setting up an http server to host an intranet

[stuck]

I thought I'd have a go at creating an intranet for the one desktop & two laptops that are connected to my NETGEAR 834g router.

My base OS in XPMCE and it's fully patched.
I downloaded and installed this simple web server onto my desktop PC:
http://downstairs.dnsalias.net/homewebserver.html
When I started it the Windows firewall asks if I should unblock it. I said no as I don't want it to be visible to the outside world, just my home network.

On the desktop box that's running the server I can browse to it at 127.0.0.1 (or via the alias I set for the address in my HOSTS file) and all seems well. However, I can't browse to 127.0.0.1 from either of the laptops (one running XP Home, the other Vista).

Any clues as to what I need to do to make the server at 127.0.0.1 visible to the other PCs in the house?

Ken

[StuartR]

127.0.0.1 is a special IP address, known as the loopback address. It always directs you to the same PC as the request comes from.

You can never use 127.0.0.1 to access a different PC.

[stuck]

I did wonder that so I tried browsing to the (internal, as assigned by the router) IP address of the desktop but all I got was 'connection timed out' response. I suppose that suggests the (Vista) laptop it reached something but just didn't get a response. Perhaps I could look for a time out setting in the server setup and try increasing that?

Ken

[JoeP]

If you don't unblock the firewall nothing outside of the PC where it is installed will be able to acces it.

Joe

[stuck]

If you don't unblock the firewall nothing outside of the PC where it is installed will be able to acces it. Joe

I thought I'd tried that, i.e. set a firewall exception for the web server but I still couldn't reach anything on the desktop PC from the laptop PC. However, it is probable that when I made the exception I was trying to browse to 127.0.0.1, which was looping back to the laptop.

I will try again when I get home to:
1) set an exception in the firewall on the PC running the web server
and then:
2) from the laptop, browse to the IP address of the desktop PC running the web server

I'll report back later...

Ken
Later that did it, made sure the Windows firewall had an exception for the web server and then pointed the browser on the laptop at the ip address of the desktop PC running the server