How to: Install a LAMP server
GHacks
2009-12-09
If you've read enough of my Ghacks tutorials you have most likely come across mention of a LAMPserver. If you are not sure what a LAMP server is:
Linux
Apache
MySQL
PHP
LAMP servers are very popular, cheap, effective, flexible, and reliable servers. But how are they installed? Actually, it's not that hard. In this tutorial I am going to show you how to install a LAMP in two different ways: From the command line (using separate tools) and using the tasksel tool.
Hardware needed
Fortunately a LAMP server can be installed on lower-end hardware and still serve as a fairly efficient server. Naturally if you are going to be using your LAMP server for high traffic, you will want to select your hardware wisely.
Install prerequisite
Before you begin the installation of your server you will need to have your operating system installed. This is the "L" of LAMP. So find your favorite Linux distribution and install the operating system. For the purposes of this installation I am going to be installing on a Ubuntu 9.04 server installation. This will be a console only server (no GUI desktop) which is fine because the installation is done via command line only.
Once you have your operating system installed you are ready to install your server.
Apache
This is the easiest portion to install. Either log in to your console or open up a terminal window (if you are working from a GUI desktop) and enter the following command:
sudo apt-get install apache2
You will have to enter your sudo user password for this installation to continue. Once this installation is complete check it by pointing a browser to that server IP address. You should instantly know if Apache is up and running.
PHP
For the purposes of this article we will assume the "P" stands for PHP. To install PHP (and all of its requirements) issue the command:
sudo apt-get install php5 libapache2-mod-php5
Once this installation is complete restart Apache with the command:
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
Let's make sure this portion works properly. To test this create a file in the Apache document root Read More
