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A
Anonymous
August 25, 2009
Question

The Nature of the Test Server

  • August 25, 2009
  • 1 reply
  • 1529 views

QUESTION:  Using Dreamweaver is it possible to maintain one's test server on a machine different from the the one that contains one's local folder, if both machines are on the same local network?

BACKGROUND:  When I first decided to create a dynamic web application I believed that it was necessary to keep an identical set of files in three different locations -- the local folder, the remote folder, and the folder of the test server.  As I plod through the reading, however, I am beginning to believe that the test server is little more than a set of applications that uses the local folder to produce dynamic pages before they are sent to the remote folder.

Roddy

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1 reply

B
bregent
Participating Frequently
August 25, 2009

You can have 3 distinct locations for local, remote and testing servers but you don't need to. The testing server can be the same location as your local or remote servers. Many people actually don't run a local server and use the remote as the testing server.

A
Anonymous
August 25, 2009

bregent wrote: You can have 3 distinct locations for local, remote and testing servers but you don't need to. The testing server can be the same location as your local or remote servers.

Thank you for replying with a useful confirmation.  I actually want three distinct locations, but would like to be able to manage all three from the same location using Dreamweaver.  Is this possible?  If so, how does one set it up on two Apple machines both using Leopard?

I have MAMP installed on my test server machine, Dreamweaver installed on my local folder machine, and a third party environment elsewhere called Lunarpages that handles my remote folder.  What I would like to know is how to set up Dreamweaver to coordinate between my test server and local machines.  Have you a clue?

Roddy

DwFAQ
DwFAQ
Participating Frequently
August 26, 2009

Generally if someone has a local testing server setup they will use one machine to develop and test then upload to remote to launch. If you want to develop on one computer, test on another, then upload to the remote server then simply copy files from local machine to the directory that has virtual host setup on the computer with local server setup to use as testing server.

So for your case setup local files and remote in site setup in Dreamweaver, then copy files to the other Mac with MAMP installed to access site on that testing server. You would copy the files that has a virtual host setup - so if MAMP testing server Mac has virtual host setup to access sites from folders in your Sites folder (not default settings of MAMP) then you'd copy the site folder from development Mac to the Sites/site_name/ folder on MAMP Mac to test the site locally by entering site_name in URL. I would recommend using ONE Mac to develop AND test locally (not two Macs - one to develop, one to test).

There's a few other issues with MAMP setup in Leopard. Basically you lose some functions that may be valuable during testing. Specifically you can not send emails, write images using GC library, or use mcrypt function locally. I recently setup my Mac Pro for local development; love it. But I've come across some of the issues mentioned. There's a lot of recommendations out there on how to setup MAMP on local testing server and some have spotty info. All I know is what worked for me, which wasn't MAMP. I found entropy which works for me for issues mentioned (google it).

I can also help you out with setting up virtual hosts for local php development so that you can enter URL site1 into browser test local site from user/Sites/site1/ folder and enter site2 URL in browser to test local site from user/Sites/site2/ folder, etc. bottom line you need virtual hosts properly setup on testing server to properly test site locally unless of course you copy site folder to Library/WebDev/some_crazy_directory/whatever_other_default_directory_it_is/ and you only have one site to test locally ~ who wants that?!?

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