hello
Apache would have to have been installed by a user at some point, or a program that was installed required the service.
In normal circumstances only apache server supports php scripts. There can be some tweaking done in tomcat to support php
"Linux can run programs ranging from Apache HTTP to SSH, GIMP Office, Mozilla Firefox, and a wide range of other Windows, Unix and other types of programs."
Microsoft IIS and HP Apache Microsoft IIS and HP Apache
"Apache" is the name of a foundation that write open-source software. Apache HTTPD is a web server written in portable C (when people say "Apache", they usually mean Apache HTTPD.) It mostly serves static content by itself, but there are many add-on modules (some of which come with Apache itself) that let it modify the content and also serve dynamic content written in Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, or other languages. Tomcat is primarily a servlet/JSP container. It's written in Java. It can serve static content, too, but its main purpose is to host servlets and JSPs. Although it's possible to get Tomcat to run Perl scripts and the like, you wouldn't use Tomcat unless most of your content was Java. "Apache" is the name of a foundation that write open-source software. Apache HTTPD is a web server written in portable C (when people say "Apache", they usually mean Apache HTTPD.) It mostly serves static content by itself, but there are many add-on modules (some of which come with Apache itself) that let it modify the content and also serve dynamic content written in Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, or other languages. Tomcat is primarily a servlet/JSP container. It's written in Java. It can serve static content, too, but its main purpose is to host servlets and JSPs. Although it's possible to get Tomcat to run Perl scripts and the like, you wouldn't use Tomcat unless most of your content was Java.
Apache Tomcat server is commonly used for hosting web applications. A web application is one that is executed in a web browser. For ex: http://www.wikianswers.com/ is a web application that is hosted on a webserver. Tomcat is one of the various web servers available. Some others are weblogic, websphere etc.
Let me answer from less 'technicall' point of view. Apache is the HTTP server. It gets the HTTP requests and answers with the HTML code. PHP is used to generate this HTML dynamically on server side. MySQL is used by PHP for getting the data. Once the Apache HTTP server gets the request for the page with php (or php3, php4, phtml or whatever is configured in Apache's config file), it calls PHP interpreter to generate HTML. Then this HTML is returned to the client - internet browser which sent HTTP request. PHP has got an access to MySQL DB via several APIs. This simply means, that you can just call some function in PHP script to select, import update or delete some data in a table of DB. You can also maintain the DB, create, delete new tables a.s.o. There is a lot of functions for that ;)
A web server is a specialized type of file server. Its job is to retrieve files from the server's hard drive, format the files for the Web browser, and send them out via the network. eg. MS Active Server Pages and .Net
Apache HTTP ServerApache HTTP Server (also referred to as simply "Apache") has, at the time of writing, been the most popular web server on the web since 1996. Apache is developed and maintained by the Apache Software Foundation, which consists of a decentralized team of developers. The software is produced under the Apache licence, which makes it free and open source. Apache is available for a range of operating systems, including Unix, Linux, Novell Netware, Windows, Mac OS X, Solaris, and FreeBSD.Apache HTTP Server website: http://httpd.apache.orgMicrosoft Internet Information Services (IIS)IIS is, at the time of writing, the second most popular web server on the web. It is however, gaining market share, and if the current trend continues, it won't be long before it overtakes Apache. IIS comes as an optional component of most Windows operating systems. You can install IIS by usingAdd/Remove Windows Components from Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel.Microsoft IIS website: http://www.microsoft.com/iisSun Java System Web ServerBased on the Sun One Web Server, the Sun Java System Web Server is designed for medium to large business applications. Sun Java System Web Server is available for most operating systems. Sun Java System Web Server website:http://www.sun.com/software/products/web_srvr/home_web_srvr.xml
Middleware acts as an intermediary between two different computer applications. A good example is software that is leased for the PlayStation 2 that does some of the work for the game developer, like providing a game engine. So they they are providing help to Group A so they can deliver to Group C. Middleware is software that connects two otherwise separate applications. Middleware is sometimes called "plumbing" because it connects two sides of an application and passes data between them. For example, Oracle's SQL*Net connect clients to the database server. Oracle's Gateways connect different types of databases (for example Oracle to SQL Server or DB2)
By far the easiest way is to use windows xp and apache server 2.2 bundled with some php script installed. To do this get yourself a copy of windows xp and windows xp sp2 then go to/ and download the latest version of Apache 2.2 is the latest (I think) then install it. Once you have done that go toand download the latest version of php and install it on your windows windows xp PC. Once you've done that set up Remote Desktop on that PC and use your other PC (if you have one) to remotely control that first server PC. Make your site etc. and put it in the apache web directory on the first PC.
== == == == 1. The first step is to install a webserver. If you haven't installed one already, you have two choices: either install each component separate or install an already packaged bundle. a) If you choose to install the bundle, there are many choices available to you. You can try Xampp or Wamp. Those two bundle will install for you Apache Web Server - a web server -, MySQL - a database server -, PHP - the programming language - and some other server related stuff such as an FTP server. When the installation is complete pass to the next step. b) If you choose to install the components separated, you'll need a web server, a database server and PHP. For the web server, the recommendation is Apache Web Server ( http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi ). For PHP, taking the latest version is the best ( http://www.php.net/downloads.php ). For the database, MySQL is widely used with PHP and Apache ( http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/ ). 2. Determine if an AJAX framework will be used. If using a framework is chosen, the most common framework and jQuery ( http://jquery.com/ ) and Prototype ( http://www.prototypejs.org/ ). 3. Write your code! There is also an option if you don't want to learn AJAX and JavaScript. The xajax Project ( http://xajaxproject.org/ ) lets you write your code in PHP and translates it into AJAX for you.