A green, untried, beginner webmaster's basic questions
Hi guys,
I want to start a "dynamic, interactive" website using PHP and MySQL. I've bought the books and am ready to start but there are a few really basic things I have yet to understand about servers. I'm interested in installing Apache on my computer. Here are my questions:
-Can I install Apache to my personal computer? Can my personal computer be used as my web server?
-If not, if I need to aquire a different machine to use as my server, why? and what kind of specifications should I aim for? (i.e. does it have to be a top of the line machine?)
-What happens when I'm ready to go live? Do I simply get an IP address for my server (how is that done anyway?) and pay for a domain name?
-What about the whole concept of paying for space from a host? If I have my own server, will I have to worry about that? Or will my only expense be the domain name?
I know it sounds like maybe I'm not ready to be a web server administrator, but I'm always up for a challenge. Before I can get started, I really need to get these things cleared up. The big picture of how it all works is escaping me..
Thanks for any help!
Pat
teammatt3 posted this at 15:50 — 6th September 2004.
He has: 2,102 posts
Joined: Sep 2003
About turning your PC into a computer, I made a thread in Server Management and that should answer your questions, but I don't recommend turning your computer into a webhosting server.
If you are going to rent a server its going to cost 60+ a month. You might just want to get some hosting from someone like ipowerweb, its about 8 bucks a month.
Busy posted this at 11:21 — 7th September 2004.
He has: 6,151 posts
Joined: May 2001
You can download PHP/Mysql/apache bundles that install on windows
With the price of hosting (gigs for under $10 US) it's not worth the hassle of running your own server for one site. security and licences are a big thing when doing it yourself
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