Support - No-IP Support Center

Web Servers Support Guides
RSS Guides feed

How to setup an Apache web server, Using your own domain name and No-IP+ service

Part 1. Pointing your domain name to No-IPs DNS

First, you will have to register your domain name or already own one. If you need to register a new domain name, click here. Let's just suppose that you already own one. Make sure to point your domain name to the following DNS's at registrars setup as noted below:

Order in which DNS servers are represented is important.

ns2.no-ip.com
ns1.no-ip.com
ns3.no-ip.com

This will make sure that your domain name is pointed to NO-IPs DNS servers.

Part 2. NOIP Dyn-Update Client Configuration

Click 'Add Domain' under NO-IP Plus menu and type your domain name. Then, Activate your domain name.

Third, download NOIP Dyn-Update Client for Windows. After simple installation you will be able to see your new domain name in the hosts lists like this, with an happy smiley face icon indicating that your domain name is working:

yourdomainname.com
www.yourdomainname.com

If you do not have www.yourdomainname.com in your hosts lists you can add it from your Add under Hosts / Redirects menu.

Note! It may take up a few hours untill your domain name is propagated on the Internet, and you are able to ping your domain name after you activate it with No-IP+ service.

Part 3. Apache Web Server Setup

Apache has been the most popular web server on the Internet since April of 1996. The March 2002 Netcraft Web Server Survey found that 54% of the web sites on the Internet are using Apache, thus making it more widely used than all other web servers combined.

Apache is a standard Web Server used on UNIX operating systems, such as Linux, but there is also an Windows version of Apache (instead of using MS IIS), and if you prefer more control over your Web Server, this is the one you for you.

First, you will need to download latest binaries available from apache.org website. The current stable release is Apache 2.0.36.

http://www.apache.org/dist/httpd/binaries/win32/

There is an MSI Installer Package available as well. This is one we'll get. It is the file that ends with .msi. Make sure you get .msi.asc file as well, it is a signature file for this installation package.

Run .msi file and Apache installation will start automatically and follow instructions on the screen.

At the 'Server Installation' page, type your already registered domain name in the first field, Network Domain, same in the second field, Server Name, and your working email address in the third field. This address will be used as webmasters contact email address.


Click to enlarge

Continue with your installation process untill it's completed.

When your Apache installation is completed, Apache will start as a system process and show up in your system tray (image 2). Green Play icon indicates that your Web Server is Online and functioning properly, and Red Stop icon indicates that your Web Server is Offline or couldn't start for some reasons. If installation went fine you should se an green play icon.

Now, let's test our web server by typing 127.0.0.1 in the browsers URL field. If your Apache server is installed properly and it is online, you should be able to see Apache test page.

Congratulations!

Your Apache Web Server is configured and working.

Related Articles