Security

One very important point to note is that if you are connected to the Internet via a permanent connection, such as DSL, then your computer can be seen from the Internet. This could leave you exposed to potential hacks. Installing IIS means that if other users can see your machine, they will be able to browse to IIS applications that you create.

The best way to protect yourself is to have some sort of firewall, which limits what comes into your machine from outside. You can buy specialist firewall products, or with Windows XP you can use the built-in features. This topic is outside the scope of this book, but it's worth mentioning in case you are unaware of it. For a starting point head to http://www.microsoft.com/security/ – there's a section titled 'for home users', which contains several links worth reading.