FIRST, make sure your ISP will allow it. Not all of them will.
Then, make sure of your connection speed.
And here are some good links to follow.
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum48/2117-2-10.htm
http://www.dslwebserver.com/
http://www.no-ip.com/
http://www.easydns.com/
As far as what server software, if you are a linux fan, Fedora or CentOS are the best for servers. If you go windows, use a windows server.
We used a standard computer with CentOS4. Our ISP was SBC Yahoo DSL (now AT&T) and the package is the Pro-S plan. We have 5 static IP's. Bundled with our business phone which allows us unlimited long distance anytime, DSL, and the static IP's, it's less than $200 a month.
We have since found out that SBC Yahoo uses something called a *Sticky IP* which is a cross between a dynamic and static. They have the absolute gall to tell me it's the same as a static. I told them it's called *bait and switch*.
You can NOT get static IP's from SBC/AT&T unless you are paying for a T1 line. The Pro-S plan is a *Sticky IP* not STATIC.I had the second level tech's at SBC confurm that with the despute resolution specialist at SBC when I cancelled my contract due to that issue. And that has been true since July 2004.
http://www.broadbandbanter.com/q-t_7...ic-addres.html
http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/7740
http://isp-lists.isp-planet.com/isp-...109/index.html
http://209.123.109.175/forum/remark,10920351~mode=flat
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/rema...8185~mode=flat
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/...html#wp1062570
http://www.mailarchive.ca/lists/comp...5-04/0099.html
The biggest problem is the RDNS and mailserver issue. You can't run either on a sticky IP and I needed both for my business. So I cancelled my contract after verifying I could get a true static IP with Comcast and then desputed the cancellation charges and won.
According to the web site, the Pro-S plan states 5 STATIC IP's and I called them on it.
My issue with Comcast has been with the config files. We keep losing them. Even their third level techs can't figure that one out. We are still a business plan member but no longer have static IP's. My husband and I are now part of a group that shares a decicated server at Softlayer. Liz