Apache Test box idea requests 1

[joebauschek]

I am looking for recommendations for a solid box to act as a test server for Apache. I would like to mirror disks and run the Red Hat or Caldera flavor (current versions).

I also would like to know if the application setup utility collection from Chiliware that aids system admins in the setup of Apache is any good?

Regards-Joe

 

[rycamor]

If you really want to learn Apache, along with maybe PHP, MySQL, etc..., the best way to really learn how it all goes together is to learn how to compile from source on a Unix box. I prefer FreeBSD, since I have found it to be even more stable than Linux. If you use Linux, though, I recommend Debian or Slackware. RedHat and Mandrake tend to be more GUI-centered, which might lead you away from really discovering how to do things.

If you want an application setup utility, though, I would suggest Apache Tool Box, at

http://www.apachetoolbox.com/

If by solid box you mean the actual hardware, then just get an older used Pentium that has been tested and proven stable. It can cost next to nothing these days to get a perfectly good Pentium II 350 with a 6 GB drive, which is more than enough for a test server. (I did some of my best development work running Apache on a P90 with 16 MB RAM).