i want to setup home server so that i can host my own websites there. I have never done it before, but I am sure I can do it will you guys help. So can some one help me out here. Where to start? what need? etc. Thanx in advance.
probably not a good idea since many problem with security. Are you going for windows base or linux base? You definitely need a static IP address from your ISP.
You would better go for an all in one solution like xampp. http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html
you need a static IP which is common now with most of adsl connection and atleast 512Kbps upload speed.
The first question is does your host allow port 80 through? Most ISPs block incoming port 80 connections. This is because most of the time sites hosted from a home computer are illegal content. To test this install something like XAMPP that was referred to above and then open port 80 on your router. If people can access the server then you are good there. If not you may have to get a business account from your ISP which normally costs double a home account. The next question is what kind of hosting will you be doing? This will help determine what kind of server you will need. For the most part a simple Linux box will be a whole lot stabler than a Windows box. The problem is that if you have never ran Linux before you might be in a bit over your head at first. If you do need ASP you will have to run IIS, which only will work on a Windows based computer. (There are ways around this, but are complex) A very common problem with hosting a server from home is not having a static IP. You can get a static IP from your ISP, but this is an additional fee. Another option would be to use a service such as dyndns.com. This service allows you to install a piece of software on your computer that will track when your IP changes then update their service. This way your IP address might change but the DNS still works. It is not an ideal setup, but it does work. If you are looking just to host your sites locally so you can work on them without having to upload a copy to your remote server then install XAMPP or similar and have it it. There are no additional steps really needed for it, just install and go to localhost in your browser.
I've had trouble with reliability on sites I host at home on my cable connection. I would highly recommend a cheap dedicated server from a company like aplus.net (value series). They run about $50 per month. VPS packages work fine as well.