Home web server advice 2

[gregski24]

Hi,
I'm looking for some advice. I've had a home web server on Win2K pro and IIS 5.0 running for about four years. It's just a small forum for my scattered family members to post pictures and keep up on the news. Up until now it has been working great, even with the 10 connection limit on IIS.
But now I have two problems.
First, the 10 connection limit on IIS is becoming a pain. Especially when someone connecting through AOL hits the forum. IIS seems to think that everytime they switch pages it's a new connection, and pretty soon it says there are too many people connected. I've been experimenting with Apache, but I've had lots of problems. Is there a site somewhere that specifically addresses Apache issues on Win2K, or should I switch to linux?
Second, now that my board is getting more connections, my router keeps crapping out. I find I have to reboot the router two or three times per day. If I connect the server directly to the DSL modem, everything works great, except my other PCs can't get online. I've tried three different routers, DI 604, DI 704, and a Linksys Wireless Router which I can't remember the model number of, but they all do the same thing. Does anyone know of a router that can handle internal and external traffic better for a home based web server? I have verizon DSL with a static IP. Speed is 3.0 mb down and 768 up.
Right now I have the DI 604 connected (It seems to hold up better than the other two)to the modem with a DLink DGS 1005g gigabit switch. I've been searching for a better router, but after trying three different models I was hoping that someone with some experience might be able to make a recommendation. Anyone?

 

[Homersim2600]

Why only 10-connections with IIS? I just don't get it. I have had as many as 80 concurrent connections at one time.

About the router...

I too have had this problem. However, it wasn't because a few connections were being made to the router, rather, it was because I was under a DoS attack! It sounds like you are having the same, or similar, problem. I would suggest that you get a copy of CommView and install it on your server this way you can see exactly who is connecting and what kind of information is been sent/received to/from them. I can't wait to hear how this goes...

LF

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."--Albert Einstein

 

[gregski24]

Thanks, Homersim2600. I installed the demo version of CommView to monitor traffic. The full version is sort of pricey for a simple home server, but if it works, I may make the investment. I'll monitor it and see what it shows.

I'm using Win2K Pro's version of IIS which is hard coded for only ten connections. I wish it wasn't so, but it is. That's why I was playing with Apache. Apache is free, and that's right in my price range. I paid $99 (I think) for Win2K Pro about four years ago. Last I checked, Windows Server was priced around $400.

 

[gregski24]

Just a thought, but if it was a DDoS attack, wouldn't it also require a modem reset? I can usually (not always) just change my server NIC properties to my static IP address, connect it directly to the modem and voila, I'm back online. That's why I figured I was losing connectivity because of the router. If it is a DDoS attack, is there a firewall or something I can use to block it? I'm using Sygate personal firewall on my server right now, and it will occasionally tell me it blocked a denial of service attack, but I suppose if one is getting through I wouldn't know it.

 

[Homersim2600]

Funny you should mention the thing about the modem. I never had any problems with the modem locking up. Now that I think of it, I didn't have a modem back then I was using a router supplied by my ISP in addition to my router. It seems that their routers are merely modems with a switching interface because they dont have any functionality for blocking ports and the such.

Drop me a line at my website,

http://journal.veryfinephotos.com

, just write a comment in one of the entries and provide your e-mail address in the space provided --don't leave the e-mail address in the comment text or you will be spammed by the many bots that hit my site; the bots can't see the address if you put it inside of the space provided. I have something for you, and I will e-mail you with instructions on how to download it. It is in reference to your posting...

LF

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."--Albert Einstein

 

[Homersim2600]

I see that you got everything working correctly with respect to your connection problems. Man do you have a good connection or what! My ISP must have upped my bandwidth because I have never seen upstreams as fast as 445K! lol That's great! I wasn't sure that was you at first. I had all kinds of alarms going off--my server calls me when it has a lot of connections. hehe. Ok, Yes, I am a nerd. Anyway, I was able to run a few tests whilst you were connected, so Thank you for that. Lemme know when you get it all working up to par.

LF

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."--Albert Einstein

 

[gregski24]

Yep, that was me. You must have a pretty good upload too. I just burned the CD, so I'll let you know how it worked.

Thanks in advance.