website on home PC connected via ADSL modem

which IP address should visitors to my website (IIS run on XP Pro) use when accessing my PC:

a) 213.xxxx which is the external address which all [what.is.my.ip.address] websites quote or
b) 192.xxxx which ipconfig shows?

it seems that a) by itself is not enough.

I did not configure any networks, simply installed IIS.

The modem seems to be a non-router type, since only one PC can be connected.

The fact that a) changes as I power on/off the PC and the modem is not really an issue because the IIS would only be used for one to one sessions and it's always possible to send visitor the new link.

Will appreciate any suggestions.

people can't connect to 192.168.*.* IP addresses so whatever that 213 thing is, that's your public IP.

hi
you should defenetly use you public addres, couse your private ip is seen only on your local network.
if your public addres chnages you shoud ask your internet provider to asign you a fixed ip and if this is not possible you shoud signup with some dynamic dns service provider, so your machine is always awailable at same url. it works that way that you instal some small software on you server which contacts your dynamic dns provider and notifies your new ip every time it changes.

i hope this helps.

Thanks for your suggestions! this TCP/IP thing is surely tough unless you read a whole book on it, or unless it is your hobby

I have tried a few things and finally looked up the manual for my modem. It turned out my ADSL modem uses NAT (Network Address Translation) which blocks all outside attempts to initiate a connection with my PC. Which is a nice thing unless you are trying to host a mini website..

I had to slightly change my modem's user-friendly settings (probably vary from modem to modem) and relax firewall (this time software) settings.

If something like this happens to someone else, I would recommend reading the modem's manual as the first resort.