Getting the site up

Well, now that the new Website has finally been put back to life, let me share with you what bits and pieces made all this happen. Well, it actually wasn’t that much of a hassle, yes sure, I do have an IT background, but you could have done that just as much as I have. It’s not to tricky after all.  There are just a few things you need to get yourselves prepared with before you venture into DIY web hosting. What you would need is:

• A domain name. I registered mine with SchlundTech in Germany.
• An IP address. Well, I am hosting my site from my home, so a dynamic IP does the job. You have it with your Internet access.
• A network router. Mine is from TP-Link but any other router should work just as good.
• A service that keeps track of your dynamic IP and updates the Internet for you. The NoIp service worked for me.
• Some bits and pieces of hardware. Synology’s NAS solutions are amazingly easy to use and they do the job. Two DS216+II was all I needed.

A dynamic IP combined with a few bits and pieces is all there is to get your DIY hosting done just like the pros do.

The Synology DSM operating system has all and everything you need packed into one very neat box, the DS216+II with each 2GB of disk storage installed and running in a basic RAID configuration. Does it start to confuse you now? Well it does not have to. It’s rather easy to get all the information you need from Mr. Google. To be honest, I had to ask “him” a few questions too.

Well yes, what you are reading here is brought to you right from my home. No big data center or external hosting service. Synology includes the amazing WordPress CMS system with its DSM software package. You’ll basically have your initial site up and running in less then 1 hour. Well, at that point all is still a bit messy and not really organized. Prepare yourself for a long weekend to polish your home data center. After your home DS216+II settings are where they should be, just find yourself a nice neat template for WordPress – mine is from ThemePalace – , tweak it here and there a bit and voila – you’re online.

And just in case you do need help, there’s always someone out there who might just be willing to guide you on your way to mastering in becoming your own Webmaster. If all fails, drop me a note here and who knows, I might just have an answer for you.

Check this little humble set-up. They both work just great!