Busy Week? Yes, Please!

So this week was action-packed, and it looks like next week is going to be even more so.

I've almost gotten the entire test server setup, with a few issues I'm looking into.  I will say that when running a site where small to large files (3mb to 30mb) are being served, a 100mbps uplink speed makes a difference worth paying for.  Especially if you plan to have more than a couple users utilizing files at the same time.

I ended up using the Apache, MySQL & PHP stack on Windows Server 2008 instead of IIS.  Why?  Because of our deadline and because when I start working with .Net I want to interrupt our primary web server as little as possible.  I'm sure I could do that now, but like I said, deadline.

Next week I get to dig into the production server and don't foresee many issues there.  Considering the speed of the machine, I expect a faster setup process than test.

Oh, that's right, our specs:

Our test server is a single cpu, Intel Xeon 3230-Quad Core [2.6GHz] with 4GB of DDR2 and 2 250GB sata drives in non-raid configuration.

Our production server is a dual cpu, Intel Xeon-Nehalem 5520-Quadcore [2.2GHz] with 12GB of DDR3 and 2 300GB SA-SCSI 15K RPM drives in raid1 configuration.

I can't wait for next week!

Media_httpimgzemantac_zzgyu

This Week Looks Great

So we finally got off our duffs and ordered 2 dedicated servers from Softlayer last week.  After some initial toying with them, I can't wait to see how they perform when we finally migrate to them here in the next couple of weeks.

As we are now officially moving to Windows Server 2008, I've had to make the call to use Apache 2.2 as part of the migration process instead of IIS.  As much as I want to use IIS right now, since I'm not overly familiar with it, I'm opting for the easiest migration path.  Our only real hurdles are new SSL certificates, setting up SMTP servers so mailing from PHP works, and any code updates that might be necessary for newer plugins.

All in all, it looks to be a great week!

Sails = Lots O' Wind

Well, if you want to know how to put wind back in the sails of a PHP programmer longing to write some ASP.net, well, here's a tip: let him find out that the web servers he's looking at replacing with dedicated ones?  Well, they can run windows server 2008, which runs PHP 5.3... oh, and ASP.net.

That's what I got the joy of finding out this week.  I spent a good part of Thurs & Friday setting up a local server 2008 system using a trial version, and so far, it's been great.  IIS7 is a dream to work with when compared to apache, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Sure, there are pros and cons, but in the end, what works best for the company is what matters.  Oh, and I really don't think I could handle attempting to re-write our current web app in PHP - it's getting long in the tooth and needs a major refresh - I think we're going to push a major version update out for the start of next year with a great re-tooling in ASP.net... and I can't wait!

One Thing About ASP.net I Really Like #1

I've signed up with www.reliablesite.net utilizing shared hosting for my ASP.net project.

One major benefit I've already come across is the separate application pools per each website.  Basically, if I hit an infinite loop or cause havoc due to user-error, it doesn't affect my other sites.

Being able to stop and restart a website instead of the web server (as per apache) is one thing I think is an excellent step forward.