Gallery

Storage facilities

Posted on 30 Mar 2009 at 15:33

Jon Honeyball makes the most of tumbling prices by ordering a tower of storage, and David Moss continues setting up a course management system.

<?php phpinfo(); ?>

Save the file into the folder C:\inetpub\wwwroot. I named my file MyPHPInfo.php, but you can call it what you like so long as it has a .php file extension. Once you've done that, fire up a web browser and type in the address http://localhost/<filename>.php, where <filename> is the name you chose for the .php file you just created in Notepad. If all has gone to plan you should see a web page with the PHP version number at the top and a list of information below.

With that job done it's time to get the database installed. I'd decided to use MySQL, so off to MySQL's website I went to download it. You can choose between a number of versions, the latest of which is 6.0 Alpha, but I opted for safety and went for the Generally Available (GA) MySQL 5.1 Community Version, which is the version currently recommended for production use. To do the same, head for http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.1.html and read about the different downloads that are available. You might decide that the Enterprise version will float your boat better in the long run, for example, but for testing purposes and for my job the Community Edition will more than suffice. Scroll down the page and select the link appropriate to your version of Windows.

You'll see that there are three versions on offer for download, which at the time of writing looked like this:

Windows Essentials: 5.1.30 - 35.0MB

Windows ZIP/Setup.EXE: 5.1.30 - 103.5MB

Without installer (unzip in C:\): 5.1.30 - 112.8MB

The Essentials version is nice if you just want to take a brief look at the product, but if you intend connecting anything to your databases and want the include files, go for the Windows ZIP/Setup.EXE version. Both have standard graphical installers, but if you really hate graphical interfaces go for the third option. I've never tried it because I love wizards (I have enough to do in my life without complicating installation when it isn't necessary). Once downloaded, extract the setup.exe file and run it, then click on Next once the initial setup screen appears. There are three types of installation available: Typical, Complete and Custom. I usually click Custom because it shows what you'd get if you chose Typical - basically everything except the developer stuff, so you may as well have clicked Typical in the first place unless you're a C coder. Assuming you're not, you're going to get MySQL Server Datafiles, MySQL Command Line Shell, MySQL Command Line Utilities, MySQL Server Instance Config, MySQL Instance Manager, and Documentation. I chose Typical, clicked Next and got told where my files were going to be placed, clicked on Install and let the installer take the strain.

You'll see a couple of screens of adverts for MySQL Enterprise and the MySQL Monitoring and Advisory Service, so take the time to read about these if you like, otherwise click Next each time and arrive at the final page where you'll see a checkbox labelled, "Configure the MySQL Server now". Leave that checked and hit Finish, which will launch the MySQL Server Instance Configuration wizard. Hit Next after the initial screen and you'll be asked to choose between a Detailed or a Standard Configuration. Select the Detailed Configuration option and hit Next. You're now presented with three server-type installations, which are Developer Machine, Server Machine and Dedicated MySQL Server Machine: choose the first option if you'll be running many other applications and MySQL Server will use the least amount of memory possible; choose the second for a web or application server and MySQL Server will use a medium amount of memory; choose the third for a machine that won't be running any other application and MySQL Server will scoop up all available memory. For my purpose, I went for the Server Machine configuration.