HOW TO SETUP A PUBLIC DOMAIN NAME

So the idea of passing out your IP address to everyone doesn't sound like a good one huh?  Especially if you have a dynamic IP address, which means it could be different tomorrow or next week.  Plus, IP addresses aren't easy to remember and a domain name is just so much easier.

The good news is, I'm going to tell you about two options you have.  One is 100% free and the other you just need to buy a domain name for usually around $10/yr.
Let's start with the free one first, because after all, we like free.

 

SETUP A FREE PUBLIC DOMAIN NAME TO YOUR SERVER

This is actually quite simple.  The only bummer about this option is you don't get the domain you want and you get their text at the bottom stating they forwarded it for you.  It's small, but NOT professional.  What do you expect for free though?  Atleast it's not a banner or popup.

We're going to be using www.no-ip.com, because after looking into the various ones available, it looked like the best choice to me.  Plus it has a pretty awesome feature included I'll explain later.

1.) Go to www.no-ip.com and signup for a "No-Ip FREE" account.

You will get a confimation email and you must confirm your account first.

2.) Now log into your account and you should see a section that looks something like this:

You want to select "Add a Host".

You will see a screen that looks something like this next:

3.) Enter a Hostname of your choice, but it must be unique.

If it's already in use, it will notify you with an error.   Now choose your extension. 
Whatever you choose will determine your free domain name.  (EX: myownserver.no-ip.biz)

4.) Now select a Host Type.

For just a standard forwarding service, DNS Host (A) will do just fine.  You can read up on Round Robin and CNAME, but most likely you won't be using those.

Now remember that pretty awesome feature I mentioned before?  It is the Port 80 Redirect as shown below:
** Note: Zoneedit.com can do this as well. **

Maybe your ISP blocks port 80 or perhaps you already have a server running on port 80 and you want to use a different computer to experiment with and not disturb your current server's connection.  Well the Port 80 redirect is the answer.  What you do is type in your IP address, then choose what port you want it forwarded to.

You can choose any available port, just make sure you forward it to the computer you're wanting it directed to in your router settings.  You also need to make sure your firewall isn't blocking it and then make a slight change to your apache configuration file by changing where it listens on port 80 to whatever port you have set here.  If you do all of these correctly, you should reach your other computer just fine and not disturb your previous server.

5.) Enter your IP address.

Also go ahead and enter any additional information you need to enter.  The lower sections can be left blank unless you want to fill them in.

6.) Now click "Create Host" at the bottom.

If you're using the port 80 redirect feature, you will see an entry ending in the port number you chose.

7.) If you are using a different port besides 80,  you need to make the appropriate changes to your Apache configuration files.

Read this section for more on how to do that.

8.) Make sure your ports are set up correctly.

(For information on port forwarding, read this article.)

If you're using a router, make sure that your port forwarding settings are correct.

If you're using a firewall, make sure the port you're trying to use is allowed through.

You will need to give it some time to propogate, which can be a matter of 5 minutes or so up to 48 hours. 
If you can't reach your computer via the domain above, try reaching your web page first, locally by using the LAN address (example: http://192.168.1.122:85).  Replace the "85" with whatever port you are using and have set in your apache configuration and 192.168.1.122 with whatever your computer's IP is on your LAN.
If you can reach it here, then try your external IP address using the same method.  If that doesn't work, then your port isn't properly forwarded on your router.  If that does work, then your No-IP domain name hasn't had time to propagate or you've entered your information incorrectly there.

By following those steps, you should be setup with a free domain name to point to your IP.
If you have a dynamic IP (an IP address that changes), then read the information below by clicking here on how to deal with that issue.

 

SETUP YOUR PUBLIC DOMAIN NAME TO YOUR IP ADDRESS

Ok, so you either have bought or will buy a domain name soon and you want to know how to direct it to your IP.
By following these steps, I will show you how to do just that, and guess what . . . . for free!  (Excluding the domain purchase of course.)

You can get a domain for around $10/yr on average these days.  I personally use and recommend www.bravenet.com for domain registration, as I've used them for the past few years for hosting as well.  Godaddy.com has some nice deals, like recently they have had .info domains for 99 cents each for a year, but the process of purchasing domain names from them is VERY irritating to me.  They try to load you down with all kinds of extra crap to boost their sales and some of it can be confusing.  But none the less, it's hard to beat 99 cent domain names if you're looking for a couple to play with.

** WARNING: One of the "fine-print" details you may accientally overlook with using zoneedit is the fact you can only have up to 5 domains for free.  And there's a catch, if you delete one, then add another, it counts as #6 even though there's only 5 shown.  Be careful if you're trying to keep it free! **

 

1.) Once you have your domain name, you need to go to Zoneedit.com and signup for a free account.

You should receive your login details via email.  Once you login to your account, you should see a screen like this:

 

2.) Click on "Add Zones".

You will be taken to a screen like this:

Enter your domain name here and then click "Add Zone".

You will probably get a warning about how the name servers for your domain name need to be changed.  Log into your account with whichever registrant you used and find the section that allows you to manage the Name Servers for that domain.   Replace the current name servers with the ones Zoneedit says to use.

This can take some time to propagate, up to 48 -72 hours.  It usually does so in about 20 minutes or so for me, but it really varies.

 

3. Next you should see a screen like this one.  Click on the "IP Addresses" text in blue.

You will be taken to a screen like this:

 

4.) Enter www for the Name and then your IP address under Numeric IP.

When you get ready to setup sub-domains (example forum.mydomain.com), you will enter it under Name.

If you need to forward your traffic to a different port, add the port on the end of your IP address. 
Example:  (176.112.11.123:5000 )
For more on port forwarding, read this article.

Now click "Add New IP Address".

The next screen asks if you want to add both www.yourdomain.com and yourdomain.com.  It's best to say yes just incase someone leaves the www. off when typing your address.

 

5.) You should come to a screen like this once you've finished.

Now you're done!  If you want to go ahead and add subdomains, you may do so now.

If you want to add additional domain names (up to 5 for free), just repeat the steps for adding a zone.

If you have a Dynamic IP address, read the section below on how to resolve your IP address when it changes.

 

** I have a Dynamic IP, what do I do? **

This is another great thing about using domain names for your web server. 
Your IP can change as many times as it likes and your domain stays the same.

The problem comes with keeping your domain name linked to the correct IP, otherwise people visiting your domain will get a blank page instead of your website.  The good news is both of the services I've mentioned above have a solution for this.

Many of the routers nowadays have a section in the configuration menu that allows your router to take care of updating your DNS service for you.  All you have to do is enter your account info and it takes care of the rest.  Check your router's manual for more info.  Usually you will find it in DDNS.

If you're using a static IP, you can even host your own DNS, but it's highly recommended not to do so.  I suggest doing some research on this before attempting it.

With Zoneedit.com, they offer two choices of dynamic update client software on their website.  You can view the details and download them from here: http://www.zoneedit.com/doc/dynamic.html#faq3.

No-IP.com has their own client you can download from their website or by following this link:
https://www.no-ip.com/downloads.php

If you have any other questions or suggestions, please leave them as a comment below.  Thanks!