[H-GEN] Web page creation on windows, serving on linux

[Sarah Hollings]

[ Humbug *General* list - semi-serious discussions about Humbug and     ]
[ Unix-related topics. Posts from non-subscribed addresses will vanish. ]

Alex Delaforce wrote:
> [ Humbug *General* list - semi-serious discussions about Humbug and     ]
> [ Unix-related topics. Posts from non-subscribed addresses will vanish. ]
> 
> Dear all,
> 
> I would like to use Dreamweaver on my Win XP box to create sites  and
> then upload my files to my Linux box (both on same LAN). Macromedia
> Dreamweaver can connect via LAN or FTP. I am not sure about how to
> connect the two machines. Do I set up Samba or an FTP server on the
> Linux box? Do I need Samba Server running on the Linux box to enable the
> transfer of files from Xp to the apache web directory?
>  
> Any advice on using a Windows machine to create web content coupled with
> a Linux Web server running apache server would be much appreciated.
> 
> I am very much a beginner in this field (linux and apache)and would like
> any level of advice.

The method I teach in our course on this topic to use CVS (which gives 
you versioning, a repository and a few other nice things as well as file 
upload) over SSH.  CVS takes care of the line endings between windows 
and linux.

Having ftp (or the front page extensions to Apache) drop files directly 
into your webroot is a good way to set your website up to be altered by 
unauthorised persons, unless you make a very good job of securing your FTP.

Setting up CVS server on a linux box is trivially easy, and if you do it 
on the web server that works OK.  If you use SSH instead of pserver for 
remote connections its very secure.

The way to do it very briefly is to setup a project directory on your 
webserver into which you check out of CVS the entire website tree.  Then 
either alias or symlink the webroot into the website tree.  Then set up 
either a) a cron job to update the website via cvs by running "cvs 
update -d" in the project directory, or b) using a simple cgi so you can 
update the website on demand.

Then you edit the website on your windows box and check it into CVS each 
time you make a change.  If you make a blunder or even delete the whole 
site you can quickly rollback using CVS.
-- 
Sarah Hollings                     IT Manager
sarah at humanfactors.uq.edu.au       The ARC Key Centre
Ph +61 7 33656080                  for Human Factors and
Mb +61 416 045401                  Applied Cognitive Psychology


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