By Ali Foroutan

Linux is a complete operating system that is similar but not identical to Unix. It runs on a wide variety of hardware, ranging from Intel and AMD CPUs to more exotic hardware such as Digital Alpha computers, PowerPCs, and Silicon Graphics workstations. Probably the most unique characteristic of Linux is that it is freely distributable. Freely distributable means that the source code for the kernel and most software cannot be withheld. It does not mean that companies cannot charge for it. By means of comparison, hosting a website on Unix or Linux is nearly identical.

There are many options available when it comes to writing CGI scripts on a Linux machine. The most common at the time of this writing are PHP and PERL. There are many introductions, tutorials, and even sample scripts available on the Internet when it comes to PHP and PERL.

Database types available for Linux, depends mostly on the web hosting provider you select to host your website. There are many flavors of databases that run on Linux, but the most prevalent among web host providers are mSQL, MySQL., and PostgreSQL. These databases are all relational in nature, and allow highly optimized communication with your website for quick retrieval of information.

If you plan to host the site yourself, and you own the web servers or the software on them, then Linux (or Unix) would definitely be a less expensive option. If you plan to sign up with a web hosting company, and they own the servers and the software installed on them, you will find that there are excellent hosting options available for each platform at very comparable prices.

Choose an affordable Linux Hosting

CatchHost.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ali_Foroutan

[tags]linux,linux hosting,linux hosting help,linux hosting tips,hosting help,hosting tips,learn hosting[/tags]

By Radhika Venkata

Sooner or later every webmaster needs CGI.

It is difficult to imagine the website maintainence with out CGI.

CGI scripts can be used to process a simple form to maintaining a membership area. There are many scripts online, which can be used to automate your website.

Form proccessing
Autoresponders
Order taking, Order proccessing
Steamline your downloads
Protecting your private folders
Easy maintanence of the website
Tracking your advertisements
Maintaining an affiliate site
Counters, classifieds, link directories…
There is no end to this list.

But the problem with cgi scripts is “how to install on your servers?”

You don’t have to learn perl or write scripts on your own to maintain your CGIs.

As a webmaster of your site you need to know about installing scripts for yourself. Otherwise you will end up with paying hundreds of dollars for script installations.

Basic THREE steps that you should check during cgi installations are:

1.UPLOADING OF FILES:

CGI files should be uploaded in ASCII mode. In this mode the “end-of-line” character translated properly and the script lines are transfered in proper format. (In BINARY mode, the characters will not be translated. Instead they are transfered exactly as a duplicates)

Tip: DON’T run your FTP software in automode to upload cgi files. Set it to ASCII mode manually and upload the files.

2.CONFIGURING THE SCRIPTS:

When you buy a script, you have to set few variables. So that the script runs correctly on your server.

When you doing this, you should have an idea about your server perl paths, absolute paths, URLs etc. The URLs are case sensitive.

Scriptname . cgi
scriptname . cgi
scriptname . pl
Scriptname . pl

All four are taken differently by your server.

3.FILE PERMISSIONS:

Once you upload files, don’t rush to run the script. Set and check the file permissions.

If you don’t set the permissions to cgi or pl files, the server doesn’t get access to your files and you will see “500 Internal server error”.

Most of the times cgi files need to be “755″. Always check the instructions of the script providers.

If you are keeping an eye on these three steps, you can do your script installations!

Radhika Venkata

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Radhika_Venkata

[tags]perl,cgi,cgi bin,cgi-bin,perl scripts,perl programming,cgi programming[/tags]