[Mapserver-users] Optimal Configuration of Apache for PHP/MapScript PostgreSQL PostGIS Mapserver

[Gerald Buckmaster]

Greetings,

I know the subject has been broached in the past, and opinions will vary, but 
I want to learn (and document) how to build a reliable Mapserver on a 
Mandrake 9.1 system from scratch, with these caveats:  I want to use 
PHP/Mapscript with PostgreSQL as the back-end data engine for vector data;  
and MapLab as the administration interface.  In the future I want to build 
interactive web interfaces that will allow creation, archive and display of 
vector data by users, as well as "on-the-fly" vector data creation from 
serialized feeds. I am a imagery analyst by profession, so I want to utilize 
(import, archive, display, rectify, export, etc) a variety of raster data 
sources, such as HDF, GeoTIFF, NTF, DEM, DTED, CADRG, and other more or less 
obscure satellite sensor and vector data formats.

Looking through all the list archives and configure --help arguments, it 
appears I should download and build source code and a fairly unwavering 
sequence is required.  Please comment on the necessity and build sequence of 
the list below (there's probably some missing):

jpeg-6b
shapelib
proj
jasper
libgrass
hdf4.1r5
libtiff
libgeotiff
gd
gdal
postgresql
postgis
php
apache
mapserver


I'm not much of a programmer, but I can stumble through most builds.  What I'm 
really looking for is a single place (if I have to write it myself) where I 
can find the configuration arguments to use, what to avoid, etc.  For 
example, looking through all the archives and WiKi notes has just confused me 
further concerning DSO's, CGI, etc.  What is the best way to build Apache for 
the purposes above?  Do I need to build gd into every "support" library, or 
just one?  These are the types of questions that tend to haunt me.  I would 
like to have mysql as well, but it is becoming more apparent I should 
concentrate on building a extremely lean (in apps) server designed to build 
and serve maps.

Any thoughts? Any suggestions?  I'm willing to read some more...and take 
notes.  

Respectfully,

Gerald Buckmaster