Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

If you have XP Pro installed (and still have the install disk...) you can install IIS as well. I've been trying to find my disk for a while, and I'm going to have it running on a second test server.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

For the record, if you have Windows 2000 you can also do this, or if you have Windows 2000/XP Home you can successfully hack it into a Home installation.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

I had a bit of trouble getting it all to work, but now that I have it all configured right, XAMPP-lite has been working like a charm for me. It's definitely better than EasyPHP, which is what I was using before.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

YES! XAMPP is a PAIN to setup. But its probably one of the best free servers there is once setup!

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

www.wampserver.com

Keeps away from the evil IIS (Windows Apache Mysql).

Moderate in setup difficulty, and there are a huge number of hosting packages that are apache/mysql combinations. Apache has a larger web hosting base than any other httpd, and has been claimed to have more than all others combined (only partially true).

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

I used wamp once and it was utterly and completely painless.

Good Luck.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

IIS is in no way associated with Apache. IIS is more properly a service manager. You then install PHP or MySQL or whatever, but it's not a combination of any of that.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

I think "(Windows Apache MySQL)" referred to "WAMP", not IIS... could be wrong though, my ability to read people's thoughts across internet and time hasn't been doing so well lately.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

Have you used a recent version of XAMPP? Current releases blow everything else in this thread out of the water (except, perhaps, abyss, but even that requires config). Here's everything I had to do to get a test site running for a soon-to-be-released project:

1) Download XAMPP (use the installer)
2) Install and run the XAMPP Control pannel. Click "Start" Apache and "Start" MySQL
3) Navigate to http://localhost and get started. :)

To install apache or standalone versions of most other software would take at least 20 steps. Booting into linux every time you want to test your latest code isn't practical either (woohoo nano/gedit). IIS isn't really all that great either in my opinion, and why get used to Windows server software when apache/linux hosting is really the way to go anymore.

Basically, there is a reason that all-in-one packages such as XAMPP were created for test sites, and I'm a huge fan. Our web team has thumbdrives and each one has a copy of XAMPP lite on it for local testing at our school.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

ThomasP_post_recognition_skill++; (Do skills increase before or after the skill is executed? During execution?)

If you get serious about web development, having a good working knowledge of both IIS and Apache is helpful. You never know what a client will have for server resources. IIS has also been gaining ground in more enterprise-level web serving as Windows becomes more cluster-able. If cluster-able is a word, at least.

-Eric

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

IIS is particularly useful in those high-end development environments that involve ASP.NET and just plain old ASP. They have been made to work on Linux, but not without extreme bug fixing.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

I have used Abyss + PHP + MySQL + Dreamweaver for a couple of years now and it has not failed me yet.

I do not condone running a web server off of your own computer though, it can lead to slow loading times for your users and that is never good. If you are looking for a good host, look into Bluehost

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

My point in running a web server from home is strictly for testing purposes. I would never open that to connection beyond the LAN.

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

That's good, because anything Windows-based will most likely be exploited and slimed if put on the web with a server running.

It sounds like WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP) will do what you want. I haven't tried anything else as WAMP does what I need. It has a built-in feature that keeps the server from responding to any requests except for those from the machine it is running on; it can be shut off but that is highly discouraged.

XAMPP might do a better job, but I have never used it so I can't vouch for it.

One important tidbit--shut off Skype (if you use it) while running the server. Apache can't bind to port 80 (the normal HTTP port) if Skype is running, because Skype uses port 80. I only discovered that by accident...the hard way (why isn't it starting!!?? <bashes head on wall>).

Good luck
JBot

Re: Need MySQL and PHP Server!
 

Actually I have tries XAMPP and WAMP, but i get the same error using each. When i try to install Apache/PHP I get an error that says something like:
Port XX(80 i think it was) is already occupied by _______(something that had to do with Autodesk). Installation aborted... If anyone has any ideas what this is, I could try and install it again, so I can get the exact error message. But til then, I just have to use a closed section of my team's site (which has disadvantages of not being able to test stuff without internet...)