[Mapserver-users] server specifications

[Grant, Ryan]

Hey all,

We are looking to purchase a server to act as a dedicated Mapserver/OGC
services provider. We run Mapserver with the PHP/Mapscript module, and are
wondering what sort of system would work best in this configuration. Would
you recommend Linux over Windows? We have been running Mapserver on a
windows machine, but we hear that it will run faster on Linux as a service.
Is it a big jump to recompile it to work on Linux?  Also, what would you
recommend as the minimum hardware specs, with respect to processors and RAM?
Can Mapserver make use of dual processors if configured properly, and is the
price worth the performance gain? Some of our raster data gets as large as
100mb per image if that needs to be taken into consideration.

Thanks in advance,

Ryan Grant
Research Assistant/Programmer
GSC - Pacific Division
Natural Resources Canada
(604) 666-7526
rgrant at nrcan.gc.ca