[Ubuntu Desktop] Setting up a LAMP server


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Hey guys,

I use Ubuntu Desktop for my laptop, and I need to setup a LAMP server for an in-house development project. I was wondering if someone can walk me through the needed steps so that people outside my house can connect into the phpmyadmin domain, and if at all possible, I can setup a DNS (I'm assuming I need to do this through the router?) so that I can easily get to my server.

I could dual boot my laptop for Ubuntu Desktop/Ubuntu Server if need be, but I'd like to try and avoid that as I use this laptop for other things.

Also, if my laptop is setup with LAMP, does this mean it is also acting like a webserver?

Thanks guys,

Kesh

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Yes, if you are running Apache, you are now a server. ;) Don't get hung up on the "Ubuntu Server" thing, as it really isn't a separate product, just Ubuntu with a different set of packages installed - and you can install or remove whichever packages you like from either starting point (desktop/server).

For outside people to connect to you, you ought to look into a "dynamic dns" service, like dyndns. This will give you an address that others can bookmark, and that site will track your current public IP by a little app that will run on your PC and update their servers.

If you have a router, or some such, you will need to make sure you forward incoming web traffic to your Ubuntu PC. If you have problems finding it, you can post again here.

Then it is really just opening up synaptic and checking the server features you want, then install. I believe that it will start Apache for you once you install. Test by browsing to 127.0.0.1 and you should see a test page.

I've only experimented with a server at home, so I don't have specific advice for a web-facing server. Needless to say you will need to take steps to make sure you don't leave yourself open to compromise. Think "security", and get some advice on this from someone else here more experienced and knowledgeable than I am. :yes:

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Yes, if you are running Apache, you are now a server. ;) Don't get hung up on the "Ubuntu Server" thing, as it really isn't a separate product, just Ubuntu with a different set of packages installed - and you can install or remove whichever packages you like from either starting point (desktop/server).

For outside people to connect to you, you ought to look into a "dynamic dns" service, like dyndns. This will give you an address that others can bookmark, and that site will track your current public IP by a little app that will run on your PC and update their servers.

If you have a router, or some such, you will need to make sure you forward incoming web traffic to your Ubuntu PC. If you have problems finding it, you can post again here.

Then it is really just opening up synaptic and checking the server features you want, then install. I believe that it will start Apache for you once you install. Test by browsing to 127.0.0.1 and you should see a test page.

I've only experimented with a server at home, so I don't have specific advice for a web-facing server. Needless to say you will need to take steps to make sure you don't leave yourself open to compromise. Think "security", and get some advice on this from someone else here more experienced and knowledgeable than I am. :yes:

Thanks for the awesome reply! I'll be setting up dyndns as soon as I get home. Would I also need to setup an FTP server, or should I rely on a web-based applet? I'm trying to think of the most formidable way of setting up this server without having to remember 300 different logins/passwords/means to get to one place to another.

Thanks again, I can't wait to go home and tinker with it some more!

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Well, how do you plan on administering the box? Do you plan on having a keyboard, mouse and monitor for local login (which can be GUI or no-GUI, just text)? Or do you plan on administering from a different PC, like a ssh login? Some people prefer using a web browser based administration package called webmin which would allow you to have your server not need a keyboard/mouse/monitor (or even X installed). You admin your server much like you do your home router. I've never used webmin, but I recall a poll here on Neowin that showed it was pretty popular with *nix admins.

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If you are setting up your own server for in house dev in your laptop, I would suggest going for something more simple like XAMPP for Linux, I use it for my own development, and then I upload it to the real web-server :)

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Thanks for the responses guys...I actually have another problem in regards to dyndns.org

I'm trying to get dyndns to work by using ddclient (yes, I know IPcheck has less overhead, but I found this out after I installed DDC :p)...I went to dyndns.org and setup my hostname, provided the IP that this network is on (external IP) and then setup DDC by providing my hostname and my IP (external, or should I have done target machine's internal IP?)

I also opened port 80 so that dyndns can connect to my site.

Is there any reason why I can't see my apache2 splash page?

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