server inaccessible remotely randomly
 

I have a server setup in my apartment with Apache and OpenSSH running. Sometimes with I'm SSHing or trying to access the Web server, it just doesn't work. I'm sending out SYN packets and never getting a response.

For example:
ssh user@1.2.3.4
ssh: connect to host 1.2.3.4 port 22: Operation timed out

Then out of the blue I can connect. It appears that it's the computer and not an individual process (i.e., when I can finally access one, I can access both). I have a Linksys router with port forwarding behind NAT setup. If it matters, it's running on Backtrack.

Thanks in advance

EDIT:
During an active connection (I was actively SSHed in and browsing the Web server), the system just stopped responding to me and is now inaccessible.

There are many different possible causes for something like this, from a bad hard drive to a problem on your ISP's side. You are going to need to do a lot of diagnostic work here to figure out what the problem really is. For example, could you setup another server on the same network and see if it has the same issue? That would rule out a problem in the network/router/ISP, making this issue a lot easier to track down.

Another first step would be to run a proper Linux distribution on the server. BackTrack is a hacked together spinoff of Ubuntu that really isn't designed for anything more strenuous than booting up live and running Kismet/Aircrack. There is an excellent chance your problem could be caused by one of the kernel/userland modifications employed by BackTrack.

That's a valid point. It could also be the computer. It's an old POS laptop. I will install Ubuntu 11.04 along side BackTack and see how it performs. If I could verify that this doesn't happen on the LAN, we it be likely that it's an ISP issue?