installing a testing server

on an xp machine

[stef24]

some basic questions ...

i currently have a network of two xp2 computers. id like to install apache on one of them for use as a testing server for my webdesign work.

however that pc should remain available for email, internet and and general office tasks.

id also like to use this computer as a (ftp)server from where i can access my files from outside

can apache be installed in such a setup? do i need to get a fixed ip adress in order to access files from outside?

[uncle_bob]

Installing apache on the pc will not prevent it from being used as normal for email, office etc. You probably won't even notice apache is running.

For external ftp access however, unlike IIS, apache is NOT an ftp server, only a web server.

[Databuilder]

Think twice before making your computer accessable from the outside. This opens you up to all sorts of nastiness.

[Hester]

I heard XP Home can't be used as a server, only XP Pro. Can anyone confirm this? I'd like to set up a testing server too, but I have XP Home.

[mincklerstraat]

I think XP Pro has got IIS built into it, so you can use it as a server for microsoft stuff. Apache would install on either, I've installed it on both.

[mack]

XP pro and XP home can both be use as servers. The mail difference is that XP Pro ships with IIS web server as an optional component.

YOu can however run Apache for example on XP home.

Mack.

[Hester]

Great! Any idea how to go about this?

[mincklerstraat]

I'd go to [apachefriends.org...] and get their package called something like XAMPP - reputed to be easy to install, comes with basically what you need (php + mysql) with some extra goodies.

[ukgimp]

[webmasterworld.com...]

[Hester]

XAMPP looks very interesting...

To install XAMPP you only need to download and extract XAMPP, that's all. There are no changes to the Windows registry and it's not necessary to edit any configuration files. It couldn't be easier!

Can it be true?

What is the performance hit like? Will it affect any key XP services such as networking in any way? Does it make my PC open to the internet (so someone could access the server programs running locally) or is it purely for testing by me on the client side only?

[mincklerstraat]

I haven't used XAMPP yet so I can't say for that particular bundle of apache and friends - but in general, no, these types of bundles don't do anything to your registry, I didn't notice anything slower on my machine having it, in general you can also configure stuff so the server is either on or off; I ran apache/php/mysql for a long time off of a Pentium II with very few problems.

Apache does set up your system as a server, and the previous bundles that I've used have set things up so remote users can surf the files you put on that webhost. This is something to be concerned about since on a test server you aren't usually putting up stuff that's security-tested, it's usually just stuff you're writing or dinking around with. I have a router on my system that keeps people out of the port where the server is. I don't know how xampp configs, but it's one of the most popular packages out there these days, you're likely to find a forum or advice on the site there about how their particular setup works, and whether there are shell scripts which can set things up for a more secure environment if you don't have a router.

[vkaryl]

Apachefriends' XAMPP was extremely easy to install. My problems arose from certain assumptions I made which were fundamentally incorrect.

Considering some of the programs I've installed since 1984, XAMPP has to be rated super-easy. If you want further info on what I did etc., you can sticky me anytime (well, not from Thursday through maybe the end of the month - I'll be elk hunting).

Or if others think the information might be useful, I could post it here later. Really though, there's not much "information" as such, because it really DOES install very easily. You run a batch file to set up auto-starting Apache as a service, and you need to tweak the httpd.conf file to set ServerRoot and DocumentRoot for your specific situation. That's about it....

Apachefriends has a VERY helpful forum (in English) at XAMPP for Windows [apachefriends.org].