The Choice of OS

Many operating system options are available for PostNuke. You can host a PostNuke site using Unix, Linux, FreeBSD, Mac OS X (which is based on Berkeley Software Distribution [BSD]), Solaris, Advanced Interactive eXecutive (AIX), Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. The vast majority of PostNuke servers are running Windows and Linux, the two systems on which this book focuses.

PostNuke is stable on the supported operating systems and runs for as long as your database and web servers keep going. Linux has the reputation for being a very robust OS, but Windows is no slouch either.

The best choice is probably to start with whatever OS you are most familiar. That way, should you have any trouble, you can quickly resolve any problems. If you don't have a preference and/or much experience, consider that Linux can be downloaded for free, but Windows is easier to learn. The OS that suits your needs will also work fine for PostNuke.

Crash Course in Linux

If you choose to work with Linux and are new to the operating system, you need to know a few things. First, many different kinds of Linux are available. The most popular distributions are Red Hat (www.redhat.com), Debian (www.debian.org), and Mandrake (www.mandrakesoft.com). It's a good idea to start with one of these three if you are new to Linux; many books and online resources are available for these distributions.

All distributions have generally the same capabilities, just with differing interfaces and tools. Linspire (www.linspire.com), Lycoris (www.lycoris.com), and Xandros (www.xandros.com) are distributions designed to be very user-friendly, especially for Windows users, but they are not free, and, for example, both Linspire and Xandros are based on Debian. Also, it's important to note that the well-known Linux company Red Hat has changed the way they handle their distribution. Their commercial Linux is still branded Red Hat, but to get their free downloadable Linux, you must go to The Fedora Project (fedora.redhat.com), which is the Red Hat-sponsored open source version.

Note

Choosing a custom install for your Linux distribution provides you with many more options. Many useful tools might not be installed by default. Even if you don't make any changes to the choices, reading through your options during a custom install can help ensure you're not missing anything later.

All major Linux distributions come with an X Windowing system and either or both of the main desktopsGNU Network Object Model Environment (GNOME; www.gnome.org) and K Desktop Environment (KDE; www.kde.org). Your distribution should install a graphical interface by default, and you have access to various system utilities you can use to manage your web and database servers on Linux. Although very handy, you should keep in mind that the easy graphical tools do not effectively replace standard command-line Linux management from a terminal. Many configuration options are simply not available in the graphical tools. They can get you started, but keep a terminal window handy for when you need it.

Tip

Even if you never do any application development yourself, it is a good idea to install the base set of development tools with any Linux distribution. It enables you to compile any additional programs you might need without the hassle of having to add the tools later when you need them.

The following list contains some of the basic terminal commands you might need. To get more information about these or any other commands, simply type man [command name] at the command prompt.

• cat Concatenates and displays a file

• cd Changes the working directory

• chmod Changes the permissions mode of a file

• chown Changes the owner and/or group of a file

• cp Copies a file

• diff Displays differences between pairs of text files

• exit Terminates a process

• find Finds a file by name or by other characteristics

• grep Searches a file for a specific text string

• gzip Compresses and uncompresses files in the gzip format

• ifconfig Displays current network settings

• ls Lists the contents of a directory

• man Displays a reference manual page

• mkdir Makes a directory

• more Displays a text file

• mv Moves or renames a file

• passwd Creates or changes a password

• pwd Displays the current directory pathname

• rm Removes a file

• rmdir Removes a directory

• tar Compresses and uncompresses files in the Tape ARchive format

• vi Starts a simple ASCII text editor

Crash Course in Windows XP

Using Windows XP can be the easiest and fastest way to get PostNuke up and running. It installs generally without a hitch, and is easy to work with. You have the choice between the Windows XP Home (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/), Windows XP Professional (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/), and Windows Server 2003 (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/) editions. They are all essentially the same operating system, but Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003 both include a number of additional features you might find useful, such as remote desktop management, increased security and networking options, backup and recovery software, and Internet Information Services (IIS). If you plan to run a public website with regular traffic, you should go with Windows XP Professional or Windows Server 2003. Windows XP Professional IIS server does have a session limit, but you can use Apache for your production site. If you just want to try PostNuke or do some at-home development, Windows XP Home Edition should work fine.

Tip

After installing Windows XP, be certain to do the major updates. You can click on Windows Update on the Start menu, or simply browse with Internet Explorer to windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Some updates can only be installed individually, so you might have to run Windows Update multiple times to get what you need.

As a web server on Windows Server 2003, IIS is actually a really good choice. Windows XP Professional also comes with Personal Web Server (PWS), but there is really no reason to use PWS when IIS is an option. Of course, the Apache Web Server (httpd.apache.org) can also be installed on both Windows XP editions and is the logical choice for Windows XP Home and Windows XP Pro users.

Note

IIS in Windows XP Professional is limited to running one server at a time with 10 concurrent connections, just like Windows 2000 Professional. If you want to run multiple servers with IIS, you must use Windows Server 2003. Apache serves multiple virtual servers on any version of Windows.

It's a good idea when installing Windows XP that you go through the custom options. Windows XP has less optional components than Linux does, but you can add in extras such as IIS, which is not installed by default.

Tip

To install IIS on a Windows XP machine that's already running, from the Start menu, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs (choose Settings first if you are using the Classic Start menu interface). Click the Add/Remove Windows Components option and check the Internet Information Services (IIS) check box. Then click Next to complete the changes.

The following list contains some useful commands you can use from the Windows XP command prompt. You can type /? after a command to see more options.

• bootcfg Views and sets up boot options

• cd Changes the working directory

• copy Copies a file

• del Deletes a file

• dir Lists the contents of a directory

• gpresult Views user and group policy settings

• ipconfig Displays current network settings

• md Makes a directory

• mmc Starts the Microsoft Management Console (MMC)

• move Moves or renames a file

• msconfig Manages the services and utilities that start with Windows

• netsh Configures network interfaces, protocols, folders, and routes

• pathping Combines the traceroute and ping utilities

• quit Ends current process

• rd Removes a directory

• regedit Starts the Windows Registry Editor

• sfc Scans system files and can replace those with errors

• systeminfo Displays general configuration information, such as processor and memory

• type Displays a text file