Malfunctions 

Local server on the Denver computer. Installation and configuration of the Denwer web server. Checking Denver's performance

Creating your own website very often becomes a necessity. For developers of web-oriented projects who do not have special knowledge, Denver (stands for a gentleman's WEB developer's kit) becomes a very convenient development tool. Denver can be downloaded for free in Russian and is not just successful software for facilitating the creation and maintenance of websites.

The software runs on the Windows operating system and is literally a local WEB server, allowing for full configuration and debugging of applications (websites).


When installing Denver, the Apache service is installed and on a regular user computer you can create great amount sites on virtual domain names (this approach greatly simplifies the transfer of a site from local storage for hosting). The main convenience is that local sites are accessed by names that have the same names as folders in Denver's home directory.

Even for a non-professional, developing a simple website takes 10-20 minutes. Created, edited and reviewed on local computer the site can then be hosted. Denver has it all necessary tools for creating local server.

Features of installing a local server

First, you need to download Denver (it’s free), but let’s clarify that getting started with a local web server involves going to the developer’s website, filling out a form, and downloading the installation file. However, this software can also be downloaded from our resource using the direct link at the bottom of the publication. Next, run the installer and follow the prompts of the installation wizard.

After all the manipulations have been done, two icons “Denver Stop” and “Denver Run” will appear on the desktop, indicating the start and stop of the local server.

Advice: It is advisable to install the program in the root of the local disk, as this will greatly simplify working with projects in the future. The application is useful for simple debugging of the site, for experiments, which can be seen on local disk without an Internet connection.


The program includes a set of distribution kits and a software shell. Apache+SSL, phpMyAdmin, PHP5, MySQL5 - these proven and popular tools provide the necessary capabilities and simplify the work for beginners in website creation.

Denver is very simple and optimal from a configuration point of view. Separately, it is worth saying that the big advantage in its work is its autonomy. This autonomy is achieved by the following features:

  • Denver is contained in a single directory; it leaves no traces anywhere else on the disks. The software is not reflected in any way in the Windows system catalogs and does not clog the system registry.
  • The local server is so autonomous and isolated that a second Denver installation will not harm it in any way.
  • The program does not require additional running services. Software starts and just works, leaving no traces after it stops.
  • Deleting Denver means deleting its directory - and that’s it, no manipulations need to be done.
  • Convenient transfer from one computer to another (performed by simply copying the directory).

Hello.. If you are reading this post, then you are probably planning to create your own blog.

If yes, please accept my sincere congratulations, as having your own blog is very cool. And if I'm wrong, then you're just interested in learning how to install and configure a local Denver server.

However, in order for your brainchild (blog) to be seen in a form in which it fully satisfies all the needs of visitors, you will need to sit for more than an hour, setting up or sorting through dozens of templates and cms to find the most optimal option.

Of course, you can immediately buy hosting and choose a domain name for your future blog, which I talked about in previous articles, and carry out all the actions directly on the hosting, but I strongly recommend doing all this on your computer first.

To do this, in just a couple of minutes we will install on HDD computer local server (Denver), which will meet all the parameters of real hosting.

The work plan for today will be as follows:

1) What is a local server

2) Installing a local server

3) Launching and setting up a local server, checking the operation of Denver

So, let's go...

First . What is a local server

Local server (localhost) is a set of components (PHP, database MySQL data, a script for working with the PhpMyAdmin panel, Apache server), which will help you work with web applications on your computer without using the Internet.

I use Denver as my local server. You can download Denver for free on the manufacturer’s official website. You won't have to pay anything because it is available for widespread use.

To view your website on the Internet, you enter into the browser line

http://localhost/your_blog_folder_on_computer

I hope everything is clear to you and you can proceed to the actual installation of Denver.

Second. Installing a local server

Run the Denver file you downloaded earlier, which has the extension .exe.

In the window that opens, the “Installer” will offer to install basic package, agree with it and click the “Yes” button.

Then it will open Internet Explorer. We close it and continue installing the local server on the computer.

