"Also, is using Win NT 4.0 server as a webserver a bad idea security wise? "

Depends:

I don't think I have seen an NT 4.0 server that has not been taken down at least once by an attack.

If you keep nothing sensitive or personal on it, and you are okay expecting it to get hacked or wormed from time to time, and don't mind doing a re-install... Then NT server 4.0 is reasonable.

NT Server is very insecure. It is my belief that since Microsoft depends on design/architecture/code privacy for security, the longer a Microsoft product has been exposed to the world, the more Hackers/Wormers know about it, the more they can assult it. NT 4.0 has been out there a long time.

Also, 600 meg of source code for NT/2000 was leaked lately- which I think is an unclosable security breach, which is why I am migrating all my systems away from 2000.

Also (from the microsoft site) NT will be unsupported soon. After it is unsupported, expect that it will be so hackable as to be impossible to maintian.:

January 1, 2004 Beginning on this date, non-security hotfixes are no longer available.

January 1, 2005 Beginning on this date, Pay-per-incident and Premier support will no longer be available. This includes security hotfixes.

January 1, 2005
(or later) Online support will no longer be available.


So because of all this above, I would recommend taking the Linux plunge, or going with XP server or 2000 server, with a strong Bias to linux... Especially if you want it to be a remotely maintainable box.

Let me know how Dyndns works out.

Davin L.