Andyc — Sun, 07 Oct 2001 13:58:09 +0000

This is just a server so I can test my sites locally. It is not to server pages over the WWW. I tried using IIS but I could not get PHP working with IIS and it was so easy in Apache. Now I just need to figure out how to get ASP and Perl CGI scripts working. If I could get IIS configured I would but all the tutorials I followed didn't work and were not very good. Andy

mairving — Sun, 07 Oct 2001 13:50:44 +0000

Getting it to work with Perl will be no problem at all. Getting it to work with ASP may be a problem. You would more than likely need a product like Chilisoft or InstantASP. There are certainly some problems running Apache on W2K. I look at it this way. If you plan on running mostly PHP or Perl/CGI scripts, then you should use Apache/Linux/PHP/MYSQL. If you plan on running mostly ASP, then you should use IIs/W2K/. I looked around for some documentation but there is not much on W2k/Apache.

For the record, here are some of the differences in Apache for Windows as opposed to Apache for 'nix:

Windows support is entirely experimental. Plus there are many forums and other places where you can get an Apache/'nix question answered pretty quickly. If you use Apache/Windows, sometimes they just go 'duh' to your question. Kind of like I am doing now.
Apache for Windows is not optimized for performance.
Apache for Windows does not use a separate process for each request. Usually there are only two processes running, a parent process and a child.
The directives that accept filenames as arguments now use Windows file names instead of Unix ones. But Apache uses Unix-style names internally, you must use forward slashes not backwards slashes. This can cause some confusion.
Apache for Windows has no capability to load modules at runtime, without recompiling the server. The default compile will install some optional modules. To activate these modules, you have to use the LoadModule command.
Apache for Windows is implemented in synchronous calls. The poses a bad problem for CGI authors, who won't see unbuffered results sent immediately to the browser.
PHP scripts will work right off the bat in Apache. They must often times be altered for a Windows port.
ASP vs. PHP - you would be much better off using PHP, IMO, since there are many more publically available free scripts for Apache than for ASP.

Anyway, I am a big Linux fan but I do wish that I could help you more in your request than I have. I am also not trying to evoke a Linux/Windows argument. I am just trying to show you some solutions to your problem.