Now we are asked to specify the directory in which the local server will be installed. I specified the path C:\hosting

In the same window below, we confirm our actions by placing “y” (in the sense of yes).

Again we confirm that we agree with everything and press “Enter”.

Now we need to decide on the name of the new one virtual disk. This can be any letter except those that are already used by your system.

Otherwise, receive error information and select another drive. Having decided on the letter, press “Enter” and the installation will continue.

Next, the local server files will be copied to the previously selected directory. After extraction, you will be asked to choose in which mode you should run Denver “1” or “2”. Don’t bother and press one.

At the very end, it will offer to create Denver shortcuts on the desktop, with which we will control the inclusion of the local server. We put “y” (in the sense of yes).

This completes the installation of Denver on your hard drive.

Third . Launching and setting up a local server, checking the operation of Denver

If you have consistently performed all of the above steps, then at your workplace Windows desktop Three tabs should appear.

Click on “Start Denwer”, thereby activating the work of virtual computer hosting. By going to the “My Computer” folder, you will see that the selected virtual disk has appeared there.

To check the correctness of the actions and the operation of Denver, go to the browser and enter http://localhost in the status bar; if a page with such content appears in your window, then you have done everything correctly and the local server is ready for work.

The last step is to create a folder in which our blog will be located on the computer. To do this, go to the directory specified when installing denwer

C:\hosting\home\localhost\www\my-site.ru

We will unpack files of various engines (Wordpress, Joomla) into this folder. To check that everything was done correctly, open it in your browser.

1 http://localhost/my-site. ru

http://localhost/my-site.ru

The installation window for the engine that is in the my-site.ru folder should load onto the local server (localhost) or open the site if you put files in the folder html without using a database Mysq.

That's all for today. If you have any questions about installing a local server (denwer), ask, I’ll help.

In the next article you will find out in the program phpMyAdmin and transfer the blog from the local server denwer (Denver) to hosting.

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Denver is a local server.
Denver (project by Dmitry Koterov) is a free package special programs, which is installed on a home (local) computer to simulate the operation of a real network web server. This simulation allows you to create and configure websites on your home (local) computer, without an Internet connection. Dmitry Koterov himself calls his creation “Gentleman’s Web Developer’s Kit” (“D.n.w.r”, read “Denver”).
main feature software package Denver is easy to install, convenient for remote work on several independent projects at once, and can be placed on a Flash drive.

Where to download Denver

Where does Denver send letters?

The engine installed on Denver can send emails to the e-mail of the site administrator or users. Such letters will be saved with the *.eml extension in the C:\WebServers\tmp\!sendmail\ directory. By default, this directory does not exist. It will be created as soon as the first email is sent.
Denver sends mail with the EML extension. It can be opened by anyone mail client, such as Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird, The Bat!, Free Mail Commander, etc. You can change the file extension from EML on MHT and open the message directly in your browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome...).

Transferring a website from Denver to hosting and back

The essence of the method is as follows:

  1. downloading a copy of the site database and DLE engine files from the hosting
  2. creating the same structure in Denver as in real hosting, exactly repeating all access rights and passwords that only exist on a real server and on a real website
  3. replacing “empty” files on Denver with real files downloaded from the hosting
  4. restoring the Denver database from the site

Theory
As you know, any website has two components - a database (DB) and a management system for this database, CMS (content management systems) or popularly - . And, here is the importance - the database and the engine are inextricably linked in the area of ​​passwords, logins and access rights. Separating and connecting the database and the engine - oh, how difficult it is, without special skills and knowledge. And even if you have them, it takes a lot of time, since you have to coordinate the work of many configuration files. The database import-export function built into DLE allows you to make the thankless job of transferring a site an easy and enjoyable task.

Initial data.

