Pointing back to my pc running as a server

This is a tricky one to explain, so please bare with me. I am working on a website at home. I have my own PC set up as a server. It runs perl scripts, PHP MySQL the works, has its own cgi-bin etc. I use it to test my HTML and CGI pages. The way I do this is, for example:

I am working on a shopping cart that redirects to a third party secure server. This server gets authorisation from the bank and then redirects back to my server to a page defined by me. They use the example:
or unauthorised.html, depending on the result of the transaction.

The problem I have is that I want to able to test this process without having to upload it to a webserver. I wondered if it was possible to get this 'callback' to come back to my PC - it is after all running as a webserver. If so, how to do this - what address do I use (it certainly isn't http://localhost/authorised.html).

My knowledge of networking, DNS, IP addresses etc is poor. I even tried typing my IP address in IE - all I get is 'FORBIDDEN'. I wondered if anyone can help with this problem?? Another thing - I am running on an ADSL line behind a router (that is permanently connected ie. I don't dial up). Could that make things worse?

Thanks in advance.

Andy

Purchase a domain and use it other than localhost.
Off topic, thus I won't answer this here. You as well should not post this here in the first place.
Running ANY kind of server behind a hardware router requires a non-standard setup. When it's non-standard, be prepared to see unexpectedly errors and a big hit on reliability and performance.

andyg1, I consider your entire post to be off topic as well. However, I just wanted to throw in my opinion that router's only provide a small hit to reliability and performance. I also consider routers or gateways to a network to be a standard setup. I also do not recommend buying a domain for only local use. The hosts file is the most appropriate solution for a single computer situation, although I recommend that you use a locally resolvable identical domain to the one on your server. That way you can have true testing. As for how you test the 3rd party aspect, sorry, I'm not feeling like using my creative juices.

If you have any opinion against my statement: Running ANY kind of server behind a hardware router requires a non-standard setup, just don't change the wordings, say what you feel like to say.
It isn't for local use if you reread his issues again.

I said exactly what I wanted to say. I didn't say your words cause they weren't what I wanted to say. And yes, my opinion differed from yours, and no, I wasn't hiding that fact considering the entire reply was a disagreement.

But I can see now how you read andyg1's post. This is how I read it: He already has a website out there, and it has a domain. He locally tests using localhost, and wants to know how to locally test with his bank. In that case he should create a host on his existing domain, or use his IP address and fix his webserver to allow it, or emulate the bank which takes the creative juices I'm too lazy to use on this. Perhaps I gave the guy too much credit for knowing what he was doing.

If you are brave enough, just quote my damn statement and reply with your opinion.
I welcome opinions and oppositions. I don't appreciate a chicken like you saying everything exactly as a followup to my original reply.
Got no gut chicken?

In the first instance I apologise for possibly picking the wrong forum in which to put this post. I welcome any suggestions as to where I could put it to get a response...

Secondly, it seems my post has become a battleground between freebsd and SilentRage. SilentRage actually did correctly interpret my problem:

1) I have a domain on the www (which I pay for).
2) I use my PC at home running as a server to test my html and scripts before I upload them.
3) The bank (even for testing purposes) needs to point back to a script to interpret whether the transaction was a success of failure. It'd take me five times longer to make the scripts suitable for my real server and to upload them than it would to play about with them locally.
4) I don't need to emulate the bank. They provide a testing service.

finally:
5) I would like to use my IP address and fix my webserver to allow it

As I said, if anyone knows where I can post to find out how to do this then thankyou.

Andy

heh, battleground. Nah, if it was a battleground, the battle ended the moment freebsd made that last post. I love a good debate. Really I do. But it really isn't any fun when the other person is antagonistic. Besides, nobody wants to see a flame war.

I suggest the apache forum on this site if your webserver is apache. Respectively, I suggest the IIS forum on this site if your webserver is IIS. Also, since you are asking for a simple thing, it shouldn't be very hard for me to figure out the problem (if you're using apache) and I'd be glad to help ya in private.