[Mapserver-users] Re: how to move from local computer to the web

[blaise]

Hi

>I have been working with ms4w and MapLab using the apache 
> server on my computer. Now I want to move the present results
> and future work to my web site. Can some one on the list 
> point me to instructions on how I set up mapserver on my 
> external web server.

This is done in very different ways depending on your access to your web server.

As your are talking about using Apache, I assume that you use Php-Mapscript in conjonction with Mapserver ( ? ).
In Mapserver-Mapscript 3.6.x versions, php needs to be configured as a cgi ( I think, (but I am not sure) that it is still the case with version 4).

If you have full administration access to the server or physical access, you can compile php and place it in the cgi-bin directory of the server. You will have to edit both php.ini and httpd.conf configuration files to set up php as cgi, and do other little changes and restart the server.

If you don't have any administration access to your web server, you can ask your administrator to set it up for you.

But if you do not have any possibilities to have some admin work done, you can still have MapServer working if your ISP allows you to set yourself some parameters of the Apache server that will modify the original configuration file (with .htaccess files...). Usually, you have such rights on dedicated server, but some shared-server providers allow to do such things.
You will have to compile php on one of your own machine, with an os and software versions closest as possible to the one on your web server (no use to compile php on a windoze machine if your web server is linux driven); then upload it to your cgi-bin. Make an .htaccess file that override some Apaches directives (such as runing php as cgi). Compile as well mapserver and put it in the cgi-bin directory and put the phpmapscript.so extension file in your extensions directory.

Using phpinfo page with the dl(phpmapscript.so) line, you should debug your install :
- is php runing as cgi ?
- can the server locate the extension (for mapscript)

Then, you will upload your first demo, make it simple for ease of debug... as ever, you will have some pathes debuging job (temporary images directory ...;-)


Well, this is definitly possible if you are not on a very basic shared-server. The more administrator rights you have, the easiest it will be... 

P.S.: you might encounter troubles with librairies versions ? ? ? 

good luck !
Blaise