I am trying to setup my own web server for development and can't seem to connect to it by using the Windows-based web development software's "site setup" functions, either ftp or local/network.

I have installed Ubuntu Server 7.04 on a dedicated machine and Apache2 seems to be running. I say this because I can connect to it by opening a browser on the Windows machine and typing address "http://192.168.11.100/"
A page is displayed showing a link to "apache2-default/" and when I click on the link I see a page that shows "IT WORKS!". Also on the first page it shows the information "apache/2.2.3 (Ubuntu) PHP/5.2.1 Server at 192.168.11.100 Port 80"

I had previously edited the file "/etc/network/interfaces" and changed the primary network interface to
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.11.100
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.11.0
broadcast 192.168.11.255
gateway 192.168.11.1

Also, in file "etc/resolv.conf" I have
nameserver 192.168.11.1

When the server boots up or shuts down I get an error message from apache "apache2: Could not reliably determine the server's fully qualified domain name, using 127.0.1.1 for ServerName"
but note that I can still connect manually as mentioned above.

(Is the "domain name" the same as the "ServerName"?)

I don't know how to change the "ServerName" but I edited the file "/etc/hosts" and added
192.168.11.100 MyHostname

I have created directories on the Linux machine to match the Windows directories and even tried using the "apache2-default" directory but the Windows applications won't connect. They don't provide any details except "error 404" page not found.

(I'm not sure if this problem belongs here or in another place such as "Dreamweaver" or "Web Development".}

So I'm stuck and would appreciate any help you could provide. Thanks, Someday 070706-1

This should help;
http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect_setup_ubuntu704
Check out the part about proftpd
have fun ...

Thanks comprookie2000 for the info link.
After reading "The Perfect Setup" for the Ubuntu server (7 LONG pages and lots of coding!), I think I am just a little bit overwhelmed. I didn't expect the server setup to be so complicated.

I think I will give up on Ubuntu for now and maybe try some of the other distros to see if I can find something that doesn't require me to be a Linux guru or full-time programmer to setup.

Does anyone know of a Linux server distro that can be installed and operational without a lot of fiddling and coding?
Someday 070707-1

Ubuntu is one of the easiest of the linux distros. You're making a mountain out of a molehill.

The reason you can't connect is because linux does not have FTP enabled by default. You'd have to install a ftp program (as comprookie2000 wisely directed you towards), and configure it to allow ftp access to your websites. How should the ftp program know where you want ftp access to? Should it be everywhere, should it be just your home directory? It won't know, so you have to configure it. Since this is just your test machine, try things. So what if it breaks?

Peace,
JimBass

Thanks JimBass. Don't forget that we are here asking questions because we don't know something or are not Linux experts. You mentioned that Here is one example of a command line from the "molehill" at the "Perfect Setup Ubuntu 704" (Page 4)
And another (Page 6)
The potential for error here is pretty great.
Well, you say, you can just cut and paste those lines to the command line. I can do that in Windows but don't know how to do that in Linux. I still don't know how to get to a file that was saved on a floppy disk or CD on another system. How do you read or access those files on your new Linux system?.

As far as I have been "trying" things for several weeks and have "broken" the system a few times but sometimes it helps to ask someone for help to speed things up and prevent going down the wrong path.

My whole point was that it would be nice if there was a simpler, more straightforward way of getting a server working. A way that is simpler for new users. While the setup shown in the "Perfect Setup" may seem simple and straightforward to a veteran Linux user, I don't think that it would appear as a "molehill" to many new users or Linux novices.

If Ubuntu 7.04 is the "simplest" server installation, then how about a script of some sort that can be run by a new user after installation that would automate the process.
Someday 070708-1

This may help;
The Not So Perfect Server

It seems to me that part of the problem is that you're under the impression that there is a correct way to do things. There isn't. There isn't (and won't be) a script to automate the building of a server because there is no one, best, or simplest way to create a server.

As an example, I build all of our servers at work without a GUI, so I don't have the option to copy/paste text either. All of the configuration files in linux (be it for apache, vsftp, or any program) need to be customized for your particular installation. Like I mentioned before, what do you want FTP access for? Should apache serve webpages from /var/www, or from /home/user? What about both? You can't automate something like that, because it is going to change for everyone. If you did automate it, it probably would become a security risk, because then a flaw in the configuration would be present on any machine that used the script.

Actually, those apt-get commands are nothing. I'm not saying that to make you feel bad, its just a matter of practicality. There is nothing difficult about copying text, even when you have to do it manually. It is just copying. Typing class in high school gave me many more difficult things to type. If you really do need to copy/paste, thats fine and easy as well. Use putty to connect to your linux box through SSH, then copy the apt-get command off your windows browser, and paste the text into the putty SSH session. Easy and done. Or, paste the command into a file, scp the file to the linux box, and cat the text out into the terminal.

The potential for error is not a problem. If you mis-type something, the terminal will spit an error. Then you hit the up arrow so it reprints your last command, use the keys to go and correct the mis-typed part, and hit enter again.

To use a floppy or cdrom, you need to mount the medium onto the new system. Check the file /etc/fstab to see where your system mounts those devices, as it is not consistent between different distros. You seem to be using ubuntu, which is close enough to pure debian that it probably puts the floppy at /media/floppy0 and the cd at /media/cdrom0, but maybe not.

Again, there isn't a best or correct way to build things. Imagine we're talking about woodworking for a minute instead of linux servers. Say a company puts out a package that allows you to build a staircase easily, all the wood pre-cut and with full hardware. Now suppose instead of having your upper floor 12 feet above the lower, yours is only 10 feet. That custom kit that seemed so good at the store now needs to be heavily modified to work for you. Maybe the kit has the railing on the left hand side of the stairs, and you want it on the right. Maybe you need your stairs to have a landing 3 feet off the ground, and the lower set of stairs should be perpendicular to the main branch. Servers are just like that. They are just like people, with many similarities, but just as many differences.

To run a linux server, you need to have a decent understanding about linux in the first place. I would suggest starting with a desktop version, so you get yourself comfortable with how it operates. You seem to have appointed yourself captain of a ship before you found out if you have sea legs, or even if you get sea sick! They do have an ubuntu script to get full multimedia plugin support for a desktop system. You might want to try playing with that for a while, just to get yourself comfortable. A month or 2 in, try building the server again, and I bet it will go much easier for you.

Peace,
JimBass

Thanks comprookie2000 for the last link you gave me. It was very informative.
Someday 070709-1