Red Hat??

[joeblough]

Looking to setup a web server- first time, limited Unix experience. I'm a Microsoft guy- my road to repentance is to learn Linux. is Red Hat the best starter route for me? and will the Apache server included be sufficient?

ANY advice is greatly appreciated!

Net Admin. MCSE
DBlakeAdams@yahoo.com

 

[mufka]

RedHat has a pretty good Apache with it. I've had the same experience as you. It pretty much works for the default site out of the box. I'm trying to get PHP and MYSql working with it and am having a horrid time (mostly because I don't really know what PHP and mysql are, but someone wants it). I've drawn up some simple procedures for creating virtual hosts and stuff. They work for me. Still feels like I'm walking into the fog though, sometimes. RPMs are great but if you want to play with the big boys, you have to compile your own. I'm trying to figure that out too.
I'm a MS and Novell guy trying to learn Linux (trial by fire). We are definitely spoiled from GUIs and plain text config files.

 

[ATrox]

redhat and apache are good, great in fact

i would recommend that you do complie your own, it is very trivial and it helps greatly to understand what is going on and get the options you want (rather than the RPM.)

see apache.org, plenty of docs, install and for the httpd.conf

the quick instructions

download source
untar and ungunzip
'tar -xvzf apache_1.3.x.tar.gz'
then cd to the created apache dir
then './configure --prefix=/dir/where/you/want/apache --enable-module=so'
(this is a VERY basic config but works for a std webserver, the "prefix" is where to install and the "enable-module=so" enables DSO support for adding dynamic modules at a later time, its a good thing to have.)
then 'make'
then 'make install'

thats it

if you want PHP (which is an embedded scripting language, analogous to ASP or JSP, sorta) then just hit php.net and get and compile the PHP source as the UNIX directions elaborate on, its easy as well (PHP has MySQL support compiled in by default now, you will need to compile PHP into apache, again, its easy, see the php.net instructions.)

MySQL is and open source RDBMS, see mysql.com for details

note that apache+php+mysql make a very powerful web and database combo that can handle 98% of web tasks, see phpbuilder.com for articles about the combo
and check out my site

http://screaming-penguin.com

for an example of apache+php+mysql and for general linux news and info (also a bunhc of apache and php tutorials)

 

[joeblough]

So Red Hat is the best Linux flavor I am gathering here. Wonderful posts-

The "note that apache+php+mysql make a very powerful web and database combo that can handle 98% of web tasks," was insightful- saving me time. The whole "compile" thing is greek to me now, sounds painful, but is a good direction from what I hear from you. Net Admin. MCSE
DBlakeAdams@yahoo.com