Local to Hosted Workflow

[QOOOOOOOOQ]

With the Lite plan that comes with a gameserver, I was wanting to get into webserver code. (I've done some scripting in a couple non-webserver oriented languages before) I heard it's faster to just use a local site and then push updates to the hosted site when things are good.

So, some questions:

1. I know the hosted plans use Apache and PHP, but what other 'binaries' or programs are typically used on a regular site with a home page, some random links, with a small forum to boot?

2. I assume the servers are run on Linux, and 32 bit, would this be a problem for a Windows x64 Apache workflow?

3. If the servers run x32, does that require I also use a x32 install so the binaries 'match' up correctly and I don't have any problems?

4. I was wanting to essentially have a local copy of the hosted server on my Windows PC, so which programs and methods would I need to utilize make the transitions between uploads most seamless?

5. I plan to use a custom domain, so I'd need a plan higher than Lite and rent a domain from a provider, but what about if I wanted say a small email domain included? Is that realistic to have one up with the site without any issues, or should I just go with Google Business (which I think is free up to 5 team members), so I don't have to deal with possible security holes?

6. What counts as a concurrent connection? I don't think it would be the same for every site/service. Someone that travels to the site counts as one connection, are they no longer counted after a timeout of ~5 minutes, since they are not being sent data? Does an SQL connection count as a connection as long as they're still 'connected' according to MySQL, regardless of the time since the initial connection? Isn't MySQL a query-only thing server-side? I don't think clients would connect directly to MySQL for information... that seems like a security issue.

7. If I had a managed VDS with only a webserver, would it bring more performance than the plans already on the site? I have absolutely no idea how intensive a webserver is, or if the number of things running at once like a forum and more code means requiring more hardware.

8. Are there any other things that might be recommended to me, such as an unmanaged VDS, so I'm able to do all of this if it isn't supported by default?

Thanks if anyone takes the time to answer.

[Juski]

1. I am not 100% sure what you're asking, so if I'm missing something here (or any of my answers below, just let me know, it's late!). Anyways, if you are asking to know what all we support on our web servers, you could upload a test.php file with just the following in it, and then view it in your web browser to see everything running:

Code: Select all

<? phpinfo; ?>

If you are asking about some software suites, we do offer some popular options via an Autoinstallers tab in your Control Panel. You could install WordPress, Drupal, phpBB, and a few others.

2. Our web servers are running a 64-bit version of Linux.

3. I am not skipping this one, I am just not sure if you still need me to respond to it since I informed you the servers are running a 64-bit OS in Question #2. Also, the number 3 is awesome and I wanted to include it in the list.

4. If you are a command line person you can make use of PuTTY to connect to your server. If you are more of a GUI person I'd recommend WinSCP or FileZilla (depending on which software you are more comfortable using).

5. You can most definitely make use custom domains with the lite hosting, and you will have access to email hosting (or forwarding) for that custom domain as well. You could, if you wanted, also use Google Business and just set custom MX entries for your domain(s).

6. MySQL is indeed a server-side thing. As for connections, your website's MySQL connections and website connections are two different things. For lite you would be able to support 50 simultaneous (pro would be 200, for comparison) viewers to your site, any more after that would be met with an error. You can have 20 connections from each unique IP address for MySQL, except for localhost which can have unlimited.

7. Unless you are worried about running out of connections or need something special installed, then our website hosting is generally better as we handle a lot of the stuff for you and you don't have to worry about bandwidth. If you're of a more hands-on person then an unmanaged VDS would be fun too, it's all about what your needs are.

8. I answered this in question 7, but I also like the number 8.[/list]