Installing MediaWiki on XP with an Existing Apache Webserver

January 4, 2008 8:20 PM

MediaWiki install: Apache, MySQL, & PHP already on my machine?

After some trial and error I successfully installed MediaWiki on my home XP machine. First I tried installing Apache + MySQL + PHP separately without success, then I discovered XAMPP and that worked like a charm.

My question is this: at work we are running StoreGrid, which already has installed Apache & PHP (and also MySQL I believe) on my computer. Should I try to get MediaWiki to work with these current installations, or should I install additional instances (perhaps using XAMPP)? My machine at work is also XP.

I tried installing MediaWiki but I can't find the Apache htdocs folder that exists after installing XAMPP, or determine what the root webserver folder is. When I access the StoreGrid web interface I navigate to my machine's name on port 6060 but I can't figure out which folder that references.

Are there any problems with installing multiple instances of Apache/MySQL/PHP? Are there benefits to getting MediaWiki to work with StoreGrid's instances (assuming I can do so)?

Thanks!

posted by jjsonp to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

I know I'm not addressing your question at all, but I just wanted to mention that MediaWiki requires PHP5. Just in case you hadn't picked up on that.
posted by loiseau at 9:04 PM on January 4, 2008

You should be able to run different versions of the software, but you'll need to run them on different ports. I haven't used XAMPP, but I have used WAMPServer, which might be something to look at as another option.
posted by null terminated at 9:09 PM on January 4, 2008

Arg. Ok, off the top of my head, here's how I'd do it:

0. Keep backups of any files you modify

1. Install MediaWiki files
Create a new folder ("c:\mediawiki\"), and drop the MediaWiki install in there.

2. Give the install a name
Open c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts in a text editor
Add the line "127.0.0.1 www.mediawiki.localhost"

3. Set up an Apache virtual host pointing at that directory
Open c:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\conf\httpd.conf in a text editor
Find the line "Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf" and uncomment it if it's commented

Open c:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\conf\extra\httpd-vhosts.conf
Add a block like this:
<virtualhost>
ServerAdmin [e-mail]
DocumentRoot "c:\mediawiki\"
ServerName www.mediawiki.localhost
ErrorLog "logs/www.mediawiki.localhost-error_log"
CustomLog "logs/www.mediawiki.localhost-access_log" common
</virtualhost>

4. Restart Apache
Go to Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services, right-click Apache and select "Restart".

You should now be able to access your mediawiki install at www.mediawiki.localhost

Ok, now, I've got to say the chances are this won't work - either I've missed a step, or your setup is just different enough from mine that these instructions will break things. But it's a starting point, and you'll be able to find help with more specific questions.
posted by Leon at 9:15 PM on January 4, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks everyone.

I've been following Leon's advice but no luck so far...I think the StoreGrid app has changed the Apache install in ways that are preventing those steps from functioning. However the info on the Windows 'hosts' file and adding the virtualhost to the Apache config file is quite informative and will no doubt come in handy.

Also I'm quite gratified to learn of Wampserver; I've found that using the most popular open source apps is usually the way to go (esp. for beginners) since more developers are active on those projects, so although XAMPP has worked well I may try Wampserver next.

I'm guessing I'll have to install another instance of Apache and possibly another instance of PHP5 on my machine since those seem to have been wired into the StoreGrid app; I've already installed MySQL separately and it seems to be working fine.

Anyway I'll play around with it and thanks for the info!
posted by jjsonp at 12:51 PM on January 5, 2008

jjsonp: I suspected that might be the case. If you want to MeFiMail me the httpd.conf and httpd-vhosts.conf from your setup, I'll be happy to take a look. No guarantees, of course.

Installing another Apache would probably work, but it's just so much neater to have a single instance running.
posted by Leon at 8:06 AM on January 6, 2008