12 replies to this topic

[the empty calorie]

Okay, I am wanting to create a webserver on an x86 (or PPC) machine running Darwin.
I have never made a webserver before, how would I go about this?

Edited by microscopic^earthling, 04 November 2005 - 11:42 AM.

[yordan]

I have never made a webserver before, how would I go about this?

I also would like to create a web server. Unfortunately I did not find a couple of free hours for that. But I have a couple of ides of what I would like to do, and how I would perform it.
If you have no AIX system (waf, waf, waf...) first install Linux, let's say Mandrake, on your X86 machine. I think that Mandrake installs the webserver by itself, if you choose another distro go on the web and look for a webserver environment, i would say Apache or Jonas.
Then install your database, I would say that you should choose mysql first.
Then, add phpbb2, a photo gallery, etc...
Simply have a look at astahost, look at your cpanel, they say where most of the software's main site are, go there and install everything.
Simply look what astahost people did. And if you work hard, you will be able to do almost as good as they did.
And if you don't have a lot of time or don't want to spend so much time, do just like me, simply create your website on the ready-for-use astahost site ! Just believe me, ask a provider to host your server is far simpler than making your own one!
Yordan

[qwijibow]

lol, i love this...

question:

Okay, I am wanting to create a webserver on an x86 (or PPC) machine running Darwin.

and the first answer given is to

first install Linux,

Dont worry, linux isnt the only operating system, Darwin will work fine.
I would recopmend risisting the usual newbie tempations to install Apache2.
for your first web-server try Lighttpd http://www.lighttpd.net/

there are no pre-compiled binaries for Darwin, so you woul need to compile yourself the usual way.

configureing lighttpd is very easy, and its default asettings are also the most secure (unlike apache)

By default, lighttpd is a simple httpd server, bt can also do some more complicated things like cgi-scripts etc etc.

once its running, making your web-site is as simple as saving your html files to /var/www/htdocs/

[yordan]

try Lighttpd http://www.lighttpd.net/

Nice, I will give lighttpd a try.
I was rather disappointed by httpdlite, but it's quite a different story.
By the way, what is Darwin ? Is it a kind of Unix ?

[qwijibow]

Darwin is considered the 4th BSD.

Darwin is basically MacOSX with X11 instead of Aqua. The open source components of the Macintosh.

[yordan]

Darwin is considered the 4th BSD.

Oh, I see.
So it will look familiar for Unix people as well as for Mac people. But it will not be purely linux, nor purely System V, it will look closer to a BSD system.

[qwijibow]

its got nothing to do with linux.

Its based on FreeBSD, but with a re-written Open Kernel used in MacOSX.
and without Aqua.

to the best of my knoledge anyway.

[the empty calorie]

Good, good...I will hav to give this a try.. Also, I've wondered, what about if I want to serve FTP as well, would lighttpd also serve FTP, or is there something else I would want to use as well? Figure maybe I can use it like a portable/public access hard drive.

[yordan]

lighttpd

with such a name, it should be a httpd... serving only http.
If you want to serve ftp, you will need to have a ftp server.
I know it's not a Linux, however, all the standard Unix systems (including probably freeBSD) have an embedded ftp server, just as Linux does.
So, first look if darwin doesn't happen to simply have an embedde auto-installed ftp server.
Regards
Yordan

[the empty calorie]

I just thought of something...I do have two running darwin-x86 systems that already have httpd...how would i use that?

[qwijibow]

Thats apache.

see documents and other help at apache.org

[the empty calorie]

Well, I haven't had the best of luck...there's not really a good way to access my site, because I'm using dynamic IP, and NAT I believe..Am I stuck or is there something I can do?

[yordan]

You must ask for a fixed IP address or a fixed name for your host.
No-ip.com ( http://www.no-ip.com/ ) provides this : you go to this site, you register, you choose a name and a password, and then they provide you with a fixed name (choose empty_calore.mytftp.com for instance) and they will give you the way for the fixed name empty_calore.mytftp.com to be always reachable, even if your dinamic IP changes. For instance, on my ftp server, I always have the same fixed name, but when I ping it the IP address changes frequently.
Just try this for fun, it is harmless.
Of course, if nobody connects to your site, after some monthes no-ip people will warn you that you have useless resources, and they will ask you to pay if you still need that unused site name.
Hope this helped.
Yordan