  1. Website on, and full access to him
    Accordingly, it should be known:
    • name of the site database (DB) (mySQL database)
    • her username (mySQL login)
    • database access password (mySQL password)
    • FTP server (for FTP access to site files)
    • FTP login (for FTP access to site files)
    • FTP password (for FTP access to site files)
    • A couple of site administrator login and passwords

1. On a real site, on the Internet, I go to the Site Admin Panel on DLE - List of all sections - Database Management - click on “Save Database”. Eat! A copy of the database (DB) was created on the server, in the backup directory. 2. On the hosting I go to the hosting via FTP and download the entire folder with the site files to my local computer. 3. On Denver 3.1 - I launch Denver. I launch PhpMyAdmin and create an empty database with exactly the same name and access as on the hosting. That is, when creating an empty database, you will need to enter the name of the site database (mySQL database), its user name (mySQL login) and the database access password (mySQL password) exactly the same as those used on the real hosting from where I downloaded the site along with a backup (copy) of the real database. The only difference is to always select “utf8_general_ci” for the new database encoding. This must be done regardless of the encoding of the site itself. If the site is on utf8, this is understandable, but if the site is on “windows-1251”, it will also work. Moreover, it will ride reliably and confidently. 3.2 - In the Denver home directory, I create a folder for local domain with any name, even “tayga”, even “valenki”. The main thing is to indicate the project name in Latin letters. 3.3 - I place in this folder of the local domain setup files clean CMS DLE engine and perform a clean installation of it, according to the attached documentation from the developer. When installing the engine, of course, I indicate all the real data from the real site: the name of the database, its user name, the access password from the already installed database (read section 3.1), the real login-password pair of the administrator, if the table prefix was changed, then its , of course, you need to specify. 4. Explanation (I apologize for the repetition) - Using the steps described above, I copied and downloaded from the hosting a really connected structural group - the DB (database) - site engine. Then I created an empty, but exactly the same structure on Denver, repeating in detail all the access rights and passwords as on the real server. - Now all I have to do is replace the “empty” files with real ones and restore the database. 5. Finita la comedy 5.1 - In Denver, I go to my local domain directory with the files of the installed new DLE engine. I'm deleting them all! 5.2 - Instead of deleted files, I have files of the real engine downloaded from the hosting. 5.3 - Restarting Denver. I open the browser. I enter the name of my local domain into the address bar. My local site opens. It is exactly like the real one, only still empty (or rather, there is a demo dle database on it). But this site already knows my real names and passwords from the real database and from the site administrator. Still would! After all, everything was specified when creating a new empty database and installing a new engine. 5.4 - I go to this local site using the administrator login and password. I go to the Site Admin Panel on DLE - List of all sections - Database Management - click on “Restore Database”. Naturally, to restore I select the copy that I made before on a real site on the Internet. A copy of the database is restored in Denver and, as they say, voila! The site has been completely moved to Denver. Moreover, it was created in Denver full copy real network site. 6. Afterword Having such a copy of the site in Denver, you can do whatever you want with it and take it back to the server. Transferring engine files (templates, etc.) can be done directly. Database transfer - using the DLE “Save/Restore Database” function. Everything is very simple - we save the database in one place, and restore it in another. And we carry, we carry, we carry... :):):) This improvised method of transferring a site to Denver and back makes it possible to avoid mistakes and pain with importing and exporting a database to Denver's PhpMyAdmin. 7. Caution A good backup has never harmed anyone. Especially if this backup is stored in a secluded place, out of harm's way. Therefore, when working with a site transfer, my motto is backup, backup, long live backup!

Why is Denver not working?

Denver's refusal is not such a rare occurrence, which is explained by the simple incompatibility of programs, or more precisely, by their intransigence in the struggle for survival in the network space. Denver may not work (not start) if another program occupies its favorite ports 80 and 443 or blocks the launch of its .exe files. Such unfriendly programs include all software that uses or controls ports to create their own network connections(Skype, VMWare Workstation etc.), as well as antiviruses and firewalls, and also some services of Windows itself.

The Gentleman's Web Developer's Kit ("D.n.w.r", read "Denver") is a set of distributions (Apache+SSL, PHP5 as a module, MySQL5, phpMyAdmin, etc.) and a software shell used by the Web -developers (programmers and designers) to debug websites on a “home” (local) Windows machine without the need to access the Internet.

