Server on network shared internet question?

[Ash]

I'm dunno much about networking, and searching the board or google doesn't seem to help as I dunno even if my quesry is correct so ill make this post.

I have VMware installed and am sharing my internet connection with a guest XP Pro, set up just to try the IIS server with it. So i can make sure it worked before I install fedora core.

Now since VMware does a network connnection similar to a normal network question the question should be non vmware specific.

now my guest os has the ip 192.168.126.* (* being hidden for secutiry)

I can connect to the net with the guest os, and can connect to the guest os running IIS server by using that same ip on my host computer and I can see the web page.

I think 192.168.*.* is reserved for networking... im not sure though.

My question is if im running a server on the network such as I am, I am able to access the server, BUT are outside people able to as well?

I'm asking because I want to develop a large project on a linux server, and have access to it from my PC but not allow outside connections to access it.

thanks

[dieterich]

Normally, if you aren't forwarding port 80 to your IIS server, no one on the outside will be able to access it. Besides, if you want to see if it's accessible, just get to another PC outside of your network and hit your network's external IP with a browser.