Apache or IIS????

[DirtylilTechBoy]

Going to be setting up a Win2000 Web Server and was curious if I should avoid IIS (site needs ultra security) and go with Apache, and if I did, would I face and obstacles in using Apache instead of IIS.

I hear Apache is better hands down.

-thanks

 

[DAM]

If you have to have very good security then install apache, the learning curve is greater but the basic setup is simple enough.






dam()

 

[freebsddude]

It may depend on what applications that you will be running, like asp etc. then you need IIS.
Agree with DAM, IIS may be more vulnerable to viruses, breakins, etc. on its native window platform.

If decent firewalling security, etc. is already in place then IIS would work as well.

Long term Apache is the way to go.

 

[Chatterjee]

go for apache. not that steep of a learning curve on win2k

you wouldn't be able to use asp... but who needs that when youve got php www.php.net

-S

 

[Sunner]

I'd go Apache anyday.

While keeping up to date with hotfixes and such will help you a great deal, I dont like being at the mercy of broken software(and yes something with as many vulnerabilities as IIS is broken IMO).

Of course Windows isn't really Apache's ideal environment, but it works fine in my experience.

 

[ineedsleep]

I would have to agree with the rest.... apache is the way to go. Either way, you'll need to keep up on security patches and the like... you'll also have to accept that apache was not created with win32 in mind... the windows port was more of an afterthought...

As for ultra security... the web server will only be as secure as the sysop makes it. Both servers can be as secure as any company would need... but it's the work of the sysop that makes it secure... the servers just determine what patches you'll need and how many

Also, to reitterate what was said earlier... it also depends on what applications you're going to need. ASP you go with IIS... if you want to do PHP apache would be the logical choice.

So i guess my recommendation is more of a personal preference...

 

[mattbta]

If you use apache in a win32 environment, I wish you luck if you plan on using perl as well. Myself and several other buddies could not for the life of us get perl to map correctly with apache on windows. PHP and MySQL all mapped fine, but perl would not work.

I run IIS and use ASP/PHP/SQL/MySQL/PERL for server side processing and have no security problems. If you choose to use IIS, install all hotfixes, IIS lockdown and URLscan from MS. That should keep you fairly locked for security.

 

[CTho9305]

<< If you use apache in a win32 environment, I wish you luck if you plan on using perl as well. Myself and several other buddies could not for the life of us get perl to map correctly with apache on windows. PHP and MySQL all mapped fine, but perl would not work.

I run IIS and use ASP/PHP/SQL/MySQL/PERL for server side processing and have no security problems. If you choose to use IIS, install all hotfixes, IIS lockdown and URLscan from MS. That should keep you fairly locked for security. >>


interesting... activeperl worked right out of the box for me. just make sure your scripts dont start with /usb/bin/perl, but rather the path to perl.

here is the installer for activeperl (yeah, its free. i think you're allowed to mirror the installer) and here is the apache 1.3.20 installer... the latest is 1.3.22 or 23 though.

personally, I found IIS harder to get working, especially with NTFS cause you have to set filesystem permissions properly along with web server stuff, and I couldn't figure out the .htaccess equivalent.

edit: htaccess is an easy (and good) way to do security
edit2: i fried my network card and haven't updated my hostname, so if those links dont work, try making it ctho9305vmware.res instead
edit3: i moved the files to my 486 and fixed the links. it gets much better uptimes

 

[TheWart]

apache was easy to set up for simple hosting.

 

[n0cmonkey]

There are apache compatible asp solutions out there. I dont believe they are free though.

 

[Epyon9283]

I had perl working fine with apache in win2k.

 

[MentalAtrophy]

I've got Apache and ActivePerl working on 2 different computers, one win2k, one winXP. Works just fine. If you do manage to fux up the settings enough that you can't get stuff to work at all, you're probably better off uninstalling apache/perl and deleting the conf files and reinstalling. Once you've screwed up some of those settings in windows it never seems to want to work right again, even if you just commented it out to add a line and then delete the line and uncomment your original setting.

-mA

 

[BlitzRommel]

Use Personal Web Server.

j/k -- IIS is probably the worst web server I've ever encounter. Avoid it like the Plague and Windows ME.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< Use Personal Web Server. j/k -- IIS is probably the worst web server I've ever encounter. Avoid it like the Plague and Windows ME. >>



Windows ME wasnt a mutated version of the plague?

 

[Elledan]

<<

<< Use Personal Web Server. j/k -- IIS is probably the worst web server I've ever encounter. Avoid it like the Plague and Windows ME. >>



Windows ME wasnt a mutated version of the plague? >>

No... in fact, it was much worse than the Plague could ever have been.

I pity those whose systems became infected =(

 

[Workin']

If someone can point me to a FREE implementation of ASP on Apache (under either Windows or Linux) I would happily switch to Apache.

IIS works fine, and isn't hard to set up/understand/keep secure (really), but I would like to try Apache+Linux and become MS-free - except I absolutely MUST have ASP support, or else I have to rewrite a stack of apps to use PHP, which I know only a little about.

 

[rahvin]

<< If someone can point me to a FREE implementation of ASP on Apache (under either Windows or Linux) I would happily switch to Apache.

IIS works fine, and isn't hard to set up/understand/keep secure (really), but I would like to try Apache+Linux and become MS-free - except I absolutely MUST have ASP support, or else I have to rewrite a stack of apps to use PHP, which I know only a little about. >>



Apache comes with an ASP->PHP module. AFAIK it does inline coversion of the .asp to .php and runs it as a php script.

 

[Workin']

<< Apache comes with an ASP->PHP module. AFAIK it does inline coversion of the .asp to .php and runs it as a php script. >>

I'll have to look into that.

 

[BlitzRommel]

If you're using ASP, then you're technically not Microsoft-free, since they DID invent it.