Denver-3 (2013-06-02) contains Apache 2.2.22 + PHP 5.3.13 + MySQL 5.5.25 + PhpMyAdmin 3.5.1

A key feature of Denver is its support for working with several projects at once, each of which is located on a separate virtual host. Virtual hosts for projects are created automatically: for example, you just need to copy the project files to /home/ProjectName/www, and it will immediately become available at http://ProjectName (DOCUMENT_ROOT will also be correct). This is especially convenient in the work of web studios developing several sites in parallel, and also *in conjunction* with version control systems CVS or Subversion. The directory naming scheme can be easily customized for your hosting in the virtual hosts template (see comments in httpd.conf).

All Denver components are already configured and ready for work (in particular, the Russian language encoding of MySQL, SSL, etc. is correctly configured). In addition, you can update any of Denver's services (Apache, PHP, MySQL, etc.) manually by simply copying new versions of distributions over old ones.

Denver is self-contained: it can be located in any directory on a disk (or even a flash drive). He also doesn't change system files Windows, so it can be uninstalled by simply deleting its folder.

The main differences between Denver and its analogues

  1. Modular, expandable, compact. There is no need to download multi-megabyte distributions of individual components. The basic version of Denver, which includes Apache+SSL+PHP5+MySQL5+phpMyAdmin, is small in size and yet fully functional.
  2. Support and automatic configuration of several projects at once, each of which is represented by a separate virtual host.
  3. Centralized starting and stopping system for all Denver components. Due to its autonomy, after stopping Denver completely *disappears* from the system and can be copied to another directory or even deleted.
  4. Sendmail emulator: the ability to debug scripts that send mail. All letters created in PHP scripts are not sent outside, but are stored in a special directory /tmp/!sendmail.
  5. Extension packs. There are many components for Denver that can be installed later (PostgreSQL, Python, FireBird, Parser, older versions of PHP4 and PHP4, MySQL4, etc.). All of them are available for download on the official Denver website and are equipped with an installer. You can also install any other services manually, as well as update Denver components from official distributions without any problems.
  6. The programs included in the complex are written by various developers; their characteristics can sometimes make it difficult to function together. Fundamental differences are also possible different versions the same program, which often makes installation and configuration difficult. Denver components were configured and tested to ensure full operation as part of the complex.

Composition of the Denver-3 basic package

  1. Apache 2 with SSL support and mod_rewrite.
  2. PHP5: executable files, module for the Apache web server, distribution and adapted configuration file, GD library, MySQL and sqLite support modules.
  3. MySQL5 with support for InnoDB, transactions and Russian encodings (windows-1251).
  4. phpMyAdmin - MySQL database control panel, as well as a script that makes it easy to add a new MySQL user.
  5. Debugging sendmail emulator (/usr/sbin/sendmail), which does not send messages, but writes them to the /tmp/!sendmail directory.
  6. System automatic search virtual hosts and system updates hosts file, as well as Apache configurations. Thanks to it, adding a new virtual host (or third-level domain) involves easy creation directory in /home (see analogy with existing hosts) and restarting the complex. All changes are made to configuration and system files automatically, but you can control this process using the host template mechanism (see /usr/local/apache/conf/httpd.conf for detailed explanations).
Add-ons ("expansion packs") are available on Denver's official website to expand the capabilities of the basic kit:
  • PHP version 3 as a CGI program;
  • PHP version 4 as a CGI program;
  • additional modules for Apache;
  • additional modules for PHP;
  • full version of ActivePerl;
  • ActivePython interpreter.
  • MySQL server version 4;
  • Parser technology support modules;
  • PostgreSQL DBMS;
  • FireBird DBMS versions 2 and 1.3
  • other popular modules.

Changes in the Denver-3 program (2013-06-02):

  • The latest version of Denver has fixed a bug due to which virtual hosts were sometimes not created in Windows 7.
  • MySQL version has been updated to 5.5 and phpMyAdmin to 3.5.1. If you are updating from old version Denver, see database migration instructions.
  • Do you have English Windows and the Denver console contains hieroglyphs? Set up Windows.

