Making your server accessible to the internet (outside your own network).

If you want to see a prettier version of this post with pictures and color coding (part of this post won't make sense if you don't see the pictures) click on the link below to view the pdf format
setting up your server.pdf

There are two types of IP address. I like to call it the internet ip address and the server ip address. The way it works is that the internet ip address points to the server ip address. The INTERNET cannot access your server directly but can access your internet ip address.

Figure:
This works
INTERNET(The world)->your internet ip address ->your server ip address

This doesn’t work
INTERNET(The world)->your server ip address

To find your internet ip address go to http://myipaddress.com

Your server ip address is what you created with Ubuntu or any server.

To point your internet ip address to your server ip address you need to access your router. You do this by typing 192.168.1.1 in browser (for Linksys, it may be different if you have a different router). What we will be doing is Port Forwarding.

In Applications & Gaming-> Port Range Foward

Applications-> can be anything you want
Start and End-> needs to be 80
Protocol->needs to be Both (TCP & UDP)
IP Address -> need to be your server IP

Save and exit

That’s it . Type your internet ip address in the browser. It will now direct you to your server.

Connect using domain name
I purchased my domain from godaddy
All were doing is connecting a domain name to the internet ip address

Log into godaddy.com account
Select the domain name you want to use
And access you Domain Manager
Click Launch where it says DNS Manager



Put your internet ip address (not the server) under Points To (next to Host) where its highlighted in blue


Then save

Now when you type your domain name it will take you to your site

Figure:
INTERNET(The world)->Domain Name->your internet ip address->your server ip address


You did it!!!
Thumbs up Everybody for Rock and Roll