Simple Serving - Serve Files to Family and Friends over the Internet.

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1st Published, Dec. 2004

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Simple Serving - Serve Files to Family and Friends over the Internet.

In order to allow an Access through the Internet (or over LAN) we need a Server running on the designated computer. Since keeping computer available for serving through the Internet might be a security hazard, I would recommend to set the server on a secondary computer. If you do not have one you can probably find an old used computer Win98se lic. for less than $100. In order to act as a server such a computer can be plain vanilla computer running on Pentium II 333MHz or any better Pentium II-III computer.

If you do not have a secondary computer and do not want to purchase one it can set it on your main computer.

There are many Free Programs that can be used to set a Server. The following is the easiest possible example

Step 1- Install a Simple Server Program.

The simplest Free Server is only 170KB and it takes few seconds to install.

Download the following program: SimpleServer:WWW

Install it or all or any computer of your choice. Make one Directory (I call mine Serving) and put the staff that you want to serve in it. Click on the lower middle bar of Simple server and points the server to this directory.

SimpleServer:WWW listens to port 80. Make sure that port 80 is open through your Firewall and Router.

Step 2 - Create an HTML file that has Hyperlinks pointing to the files that you want to allow access to (Serve).

You can create a nice Hyperlink HTML page that points to the downloadable files by using this program.

Download: Dir2HTML

Run it. Check the screen should be set like this:

Click on Browse and point to your serving Directory. Click on Create HTML and save it as index.html That is all to it.

Or Download this program and install it, and give it a try: D irhtml

Dirhtml is slightly more complicated but have more options than Dir2HTML.

Log here you can see an example of such a page created by DirHTML.

Link to: Samples.

Read the Instruction File in the Samples page. Try to View and download the content of the directory, feel fee to download the Instruction file and use it for your own download directory.

A system like this can be set in minutes.

If you want to Serve specific files to a specific person, you can create multiple dirhtml files each one with a specific name intended to a specific users.

Using the DirHtml program you can configure each html file to include only few specific entries.

Name the file (example) dirJack.html when Jack logs on to www.site.com\dirjack.html he would see only the files that are indented to him.

I actually use such setting through the Internet in order to provide files for friends and family without the hassle of ftp. It is a very helpful method when you deal with people that only know how to use the Windows Browser.

If you need Instructions in order to make your Server available through the Internet log here:

Connecting through the Internet to a Home/SOHO Network.