Power Mac G5 Information Direction (From Desktop to Server)

Question

I have a Power Mac G5 Desktop computer. It has USB and Firewire ports. I am currently using it as a home computer, but with the recent purchase of two laptops, I've decide to use this computer as a web server. I don't necessarily need to bother everyone here with the "how to's of this", but if someone can lead me in the right direction. I have some computer skills, but I am new to the mac. I love it by the way. There is also the problem my dad and I are facing with a recipe database on Filemaker Pro. We want to publish that on the web. I have many questions and so few answers. Thanks
Hold That Thought    

Answer 1

Thanks so far for writing. My questions are pretty
general.
I know Macheist is offering a web page creator
program right now in their special bundle offer. Is
this something I should use to create a web page for
the macintosh platform?
I can't offer any advice on RapidWeaver that's in that bundle - I've never used it. I'm maybe a bit old-fashioned; I prefer to hand code my web pages.
What FTP program, firewall, automatic restart
hardware, switch should I use?
For FTP, my personal favorite is Transmit. There are other fine FTP programs such as Fetch and Interarchy.
If you have a DSL or cable router hooked up, many of them have built-in firewalls. I have one from Belkin. The Linksys ones are also very popular. The DSL or cable routers will usually have a 4-5 port switch built-in.
I have no knowledge of automatic restart hardware, so I can't recommend anything there. On a related note, I'd strongly recommend getting a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for the G5. In the event of a power failure, the computer won't immediately shut off, which is bad for it and your files. Instead, it'll run on the UPS's battery for a little bit, giving you the chance to shut it off properly, or the OS can shut the computer down when the battery runs low. UPS's also work as surge suppressors and line conditioners in many models. The model you'll need will depend on which G5 you have, how much battery runtime you'd want, and what peripherals you need to run as well.
Is the software firewall protection in OS X
sufficient enough for the software firewall?
Probably. It wouldn't hurt to use the firewall in your router at the same time, though.
My dad is in WY and I'm in OH. I want to be able to
use a database he has and have that database update
on his database, when we tried using the public web
sharing today, we were able to see each other, but
not our files? Why?
When you're using the webserver, only files in /Library/WebServer/Documents/ or ~/Sites/ will be visible. These would be accessed at http://youripaddress/ and http://yourip_address/~your_username/, respectively. Of course, there are default pages in both of those locations, so you won't be able to get a directory listing unless you rename or delete the index.html file.
Browsing through the other computer will only give you read access, so you won't be able to update his database via your web browser, unless you setup FileMaker to interface with Apache, and I have no experience with that.
OS X also ships with an FTP server which would allow you to upload changes to your dad's computer. I don't recall how to set it up, but I'm sure you could find instructions on how to do that elsewhere. If you go with this route, turn on both FTP Access and Remote Login. This will allow you to use Secure FTP (SFTP) and Secure Copy (SCP), both of which will encrypt your data transmissions.
I bought the PowerMac from a friend, how do I find
out exactly what is in this machine? I have two
other laptops, should I call apple and beg them to
look up the serial number?
Go to the Apple Menu and choose 'About This Mac'. There's a button on there for More Info. This launches System Profiler (or you can just go to /Applications/Utilities/System Profiler), which gives you a very detailed report of your computer.
I have many more questions, but i'll start with
these. Again, thank you.