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Configuring domain controller, DNS, IIS in Windows 2003

This is a question about my specific setup and a general question to help me learn about networking. Here is my setup.

I have a cable modem with a static IP (IP 24.75.148.138, Subnet 255.255.255.252, Gateway 24.75.148.137, DNS 24.52.223.219 and 24.52.223.218)

I have a Linksys wireless router (WRT54G) behind the cable modem (192.168.1.1).

I have four computers connected to the router and my VOIP box. 1 desktop (XP Pro, cabled, 192.168.1.20), 1 server(2003, cabled, 192.168.1.10), two laptops (both XP Pro, both wireless, 192.168.1.30 and 192.168.1.31) and the VOIP box (192.168.1.40).

On the server I need to setup a website that is visible internally and externally. The desktop and two laptops also have IIS installed for development and need to be visible internally only and addressable by name (not just IP).

I have setup the internet side of the router with the settings in the second paragraph above. I have setup the router, computers and VOIP box on my side of the router with the static IP addresses listed above. I have installed the domain controller, DNS and IIS on my server. The firewall is on on the router I have opend port 80 to my server (192.168.1.10). When I installed the domain controller/DNS it changed the preferred DNS on the server to 127.0.0.1.

My questions are, what are the correct TCP/IP settings for my 4 computers and why can't I see my website externally? I'm confused mainly about which IP to use for the DNS for the four computers and why I can't see my website externally but I can see it internally. And what is the 127.0.0.1 in the preferred DNS field on the server?

SOLUTION

jonnietexas

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adamdrayer

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Todd_Anderson

ASKER

After reading Adam's comment about port 80 it all started making sense so I called Adelphia and they do have port 80 blocked! They confirmed that it goes against my contract to host my own domain and have a web server. This is a serious problem for me but it also clears a lot up for me. I've been going in circles for two days trying to figure out why this wasn't working. We are paying $125 a month for their service. I can't believe they are doing this. They never mentioned this when we signed up and I explained exactly what we would be doing. I absolutely can not require my customers to have to type in an extra :#### after our domain name when they want to come to our site. This is a full scale business and that isn't acceptable. I called my local contact that sold me the service and he is looking into it. This is really annoying.

While I wait on that I can try to understand a couple of other things.

So I setup ONLY a primary DNS for my three computers and it is the server (192.168.1.10), right? That makes sense now that I have setup forwarding. I had the router's IP as the secondary DNS on my three computers thinking that they would go there if they couldn't get what they neede from the server.

The TCP/IP settings for the server still confuse me a bit. Right now the primary DNS is 127.0.0.1 and the secondary is the router (192.168.1.1). Is that correct? It seems like the primary should be itself (the server) and no secondary, like all the rest of the computers.

Thanks for the help guys, its been very helpful.

jonnietexas

Yes, you got it. The idea of having a secondary is in case the primary goes down. Of course if your primary goes down then you have other problems. If internal DNS fails this will not keep external customers from reaching your website only internal name resolution.

Good call on the port 80.
Jon

adamdrayer

yes. any reference to your router's IP for DNS(except as a forwarder) will not be able to resolve any internal network names. only internet ones. Therefore you should keep it out of any DNS settings.

you can get a commercial website account with your own name at earthlink or similar company for $20, and just ftp the webpages back and forth. Is there a reason you would like to host it onsite?

you may also want to look at http://www.dyndns.org

127.0.0.1 is the universal IP address for "my local network card". The DNS server should also be pointing to itself, so 127.0.0.1 is just fine.

Todd_Anderson

ASKER

Ahhhh, thanks Adam, that clears up the 127.0.0.1 mystery.

We have been doing what you suggested, Adam, using a commercial account and using FrontPage for our website but that was just our startup phase. Our company does market research and our product is information that our customers access through our website. Our front end software is called ProClarity Analytics Server. It is Business Intelligence software (like Cognos or Crystal) and it uses SQL Server and Analysis Services behind it. We have a failry complex database sytem along with a very complex ETL process for bringing the 300 diverse data files that come in every month into our data warehouse. Anyway, that's why we are hosting the system ourselves.

Thanks for the help, both of you.

adamdrayer

hahaha, Business Intelligence software. I love that term. Yes I agree then, that you need to host in-house.