depends on the microcontroller you are using, I had developed an HTTP server based on the PIC32 uC from Microchip, I used their TCP/IP and DHCP libraries to serve the web pages right off of an SD Card...... It is DHCP enabled with a HTTP BSD Server and also able to send out SNMP packets...... I used microchips ENC28J60 Standalone ethernet controller IC for the ethernet interface....
so u made a microcontroller which can control over web page??? i want more information for my final year project.. could you please give me information about it ..thank you
If you click on the link i provided it should take you to my profile page where you can download all the project files and schematics, it is call B.U.M.S. (Bathroom Utilities Management System)...
I had chosen that uC because it was a requirement for the contest, it was basically a way for the manufacturer to introduce their line of 32 bit uC's when they first come out.
via ethernet, since it is a web server that is DHCP enabled, when I plug it into my network, it automatically just connects to it and I access it via its IP address.....
If you mean the Standalone Ethernet IC, yes, you still have to write code to use it and initialize its functions, Microchip provides the C libraries and sample code for you to use as a template to build your own applications.... I had purchased this finished module off of Ebay so I did not have to make my own PCB for the controller, I just had to make a way for it to connect to the pic32 uC
here is a link to the resources page for the Microchip Pic32 uC, here you will find links to their TCP/IP libraries and other connectivity software >>> http://www.mypic32.com/web/guest/resources
You'll need to use MikroC Mikroelectronica, BoostC from sourceboost, or the more limited (non-paid) versions of Hi-Tech C or CCS.
MikroC and BoostC are very generous with what their "free" versions allow. Though For the webserver, you may run into those limits.
There are also a few PIC18F series webservers as well, which can use any compiler above, in addition to Microchips C18. Here is an example of a complete board for around $50 US. You'd only need to change the code to fit what you would like your webserver to do, that one is set up for many things, mostly remote sensing.
--ETA: You'll also need a PICKit 2 programmer to load the .hex program from your compiler on the PC to the PIC on the board to run the code. I'd suggest getting the $35 PicKit2 from Microchip directly instead of a clone. I'd go so far as to suggest getting the 44 pin demo board w/PICKit 2 package for $50, that way you will have a PIC18F board to program and play around with to get the basics of how it all works down, before trying to tackle a much more complex task. You can't get away without getting a programmer, but it is a one time cost. The PICKit 3 supports more devices, especially on the higher end, but the PICKit 2 also has logic analyzer and UART testing functions which the PICKit 3 lacks.