Currently I have server with following configuration. Everything work fine for me for last few 3 years.
Windows Server 2003 with IIS 6 / PHP 5.2.17 / MySQL 5.0.51a / PhpMyAdmin 3.5.6
I Just need some technical help about migration and compatibility. So I can study and decide what will be good for me in future.
When I study on internet I am realizing that I need to upgrade or change things here.
- IIS 6 to Apache Web Server
- Windows Server 2003 to Ubuntu / CentOS / Fedora Server
But I can't decide in what direction I should go.
Linux and Apache are free but I have never used them so I don't know how difficult it is to migrate from Windows to Linux.
My all websites are built in PHP 5.2.17 / MySQL 5.0.51 on IIS. So even I use Apache on Linux. I don't know how many changes I will need to make in programming so all websites work in Apache web server too.
Thank you,
Best Answer
I'd advise against Fedora (its charter is to be bleeding edge, fast moving; and thus has a useful life of about a year before you are forced to upgrade). Either Ubuntu LTS (has a longer useful life) or CentOS (a clone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux). Both are free, set up either one (or try out the LiveCD) and see which one feels better. Look around you, whatever your environment uses is preferrable (you will have to ask them sooner or later!). Check out the respective web pages, look for user help and check which one is nicer (in CentOS's case, RHEL user help is almost equally applicable).
Moving from Windows to Linux is a huge step, plan on taking a few weeks to get familiar with the managing of the operating system, and also some time for migrating your site and checking that the new site works. But make sure beforehand that whatever you have on Windows can be migrated to Linux. You should perhaps ask here (or at the software's site) for any specific software you have and detailed migration instructions to whatever exact Linux/apache/... you finally select.