How to Build a Linux Based Web Server

When you build a web server using Linux, your server should be stable, and you'll have solid software for a relatively small investment. A large percentage of the commercial web servers available are running on Linux and using the Apache web server software.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Purchase an Enterprise edition of Linux. Many vendors sell Linux installations which come preconfigured to operate as a server. These vendors include Red Hat, Suse and Ubuntu.
2. Install the Linux server software. Quite often when installing an Enterprise or Server edition of Linux you will be asked if you want to install the full LAMP package. Choose yes if this option is offered.
3. Select a server package to install. Most Linux installations include the Apache web server software, but they may also offer one of the many other Linux web server packages. Apache is simply the most popular.
4. Add a database program. Your Linux distribution may ship with both MySQL and PostgreSQL. You may install both applications if you wish. Although MySQL is the most popular choice, some Web applications are designed to work with PostgreSQL.
5. Implement support for a programming language, such as PHP on your server. Linux distributions almost always include support for PHP, CGI, Perl and in many cases Python. PHP is the most commonly used programming language for Web applications on Linux servers.
6. Reboot your server once all of the primary applications have been installed. With the server rebooted, test each of the applications from the root account and a user account to ensure they are functioning properly.
7. Open a web browser on your Linux box, and type: http://localhost. If the server is functioning correctly you will see a confirmation test page.

Tips & Warnings

• A web server must be a dedicated machine that is connected and accessible from the Internet 24 hours a day.
• Many Enterprise editions of Linux come with the Apache Web Server software as part of the default installation.
• LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySql and PHP) is the basic server configuration for any Web server.
• Some Linux distributions are easier to install than others. If you have never used Linux before, chose a distribution, such as Ubuntu, that offers extensive help files and training material.

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