Here’s the deal.
I started out when I was little making websites on a free webbased setup online. Similar to freewebs. I used Homestead. They offered more.
Then as I grew up I became a Network Administrator as I am now. I host the websites out of my own house. I had one web server and I hosted files on it for a website I still had at homestead. Eventually, I got a second server, set port 80 to forward to that, and installed Server 2003 and IIS on that server and bought a domain name from Godaddy.com, configured an A record to my home IP address, and I was good to go.
I now have 3 websites on that server. It’s also the Database server for those websites which require dynamic content. The domains for all of them are from 2 different registrars, but I used the DNS tool in both to configure an A record to my home address. From there, to differentiate the difference between the 3 web addresses on the same server, I configure Host Headers within IIS.
Now, what I’d like to do, and the purpose for typing up this question, is to host websites on different servers, as well as host a mail server. I’ve been told hosting my own DNS server is the way to go. I’d like to have say, one website hosted on one dedicated server, and another few websites hosted on another server, but with a router on a home cable line I can’t forward port 80 to two different machines. Do I need to forward it to an internal DNS server that acts as a proxy or something? Please do correct me if I’m wrong. I don’t want to purchase another IP, I know I CAN, but that’s not the point. The point is I really want to learn how to do this.
The other thing I’d like to do, is host a mail server. I have licences for a mail server at the moment [Kerio Mail Server 6] and would like to use it as an SMTP and POP server. For example, one of my websites has forums and the forums need to know a valid SMTP server to send out “mass emails” and newsletters [I use PHPBB]. I’d like to configure it so not only it can send emails, but I can also make mailboxes for admin members. Through GoDaddy, I can purchase extra email addresses through THEIR mail system, but I’d like to have my own. Again, I’ve talked with people who use Kerio already and they say the best way to do this is to host your own in house DNS server and make MX records for your internal server.
If anyone has any information on how I can do this, any websites, or would take the time to explain how I can do it, please do let me know. I’ll be more than happy to supply more information if need be as well or if I wasn’t clear. Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to read my question. Much appreciated.