Setting Up A WAMP Server
On Your
Windows Desktop
David Ipswich
September 2011
Published by Technology Now at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 David Ipswich
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Table of Contents
Installing the Server Software
INTRODUCTION
There are many reasons for setting up a website on your own computer first, and only actually putting it online once you're really happy with it.
Some of the reasons for having a desktop server are:
EVERONE who creates a website makes mistakes. None of us are perfect. Don't go 'live' until your site is completely finished, and you are fully happy with it.
If you make mistakes on a 'live' website, the Google-bot will index those pages, but when it returns later (after you've deleted the offending pages) it won't be able to find them. This will make the Google-bot wary of indexing future pages. You don't want to upset Google, so make sure your mistakes are made in private!
Take the opportunity of trying things out. Do you want one column, 2 columns or 3 columns? Do you want black text on a pale background, pale text on a dark background, or something in between? Do you want a site made with WordPress, with Drupal, with Joomla, or with some other software? Having a desktop server means you can try them all!
OBTAINING THE RESOURCES
So you need a Windows desktop server … but what EXACTLY do you need?
For a basic Windows server you need the following:
1) Apache (The most commonly used web server software)
2) MySQL (A relational database for holding all the information)
3) PHP (a scripting language used for producing dynamic web pages)
This combination of software is known as WAMP server software (Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP) and that's what you will need if you are using a Windows computer.
If you have a Linux computer, it's known as LAMP server software. (If you're into Linux, then you probably already know how to install a LAMP server). This eBook concentrates on the vast majority of people, who will be using Windows.
So … you need Apache, MySQL, and PHP … The good news … they're all FREE and they're all easy to obtain.
Now you could search the internet for all three pieces of software and install them separately (yawn!). But a much better way is to install a single package that already contains all three in a single application (quicker and easier).
There are several such packages available but we're going to use one called WampServer which is available from
http://www.wampserver.com/en/index.php
From the home page, click on the “Download the latest release of Wampserver” link.
There are two versions available, depending upon whether you are using 32bit or 64 bit Windows (If you're unsure go to your Windows Control Panel, click on “System” and it'll tell you what bit you have).
Once you're sure which version to download (32 bit or 64 bit) simply click on the appropriate download link and download WampServer to your desktop.
INSTALLING THE SERVER SOFTWARE
Once the software has finished downloading, find it on your desktop (Figure 1)
Figure
1
Double click on it to start the installation process. (Figure 2)
Figure
2
Close any other applications you've got open, then click on the “Next” button and read the License Agreement (Figure 3)
Figure
3
Click on “I accept the agreement”, then click on the “Next” button.
You can choose where WampServer2 is installed. (Figure 4)
Figure
4
I would recommend leaving the default of “C:\wamp”, then click on the “Next” button.
The next choice (Figure 5) is a matter of personal preference. Leave blank or make your choice, then click on the “Next” button.
Figure
5
Click on “Install” (Figure 6)
Figure
6
Wait (Figure 7)! Press the wall switch to “ON” and boil the kettle. Make yourself a coffee!
Figure
7
WampServer2 may be able to tell what browser you usually use. If not, it will display a page like this (Figure 8) and ask you to choose.
Figure
8
Choose your browser then click on the “Open” button. If you're not sure, just click on the “Open” button.
Depending on your firewall settings, you may be asked to allow the Apache Server to access your networks. (Figure 9)
Figure
9
Click on “Allow access” to your private network.
Leave the default values. (Figure 10) Then click on the “Next” button.
Figure
10
Click on the “Launch WampServer 2 now” box to enter a tick. (Figure 11). Then click on the “Finish” button.
Figure
11
LAUNCHING YOUR SERVER
When WampServer2 has launched, you should see an icon like this (Figure 12) at the bottom right of your computer screen.
Figure
12
If you can't see it, go to the small triangle symbol at the bottom of your screen. (Figure 13)
Figure
13
Clicking on the white triangle will display the hidden icons. (Figure 14)
Figure
14
Then click on the green “W” WampServer2 icon. Clicking the WampServer2 icon displays the Wamp Server menu. (Figure 15). From where you can access all the various parts of the server.
Figure
15
Click on the top part of the menu, where it says “Localhost” (Figure 16)
Figure
16
If your installation was completed correctly, your browser should look like this (Figure 17)
Figure
17
Your WampServer2 will close down whenever you close Windows, and it won't re-start automatically when you re-start windows. To re-start the server simply click on the icon on your desktop or launch bar, or go to “Start”, “All Programs”.
CREATING YOUR FIRST HOME PAGE
What you were looking at on your browser (Figure 17 above) was the in-built home page, but you can create your own.
