Ok i have a few questions, I have a pc with good internet connection that i'm trying to run a public server on, i have it all set up and have had the "server console" running and played on the server on my gaming pc so i know the server works fine but i dont understand a few things
first how do i tell if it is public (other people than just me can play on it)
second can i play on my server and have other people on it also
third, is the ip different for me than a person thats not on my network if its possible
and should it show up in my cod4 server browser or just my local/lan servers tab thing (its showing up in my favorites i added my local ip)
and also i opened the ports on my router not sure if it worked right
and is there a setting that i need to change to make it work?

This is what my target line is in the server shortcut
"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\COD 4\iw3mp.exe" +set dedicated 2 +exec server.cfg +map_rotate +set sv_punkbuster 1

so does anyone know the answer to these questions?

Ask someone to connect to your server over the internet. If it doesn't work, check your ports again.

Yes, it is possible.

I'm not quite sure if I understand you right here...
The IP other people must connect to is your router's IP and not your LAN IP.

AFAIK it shows up in the server browser after a certain time but not in your LAN list.