How to make a server out of an old comp?

I cant access my ftp server outside my LAN?

• hi,im not good at the networking things but i want to make my comp a file server,also a telnet server(please dont mention the security concerns,im not really bothered abt them right now)... so i installed the microsoft ftp service(using the add/remove windows components).. started the service.. ran the ftp client.. things went nice as long as i used my lan ip address 172.16.212.15.i am able to connect and transfer files within the lan network(used one my friends comp within the LAN).... but the problem started when i wanted to connect from outside the LAN(so that my friends outside LAN can access my ftp server) ...i used my wan ip address and it says ftp.exe my_wan_ipaddress >ftp: connect :Unknown error number (im using windows default ftp client) i changed the port numbers ...but no luck i googled a lot but found only handful of useful info...they say i need to port forward so how do i do it?????? i have no router,the only thing i have is an onboard network adapter to connect to lan and thats how i can access the internet. is my isp blocking incoming connections????....if it is so,i can never access my ftp server which is inside lan via internet?????????????,is there a way to beat it???

• Answer:

  You can not connect direct to the Internet from a LAN port. Somewhere it has to connect to a modem or router before you can reach the Internet. And if you can use another machine on the LAN you MUST have a router. You need to forward the FTP port at the router to point to your internal IP address. A serious warning here, as from the time you open ANY external ports you will receive port scans and login attempt from the Internet. These come in at about 2000 per hour from automated break-in attempts. That from ONE script. I see that on log files for public servers I maintain 3 or 4 times a day. And there are thousands of people running those scripts in different forms. If a scan sees FTP open they then set a monitoring script on it. This will read in clear text your user name and password, as that is all telnet understands. As soon as the record your login you will find they are using your machine to relay spam mail, including bank phishing scams and child porn.They will also place hidden scripts other machine under the FTP and use those from links to infected web sites to infect client machines and relay infections to other web sites. And a clever attacker will ultimately hide a web server on the machine distributing more illegal material and set your router to accept incoming packets to it. These will all trace to you. That is why nobody uses telnet any more on external connections. And why any good IT manager does not use it at all. I have seen professionally protected networks taken over this way just because the IT did not totally disable telnet on client machines. With your limited knowledge your friends will be infected within a week, and you will become liable for all damages done,