Open “Notepad” and type the following (Figure 18)
Figure
18
When you save the file, instead of saving it as a “Text Document” save it as “All Files”. Give it the name “index.html” and save it to the desktop. (Figure 19)
Figure
19
You can now select “index.html” from your desktop, and copy it to your C>wamp>www folder (Figure 20)
Figure
20
You can delete the existing index.php and testmysql.php files
If you now return to the WampServer2 menu and click on “Localhost” (Figure 21)
Figure
21
Your browser should open with your newly created home page. (Figure 22)
Figure
22
So, you now know that whatever you place in the C>wamp>www folder creates a website that can be accessed in your browser at http://localhost/ You could, if you wished, create a whole site like the first page we've created, but it would be rather basic.
Most sites these days are created using software such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal etc. but you now know that whichever software you use, the software should be downloaded into your C>wamp>www folder.
YOUR FIRST PHP DATABASE
All of the website building software is different, but they almost all have one thing in common. They all use a PHP database to hold their web content. To create your first PHP database, go to WampServer2>phpMyAdmin (Figure 23)
Figure
23
This opens the phpMyAdmin page in your browser (Figure 24), this is the page where your databases are administered.
Figure
24
To create a new database, simply type in the name you want to call your database, (Figure 25)
Figure
25
Then click on the “Create” button. That's it! (Figure 26)
Figure
26
Except … just one small problem … we need to create a database administrator.
Click on the “Privileges” tab. (Figure 27)
Figure
27
This shows us that there is an administrator named root. Root is actually a super user created by default to allow access to everything. That's quite a security risk, so let's create a new user just for our database, then let's delete the root user.
Click on “Add a new user” (Figure 28)
Figure
28
Add your own user name, the host is “localhost”, add your password (twice). DO NOT click on the “Generate” button. This doesn't save what you've typed, it generates a random password (that you probably won't remember, so much better to choose your own.).
As you've only one database, the software works out that the administrator you're creating is for the “MyNewdatabase” database, and it provides all privileges for that database.
When you've finished, scroll down to the bottom right of the page and click on the “Go” button.
That's created the new user, now let's get rid of the root user.
At the top of the page, click on the “localhost” link. (Figure 29)
Figure
29
Then click on the “Privileges” tab. (Figure 30)
Figure
30
This brings up a list of all users. (Figure 31)
Figure
31
The user “MyName” is using a password, and only has access to its own database. The user “root” is NOT using a password, and has full administration rights to absolutely everything. If you keep the “root” user, at the very least it needs a password. I don't need “root”, so I'll remove it by clicking in the left hand box to the left of each “root” name to select it, then click on the “Go” button you'll see at the bottom right of the page.
THE SERVER MENU
The server has many different settings and add-ons. To access them whenever your server is running, simply click on the triangle symbol, then click on the WampServer2 icon.
Let's look at the PHP menu. (Figure 32)
Figure
32
When you put your mouse over the PHP menu, other options appear, such as “Version”, “PHP settings” etc. Put your mouse over the “Version” folder (Wamp>PHP>Version) (Figure 33)
Figure
33
With your mouse over “Version” (Wamp>PHP>Version)” the display shows the message that you are using PHP version 5.3.4
That's fine for now.
If in the future you intended to run software that only runs on an older version, you could click on the “Get more” link. This opens up a website from where you could download other versions (5.3.0 or 5.3.1 for example).
Once that software is installed, if you returned to (Wamp>PHP>Version) it would display both versions, and you would simply choose the one you want.
If we put our mouse over PHP settings (Wamp>PHP>PHP settings) (Figure 34)
Figure
34
If we put our mouse over PHP settings we can see all the PHP settings, and which settings are “on” (ticked) and which settings are “off” (in-ticked). Clicking on an object on the menu turns it on or off. All the other PHP and Apache menu items work the same way.
WHERE TO NEXT?
Having shown you how to install and set up your own server, what settings you now go on to make will depend very much upon what software you intend running on your site.
The content management systems such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal or one of the others, all require different settings; as do Zen Cart, Cube Cart, osCommerce or any of the other e-commerce cart software. For most of these programs, you install the software in your C>wamp>www folder, and open Localhost in your browser. The program will usually tell you if you need any of the other settings turning on, and will usually ask for details of your database name and database user name and password, as the program is installed.
So that's about as far as I can take you in this free eBook. The permutations from here are endless, so it just wouldn't be feasible to provide all the options in a free download.
I hope this eBook inspires you to take things further and that now your server is installed you go on to install one of the above content management systems to create your website. In most cases, once you’re site is exactly how you like it on your own server, it can be easily moved to a permanent remote server and made into a live site. Usually this involves copying all the files from C>wamp>www to your remote server, copying your database content onto the new database on your remote server, and linking the two together.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Ipswich is a former Civil Servant employed to provide advice to businesses on the advantages of using new technology. He subsequently became an English teacher.
David Ipswich has also published the following step-by step guides on Smashwords.com
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