Best OS for osCommerce

[RyanSmith]

I'm sure that this is just a matter of opinion, but what is the best OS to run osCommerce on. I guessing that it's Linux, but which version is the best.

[Guest]

Since it is based on PHP and MySQL, OS really becomes irrelevant when running these scripts.

[Jack_mcs]

If you are asking about the hosts server OS, then non-Windows is better. There are several options that Windows servers cannot use.

 

Jack

[Guest]

anything non-Windows...

[Guest]

Aside from the "Search Engine Friendly Links", which doesn't work have the time anyway, what other features can't be used on a Windows Server? Well actually, search engine friendly links does work under Apache on a Windows machine because it is an Apache feature.

[Guest]

Since it is based on PHP and MySQL, OS really becomes irrelevant when running these scripts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I had a problem with PHP on a Windows server. Specifically, the problem was with the cgi running/emulating/not-sure-how-it-really-works PHP on windows. On certain pages like account creation and checkout (some would argue relatively important pages), cgi errors occured complaining about a problem with the PHP code.

 

I did a search on the forums and found a few people saying they had a similar problem a year before. They had no solution other than switch to Unix/Linux. They suggested it was a particular combination of the version of the cgi driven php and the Windows OS that caused the problem.

 

Simply backuping up the site and moving it to Linux alleviated the problem immediately.

 

ed

[Jack_mcs]

Aside from the "Search Engine Friendly Links", which doesn't work have the time anyway, what other features can't be used on a Windows Server?  Well actually, search engine friendly links does work under Apache on a Windows machine because it is an Apache feature.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can't use .htaccess and curl.

 

Jack

[Guest]

You can't use .htaccess and curl.

 

Jack

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Sure you can. I have curl installed on my Windows based development server without problems and .htaccess is an Apache feature. Apache works fine under Windows.

 

For curl under Windows download this package: http://curl.haxx.se/download.html#Win32. Then enable it in your php.ini file.

[dreamscape]

Lets not confuse operating system with web server, ok?

[Guest]

curl works great on IIS, you substitute individual logons and rights for htaccess and you are good to go.

[boxtel]

You can't use .htaccess and curl.

 

Jack

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

yes you can

[Jack_mcs]

As I mentioned in my orignal post, I was speaking of web servers.

 

Jack

[Guest]

The original post of the thread was what is the best operating system for osCommerce. A LAMP server with the same hardware specs as a WAMP server will be superior in every respect. The PHP parser and Apache server will run faster hands down.

[Guest]

Do you have data that will back that up? My windows develpment server parses pages just as fast as the production server according to OSC. Maybe 1/10000th of a second difference.

 

The production server is a dual Xeon 2.8 GHZ machine with 2 GB of memory running Red Hat Enterprise, Apache 1.33, MySQL 4.0.22 and PHP 4.39. It has a SCSI drive array.

 

The Windows development server is running Windows XP Professional, Apache 1.33, MySQL 4.1.7, and PHP 4.39. Oh it only has an AMD Athlon 2700+ CPU with 512 MB of memory. This machine is running a single ATA 133 drive.

[Guest]

...

My windows develpment server parses pages just as fast as the production (Linux) server according to OSC. 

...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Then why don't you have the production server based on Windows operating system? Could it be reliability? Maybe security? Surely it couldn't be a cost issue?

 

Also, I assume your dev server does not have active traffic whereas the production server most likely does.

 

I've searched the internet for comparative benchmarks but have only found old outdated NT4 based whitepapers. I'll continue to search and if someone else has a handy link I'd love to read it.

 

Thus, I send the same question to you: do you have data that will disprove the claim that a LAMP server with exact hardware configuration DOES NOT parse PHP faster than a WAMP server?

[Guest]

With OSC no.. I only have my own data.

 

I have a Linux based system for my production server simply because it is more readily available and I don't like shopping around more than necessary. When I move my server inhouse in the next 18 months and abandon hosting altogether, it will most likely be Windows because I do loathe the command line.

 

My original statement though is that there is no inherent benefit from PHP based on the OS. This is when all OS issues are removed. The OS used should be chosen based on the features of the OS and the user's comfort level with it. My statement has nothing to do with with OS is better than the other for other tasks outside of running a PHP based script or to try and promote one OS over another.

[Guest]

With OSC no.. I only have my own data.

 

I have a Linux based system for my production server simply because it is more readily available and I don't like shopping around more than necessary. When I move my server inhouse in the next 18 months and abandon hosting altogether, it will most likely be Windows because I do loathe the command line.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why do you think that Linux based servers are more readily available? Security? Reliability? Scalability? Cost?

 

I would recommend you read up on security differences between the two operating systems. Sure, there are ways to hack a Linux server and gain root access but is far more difficult than a Windows server. Be prepared to spend countless hours staying up to date with patches and security bulletins from Microsoft if you want to use Windows as your server platform.

[Guest]

there are a lot of security issues with red hat, which are still being resolved. freebsd, some of the others do not have the security vulnerabilities that suse, redhat have. search securityfocus or others for their lists.

 

it is a moot point, every single os has bugs, errors, etc. and it is all in how things are managed. apache can have tons of open security holes if not managed properly, just as iis does. it is all in your host. majority of people on here do not have access to their own php.ini, or control of their own paacne functions, httpd.conf, etc.

 

if eveyone had control of their own, the majority would not have quesitons on how to set properties. this case can be argued til the cows come home and it is senseless to argue the point as everyone has their own opinion.

 

i use both, and have no problem with either one. it all depends upon the client, i am not about to turn them away because i want to use *nix and they want to use iis.

 

you just have to adapt.

[Guest]

Why do you think that Linux based servers are more readily available?  Security? Reliability? Scalability?  Cost?

 

I would recommend you read up on security differences between the two operating systems.  Sure, there are ways to hack a Linux server and gain root access but is far more difficult than a Windows server.  Be prepared to spend countless hours staying up to date with patches and security bulletins from Microsoft if you want to use Windows as your server platform.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I know a little bit about security on computers. I had been responsible for maintaining such for over 15 years including working for some of the largest insurance and banking companies in the world.

[dreamscape]

Get a dual G5 server. That'll keep your site pumpin' :)

[Harald Ponce de Leon]

I think performance depends on who administrates the server.

 

Is it the system administrator configuring every service through its text based configuration files, or the desktop user using a clicky-clicky administration frontend?

 

The less services a server performs, the optimal its services will run :)

 

But thats going further than what was originally asked. osCommerce will run on any server PHP and MySQL runs on, and tries to work under all server environments (any conflicts and a workaround can be found).

 

My development workstation is Linux/KDE, and my hosting servers are FreeBSD and Linux. Hosting a PHP based solution on a Windows server was never really an option for me. If I had an ASP based solution, then a Windows server would be my first choice.