PHP MySQL - Stilson.net

www.it-ebooks.infoC H A P T E R 2• • •Configuring Your EnvironmentChances are you’re going to rely upon an existing IT infrastructure or a third-party web hosting providerfor hosting your PHP-driven web sites, alleviating you of the need to have a deep understanding of howto configure and administrate a web server. However, as most developers prefer to develop applicationson a local workstation/laptop or on a dedicated development server, you’ll probably need to know howto at least install and configure PHP and a web server (in this case, Apache and Microsoft IIS).Having a rudimentary understanding of this process has a second benefit: it provides you with theopportunity to learn more about many features of PHP and the web server which won’t otherwise comeup in most introductory discussions. This knowledge can be useful in evaluating whether your webenvironment is suitable for a particular project, and also in troubleshooting problems with installingthird-party software (which may arise due to a misconfigured or hobbled PHP installation).In this chapter you’ll work through the process of installing PHP on both the Windows and Linuxplatforms. Because PHP is of little use without a web server, along the way you’ll learn how to install andconfigure Apache on both Windows and Linux, and Microsoft IIS 7 on Windows.This chapter concludes with an overview of select PHP editors and IDEs (integrated developmentenvironments). I also offer a list of key questions you should ask any potential web hosting provider.Specifically, you’ll learn how to do the following:• Install Apache and PHP on the Linux platform• Install Apache, IIS, and PHP on the Microsoft Windows platform• Test your installation to ensure that all of the components are properly workingand if not, troubleshoot common pitfalls• Configure PHP to satisfy practically every conceivable requirement• Choose an appropriate PHP IDE to help you write code faster and more efficiently• Choose a web hosting provider suited to your specific needsInstallation PrerequisitesLet’s begin the installation process by downloading the necessary software. At a minimum, this willentail downloading PHP and the appropriate web server (either Apache or IIS 7, depending on yourplatform and preference). If your platform requires additional downloads, that information will beprovided in the appropriate section.9