Need cheap PowerBasic setup info

[Paul Breen]

I need advice on how to setup a low budget intranet that can run PowerBasic internet code.

I want to practice web (intranet?) programming at home by connecting two computers and maybe my notebook with a cable. Call one of them the server, I guess. I do not have internet access at home. I have Windows xp pro and windows 2000 available. I would like to simulate the real thing as much as possible.

At school they do not have a windows server. If I want to play with Powerbasic to do cgi I understand the free Apache software will not work. What is the cheapest way to do this? Do I need something like Windows 2000 server software? I want to control the server and the client just to learn how things work. This needs to run on something old and kind of slow.

thanks,
Paul Breen

[Mel Bishop]

Well, any way you go, you will have to set up some kind of web server.

I haven't played with it but you might consider Abyss Web Server. I've heard good things about this software. The X1 version, I think, is free.

[Steve Rossell]

XP Pro has IIS, which can be used to host CGI apps. Then see Joe Byrne's excellent tutorial on creating CGI apps with PBCC at http://www.powerbasic.com/support/te.../cgipart1.html.

[Jeff Blakeney]

To connect your two computers to be able to do TCP/IP networking between them, it would probably be easiest if both your computers had ethernet network adapters and then you either use a cross over RJ-45 ethernet cable or you hook both computers into a router or switch with standard straight through RJ-45 ethernet cables. Wireless adapters and a wireless router would work too.

Once the computers are connected you can do some testing using the echo server and client samples that come with PowerBASIC. You don't need to install server software if you just want to work on writing your own but if you want to play with writing CGI applications for a web server, that's when you'll need to figure out what server software you want to use.

[paul d purvis]

you can also use proxy+, it has cgi, but i recommend working with the web server software you are going to use in the end.

also how about WAMP

you can also install the loopback adapter if you need too.

[Paul Breen]

Originally Posted by Jeff Blakeney

To connect your two computers to be able to do TCP/IP networking between them, it would probably be easiest if both your computers had ethernet network adapters and then you either use a cross over RJ-45 ethernet cable or you hook both computers into a router or switch with standard straight through RJ-45 ethernet cables. Wireless adapters and a wireless router would work too.

Once the computers are connected you can do some testing using the echo server and client samples that come with PowerBASIC. You don't need to install server software if you just want to work on writing your own but if you want to play with writing CGI applications for a web server, that's when you'll need to figure out what server software you want to use.

I have the computers networked using the windows home network wizard, and I will try out the IIs, but eventually I want to do the whole enchalada.
Are these softare downloads like Abyss more or less the same as having the server version of windows? I don't mean exactly the same, but functionally the same as far as scripts etc. Can I do the same with proxy and Abyss as I could with windows 2000 server?

thanks,

[Jeff Blakeney]

You don't need a server version of Windows to run server software. If you install web server software (IIS, Apache, Abyss) and run it then your computer is now a web server regardless of what version of Windows (or any other operating system for that matter) you run it on with all the functionality that server software gives.

There is nothing special about TCP/IP communications. Data is sent and data is received. The only thing that differentiates a web server from an ftp server is the format of the data which is also called its protocol. Web servers and clients use HTTP or Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. FTP servers and clients use FTP or File Transfer Protocol. Sending e-mail can use SMTP or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Receiving e-mail can use POP3 or Post Office Protocol version 3.

[Vincent van der Leun]

Originally Posted by Jeff Blakeney

You don't need a server version of Windows to run server software. If you install web server software (IIS, Apache, Abyss) and run it then your computer is now a web server regardless of what version of Windows (or any other operating system for that matter) you run it on with all the functionality that server software gives.

I believe, but don't have proof at this time, that (perhaps certain?) non-server editions of Windows will (may?) disconnect existing clients without generating error messages or something like when a certain number of clients are connected.

Not sure if this is the truth, but I think you should research this when you really want to develop serious/heavy-use server software.

[Paul Breen]

Ok, it looks like I don't need windows to do regular server things but if I want to practice powerbasic IIS is fine. To really do full server stuff with powerbasic then I guess windows server version x is necessary.
thanks for the help.
I get started during the tukey day break.

[Vincent van der Leun]

Have looked for "proof" of my previous post. The closest I found was this MS KB article (314882), about inbound connections on Windows XP.

It talks mostly about connections to Windows services like printing and fileshares, but there's a little note:

Per development: The connection limit refers to the number of redirector-based connections and is enforced for any file, print, named pipe, or mail slot session. The TCP connection limit is not enforced, but it may be bound by legal agreement to not permit more than 10 clients.

So if I understand this correctly, Windows will NOT shut off existing connections to take new ones when a certain limit has been reached (something I've read somewhere before, but could not find back now), but according to your windows license you may not legally have more than a certain number of connections.

MS should be more clear on this I think.

Perhaps this article about TCP max limits is an interesting read too.

[Ralph Bing]

what I learned duing my MCSE classes is that this is for file sharing

if you wnat to share a hard drive Windows XP / 2000 will allow up to 10 computers to connect to the share if you need more than 10 computers to see the share at the same time you will need a server version

for home use you should be OK with XP

I have a doc from Linksys on how to set up home networking I would be glad to send you send me a message on where to send it and I will

Take your time when trying to set up a network from experience
it can take several minutes for the machines to see each other

make sure you are on the same workgroup it will make things easier

Make sure each machine has a different name

let me know if I can help

[Robert Wolfe]

Originally Posted by Ralph Bing

what I learned duing my MCSE classes is that this is for file sharing

if you wnat to share a hard drive Windows XP / 2000 will allow up to 10 computers to connect to the share if you need more than 10 computers to see the share at the same time you will need a server version

I got annoyed with this fact really quick and ended up getting a low-cost rackmount server with ample hard drive space, put Linux and Samba on it and had no more worries