a lot of the commands from earlier versions of windows to XP did change... I wonder if that is what is going on. Mabye there is something that I could download?
The command is "ipconfig" under NT/2000/XP. And you might consider using DynDNS to handle the domain name management for you. They're easy to use and they'll handle both dynamic and static IP addresses. Go check it out at: http://www.dyndns.org
> The command is "ipconfig" under NT/2000/XP. And you
> might consider using DynDNS to handle the domain name
> management for you. They're easy to use and they'll
> handle both dynamic and static IP addresses. Go check
> it out at:
>
> http://www.dyndns.org
ipconfig just pops up a cmd window, and then it dessapears. That dyndns place sounds neat, but I already have bought a domain, and wish to use that, and not some www.yourname.dyndns.com thing. They provided free hosting for those sites, but all i saw for your own sites was a $30 fee... more than I'm paying right now with web.com...
> ipconfig just pops up a cmd window, and then it> dessapears.Do this: Click: Start->Run in "Open" box Type: cmd (opens command prompt) in prompt Type: ipconfig/all-Eric
>
> > ipconfig just pops up a cmd window, and then it
> > dessapears.
>
> Do this:
> Click: Start->Run
> in "Open" box Type: cmd (opens command prompt)
> in prompt Type: ipconfig/all
>
> -Eric
ok, easy enough, but what directory should I be in when typing this. The default directory that the cmd gives me is something like C:/Documents and Settings/blah blah blah
I was thinking I should either change it to WINDOWS/system32, or C:/ or something ,but am not sure.
the system32 worked fine. Thanks a bunch everyone
lol. I tried entering those numbers into the fields that web.com wishes for me to enter my dns servers into, and they don't work. It says that it can't find them, error. Am I going to have to host via someone else? anything good? what next step since it seems like I'm not going to be able to locally host all this stuff.
Well... one possible reason is that if you're using a cable modem or a DSL line, you're doing a variation of network address translation (NAT).
As an example, your ISP assigns you the number 200.200.18.12. The signal from the outside world goes to 200.200.18.12 which is intercepted by the cable modem. If your computer is 192.168.1.2 and your girlfriend's computer is 192.168.1.3, the modem changes the address on the packet to 192.168.1.2 so that it goes to the right computer.
I can explain in more detail, but let me get to the point. In some cases, the cable modem also acts as the primary DNS server for your LAN. Any computer on your LAN can query the DNS but the outside world cannot. That could explain why your domain service thinks your DNS doesn't exist.
I'm not saying this is your specific problem - but it is one possibility since you've admitted you're hosting your own machines. You may want connect to your router's/modem's configuration screen and see what the settings are to the outside world. If it has a DNS entry that's different than the one in ipconfig, then the router/modem entry is probably the one you want to use on the web.com form.
This is my current state. I have my domain, I have a web server up, along with an ftp server. I have a dns host now (no-ip.com, they are working well ~ at least I think so)
No-ip.com does tell me that:
No-IP does not run your server for you. You must setup and configure your own web server with your own internet connection and store your webpage there. If you have your site hosted with a hosting provider, point your IP to your hosting providers web server.
I know I am supposed to be able to edit my domain name from web.com, but what is it talking about the web server there? I know how to make a website, but am not sure how I make it so that when someone types in my domain name, that it references to that .html file that I have createdd and put in my web server?
Then you need to provide web.com with the exact IP number needed to reach your home web server from the Internet at large.
In other words, I should be able to request http://127.0.0.1/index.html and it will go to your machine. (Notice I'm actually using localhost because I don't want to inadvertly send you to an unappropriate site.)
This number is probably the static IP your ISP gave you.
If you give this number to web.com, and say, please make www.reptileking234.com point to 127.0.0.1:80, then everyone will be able to access your web server by typing in the name.
However, from what you said, it sounds like No-ip.com should also be able to do that for you.
> ... I know how to make a website, but am
> not sure how I make it so that when someone types in
> my domain name, that it references to that .html file
> that I have createdd and put in my web server?
As stated before, what ever is in index.html in the root of your web will be taken by the webserver as your "default web page". If you have a file called myWebPage.html and you want it to show up when you type your webname into a browser, then change the name from myWebPage.html to index.html and have it in your root. The default root for apache is htdocs.
> > ... I know how to make a website, but am
> > not sure how I make it so that when someone types
> in
> > my domain name, that it references to that .html
> file
> > that I have createdd and put in my web server?
>
> As stated before, what ever is in index.html in the
> root of your web will be taken by the webserver as
> your "default web page". If you have a file called
> myWebPage.html and you want it to show up when you
> type your webname into a browser, then change the name
> from myWebPage.html to index.html and have it in your
> root. The default root for apache is htdocs.
Really what I was trying to ask, is that I wanted to make sure that the dns servers were going to be able to connect to my web server. They are both on port 80, my dns servers are
NS1.NO-IP.COM216.66.37.10
NS2.NO-IP.COM166.90.15.234
NS3.NO-IP.COM66.185.162.103
and I was really wondering if that was fine. If having my web server on the same port as those dns servers, and they do say that domain's IP is my own is all that I need, or if there was something else that I needed to do.
standard setup for a webserver is port 80, you should be ok.
Its in the htdocs folder If your language is english it will be in the file index.html.en.
