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2.1.2 Linux

With Linux everything is usually simple. Different distributions with different standard configurations are available. Usually our dream team is pre-installed and just needs to be started. An XAMPP version can also be installed for Linux. My opinion, however, is that it makes more sense to grab the original programs. The installation is done by a package manager and is very simple.

SUSE (9.1)

With the help of a configuration program YaST, you can check whether Apache, MySQL, and PHP are already installed. If that is not the case, select the appropriate packages for installation and let YaST install them. These are the packages in detail:

apache2, apache2-level, and apache2-mod_php4
mysql and php4-mysql

You can find these packages via the YaST interface on your SUSE distribution media or on the Internet:

Start the Apache web server with the command /etc/init.d/apache2ctl start and the MySQL database server with /etc/init.d/mysql start.

You can stop both the servers with the command stop. By typing help, you get an overview of all parameters.

Debian 3.1/Sarge

With Debian, the agent of choice is apt. You can install Apache, MySQL, and PHP with the program apt. apt-get install[packetname]

The following are the packages in detail:

apache-common: Support files for all Apache web servers
php4: A server-side, HTML-embedded scripting language
mysql-common: MySQL database common files (e.g. /etc/mysql/my.cnf)
mysql-server: MySQL database server binaries

You can find these packages automatically over the Internet or on the Debian CD/DVD by using apt.

Then start Apache with the command /etc/init.d/apachectl start and MySQL with /etc/init.d/mysql start.

Your Own Server at a Provider

If you have rented a complete server from a provider, then you usually have a shell entrance and free choice of the Linux distribution that you want to use. In addition, the system is preconfigured and contains all necessary file packages and configurations. Usually special administration interfaces, such as, Confixx (http://www.sw-soft.com/ en/products/confixx/) or Visas are used for configuring these servers. You can comfortably start, stop, and configure your server and the Apache and MySQL services from a browser interface with this tool.

2.2 On a Virtual Server in the Net

The hosting industry changes very rapidly. Check out the forum on http://mamboserver.com/ for actual hints about installing Mambo on different servers.

2.3 Installing Mambo

To install Mambo, download the latest stable version MamboV4.5.2-stable.tar.gz from http://mamboforge.net/frs/?group_id=5.

2.3.1 Selecting a Directory for Installation

One has to decide whether Mambo needs to be installed directly into a document directory or a subdirectory. This is important, since many users prefer a short URL to their homepage.

An Example

If Mambo is unzipped directly in /htdocs, the web page starts when the domain name http://www.myhomepage.com is accessed from its local computer http://localhost/ and/or from the server on the Internet. If subdirectories are created under /htdocs/, for example, /htdocs/mymambo/ and we unzip the package there, we have to enter http://localhost/mymambo/ in the browser. This isn't a problem locally, but doesn't look good on a production Internet page.

Some HTML files and subdirectories, however, are already in /htdocs in the local xampplite environment under Windows, which, for example, displays the greetings page of xampplite (as shown in Figure 2.6). In a local Linux environment, a starting page dependent on the distribution and the web server settings is also displayed.

2.3.2 Local Installation of Mambo Directory

In Windows, create a subdirectory named mambo under the document directory by using Windows Explorer. The directory tree in Windows Explorer should look like this:

In Linux, use the shell KDE Konqueror or Midnight Commander:

[Document home]/htdocs/mambo/

An empty index appears in the xampplite version when the URL http://localhost/mambo is entered in the browser:

With Linux or with another configuration it can happen that you don't get a message and therefore you don't have access to this directory. This depends on the configuration of the web server. For security reasons, the automatic directory display is often deactivated. A potential hacker could draw many interesting conclusions about the directory structure and the files on your homepage. From this information the hacker could target your computer for hacking.

Unpacking

In Windows XP the MamboV4.5.2-stable.tar.gz file can be directly unpacked from Windows Explorer. In all other versions of Windows a separate unpacking program is

required, for example, the shareware program Filzip that can be downloaded fromhttp://www.filzip.com/en/index.html. In Linux, type the following command to unpack the file package, called a compressed tarball, in the prepared directory:

�zxvf MamboV4.5.2-stable.tar.gz

After unpacking, the following directories and files can be seen in Windows Explorer:

This structure is same on all operating systems�only the presentation differs. The following figure shows a presentation in an FTP client where the local PC is in the left window and the remote web server in the right: