# Howto: Use Websharing behind a Router with Bell DSL



## jdurston (Jan 28, 2005)

How to host using OS X’s built in websharing feature.

First of all, you need an address for the world to reach you. Bell (or whatever your ISP is) gives out constantly changing IP addresses which makes it difficult to connect to your Mac remotely. There are free services that run a utility on your Mac to keep your IP address correctly associated with a web URL.

http://www.dyndns.com/services/dns/dyndns/ is a good ddns service provider.

If you sign up with them you can chose a URL that will be something like http://username.homeip.net/
You need to download a client from their website to keep your IP current. Here is a link:
http://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/

In my Linksys WRT54GC router I can put my dyndns.org info directly into the router so it can handle the IP address updating instead of using a client on my Mac. It has less lag if the IP changes, so your site won’t be down until dyndns.org realizes that you have a new IP.

You need to connect to Bell using either your Mac or Router, using PPPoE instead of using the modem firmware. Your Bell modem probably has your username and password in its firmware. To get rid of it hold down the reset the button until the power flashes red. You’ve now disabled the modem as a router, it will allow your computer or router to log in to Bell through it still however.

Then, in the router firmware enter you Bell username and password (or in your Mac network prefs if you don’t have a router). If you don’t do this, the dyndns URL will just point to your Bell modem admin page not your computer (outsiders will get an error message).

If you’re behind a router, forward port 80 to your Mac. Google: port forwarding + “name of your router”. Also set a static IP for your computer in your routers firmware under the DHCP section on its admin page.

Turn on web sharing in the sharing pref pane. Copy a website to your sites folder in your user directory. If you don’t put a site in there, you can just put a bunch of files that you want to make available for download.

Your URL will be the http://username.homeip.net/~yourmacaccountname/ don’t forget the last slash.

Google is your friend if you need help accomplishing any of the above tasks.


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