Good afternoon, dear readers. This topic has been chewed up and down and is probably on everyone, somewhere there are inaccuracies and incompleteness of information, and there are also not enough photos and step-by-step screenshots, after reviewing all the sites I made a complete review, detailed installation and configuration guide a useful tool for webmasters - Denwer(read “Denver” - a gentleman’s kit for a web developer).

Theory. What is Denver and how does it work?

Denver is a software shell ( web server emulator on the systemunix ) which includes a set of distributions and modules ( Apache+SSL, PHP5, MySQL5, phpMyAdmin, etc.) for debugging sites on ( local, https://localhost) computer or laptop without the need for Internet access.

OS support ( Operating systems): Windows XP/Vista/7/8.

Denwer Features

The key feature of Denver is its support for working with several web projects at once, each of which is located on a separate virtual host (in the form of a separate folder). Virtual hosts for projects are created automatically: for example, you just need to copy the project files to /home/NameWebProjecta.ru/www, and it will immediately become available at https://NameWebProjecta.ru, we will look at this in more detail later.

All Denver components are already configured and ready for work (in particular, the Russian language encoding of MySQL, SSL, etc. is correctly configured). In addition, you can update any of Denver's services (Apache, PHP, MySQL, etc.) manually by simply copying new versions of distributions over old ones.

Denver Basic Package Contents:

  1. Apache 2 with SSL support and mod_rewrite.
  2. PHP5: executable files, module for the Apache web server, distribution and adapted configuration file, GD library, MySQL and sqLite support modules.
  3. MySQL5 with support for InnoDB, transactions and Russian encodings (windows-1251).
  4. phpMyAdmin - MySQL database control panel, as well as a script that makes it easy to add a new MySQL user.
  5. Debugging sendmail emulator (/usr/sbin/sendmail), which does not send messages, but writes them to the /tmp/!sendmail directory.
  6. A system for automatically searching for virtual hosts and updating the system hosts file, as well as the Apache configuration. Thanks to it, adding a new virtual host (or third-level domain) involves simply creating a directory in /home (see analogy with existing hosts) and restarting the complex. All changes are made to configuration and system files automatically, but you can control this process using the host template mechanism (see /usr/local/apache/conf/httpd.conf for detailed explanations).

Add-ons (“expansion packs”) are available on Denver’s official website to expand the capabilities of the basic kit:

  • PHP version 3 as a CGI program;
  • PHP version 4 as a CGI program;
  • additional modules for Apache;
  • additional modules for PHP;
  • full version of ActivePerl;
  • ActivePython interpreter.
  • MySQL server version 4;
  • Parser technology support modules;
  • PostgreSQL DBMS;
  • FireBird DBMS versions 2 and 1.3
  • other popular modules.

I think that's enough theory, let's move on to practice...

Denver installation

At the time of writing this tutorial, I was using the following version of Denver:
Version: Denver-3 from 2012-09-16

You can always download latest version Denver from the official website listed above.

How to install denwer? detailed instructions

So, you have downloaded the Denver installation file. We open the file, a small window will appear “Are you sure you want to install the base package?” press Yes.

Then a browser window will open, which you can close immediately, you will see the following picture..

As you can see, the entire installation will take place in the cmd command interpreter, the first welcome window, click the button to continue Enter.

The program will check for the presence of the necessary drivers and system components, then ask us to indicate in which directory to install Denver.

If you do not specify anything, then by default the program will be installed in the C:\WebServers directory, I specified this as C:\Server. You can specify your name or leave it as default, and then click the button Enter. A question will appear..

Click " y" yes

Next we will check the necessary utilities for creating a virtual disk; in Windows this utility is called subs. You will need to specify the name of the virtual disk, by default the system suggests disk Z, my disk Z is busy, so I chose disk X. You can also specify any free disk or leave the default disk Z if it is not busy. Click Enter.

