Webserver Notes
Run Your Own Webserver
If you already have a website the chances are that you rent host space
on a remote server somewhere. You will probably have only limited access
to the file system, usually via FTP only, and program development
and worse still, program debugging, can only be achieved by laboriously
uploading each set of changes. And this can have a detrimental effect on
your website, especially if you break a critical file or program!
The solution is very simple really, run a second 'development-only' version of the site on your PC. Only ever make changes to this, and when you are completely satisfied that these changes are OK, then you upload to the 'live' site.
Simple stuff really, you will need to install Apache as the webserver and you will also need Perl for CGI program execution. If you want a database then you will also need MySQL.
All three of these are freely distributed, easily available downloads from the 'net. But most importantly there are win32 versions of these unix platform evolved programs.
This is the type of setup I have on my home system, all of the sites that I run are developed at home and only tested files are uploaded to the live sites. Consequently I have very few 'live' and therefore visible problems. ...touch wood! :)