How can you use your own PC as a server for your small dynamic site which uses ASP and also has a database to store orders from customers?

Answer 1

You can turn any PC into a server. A server is basically a software which you run on a PC. To answer your question, an ASP will run in an IIS (or PWS on older computers) web server from Microsoft. To link your ASP to a database there should be another application in the middle. You can write an application with Visual Basic which will link the two, that way you don`t expose your database to the world. A recommendation is not to use your own PC as a server because a server need to be running all the time, and you PC isn't normally made for running forever. If you want to check your ASP web site is OK before you upload it to the net, however, it will be fine to use your own pc, because you won't use it continually. To turn your PC in a web server you'll have to install a program (IIS [internet Informational Services] for Windows, or Apache for Windows and UNIX/LINUX based OS) in your computer and running it to view you site by typing in the address bar : http://localhost/filename/pagename.asp or http://localhost/filename/pagename.aspx for ASP.NET pages.
If you turn your computer into a Web Server, your hosted files aren't going to be viewable from the World Wide Web. You'll have to be on the network of the computer to view it.