I finally have my apache server up and running just the way I like it. I also have vsFtp running and working smoothly. Now i want to install and run MySql and PhP on this server machine.

my question is this. I am fairly new to linux and am unfamiliar with mysql and php for the most part (as far as getting them set up and running), so are there any known issues or common pitfalls that could catch a newbie off guard in the process?

any advice on setting these up would be a great help. some (what to look out for) type of advice as well as some (where to start) advice is what I'm looking for here. i have done a bunch of reading on the topic and its still pretty confusing to me at this point so please feel free to enlighten me some

sincerely, newb in need

Take a look at this guide:
http://lamps.efactory.de/lamps-2-0.php

I can't really think of anything to look out for. Just make sure you compile php against the same version of mysql as you are using for the server (assuming you want mysql support)