After copying is completed, you need to indicate in which mode Denver will start, select the item and click [ Enter]

All! Denwer installation completed. A browser window will open indicating the installation is complete, read and close.

We should have shortcuts on the desktop...

LabelTeamAction
StartDenwerC:\[your_directory]/denwer\ r un.exe)Denver server launch
Restart DenwerC:\[your_directory]/denwer\ restart .exe)restarting the Denver server
Stop DenwerC:\[your_directory]/denwer\ stop .exe)Stopping the server
C:\[your_directory]/denwer\ SwitchOff.exe

Launching and setting up Denwer

To get started enjoy Denver, do the following:

  1. Launch Denver using the shortcut Start Denwer on the desktop.
    If you have not created shortcuts, you can run Denver using the command C:\[your_directory]/denwer\Run.exe , to do this press the key combination [ Win]+[R] and enter the command in the window that appears.
  1. Open your browser and go to https://localhost
  2. You must see home page Denver. A little lower on this page there is a table with links, I advise you to immediately check the functionality of all links.
  1. If after launching Denver https://localhost does not open, check if Denver is not blocked by your antivirus or firewall. For example, problems were noticed with NOD32 in Windows XP (you need to add the process X:/usr/local/apache/bin/httpd.exe to the list of exceptions, this can be done in the IMON/Settings/Miscellaneous/Exception window).

Attention! If you are using Skype, make sure it doesn't occupy any ports 80 And 443 , required for Apache to run in Denver (" Tools - Settings - Advanced - Connection - Use ports 80 and 443 as incoming alternatives» should be disabled).

Attention! Common mistake: if only localhost is running and other hosts are does not work, please check if your proxy server is turned off ( Tools - Internet Options - Connection - Network Settings).

Now you know how to use Denver as a testing and debugging site for your sites. I want to tell you some more useful information...

Denwer directory structure

HTML documents must be located in /home/ directories<имя_хоста>/www. By default, 3 virtual hosts are configured:

— https://localhost (contains testing scripts and various utilities);
— https://test1.ru;
— https://custom-host:8648 (a host with its own IP address and port);

Virtual hosts with domain names third and higher levels. Examples of how Apache looks for host document directories in this case:

Domain name Document directory

~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

abcd.test1.ru /home/test1.ru/abcd

ab.cd.test1.ru /home/test1.ru/ab.cd

test.localhost /home/localhost/test

ab.cd.localhost /home/localhost/ab.cd

The /usr/local directory contains software components - Apache, PHP, MySQL executable and configuration files. The authors tried to keep this arrangement close to that accepted in the UNIX environment. But there are serious differences - not all components of the package are distributed in the appropriate directories. In any case, a complete analogy with the UNIX OS cannot be achieved, but this placement executable and configuration files makes it somewhat easier to navigate the server components.

Utilities included in the "Gentleman's Set"

  • DNSearch: file search — the search is carried out in files with the extensions htm, html, shtml, xhtml by directly viewing the contents of the documents.
  • List of registered sites – the utility generates a page with web projects (sites) created in the system.
  • Creating new databases and MySQL users – a very convenient and simple utility for creating Databases (DBs), unlike phpMyAdmin.
  • phpMyAdmin — MySQL DBMS administration

How to remove Denwer?

Denver is autonomous: It can be located in any directory on the disk (or even on a flash drive). It also does not change system Windows files, So Denwer can be uninstalled by simply deleting its folder.

What should I do to remove Denver?

  1. Stopping the Denwer server(run the Stop Denwer shortcut on the desktop or use the command in cmd:
    C:\[your_directory]/denwer\ stop .exe)
  2. Stopping and disconnecting a virtual disk(command in cmd: C:\[your_directory]/denwer\ SwitchOff.exe
  3. Delete the directory where Denwer is installed
  4. Remove desktop shortcuts

With this I want to conclude this lesson, I hope it was useful for you. If you have any questions, write in the comments or email me.

Best regards, Chirkov Sergey.