Ive been asked by my company if it is possible to put a PHP website and a mySQL database on a CD so that one of their clients can use the website without an internet connection!

Obviously we couldn't ask them to install PHP on their machine
so could we put the website and the programs that PHP and mySQL require on a CD? If so how?

Thanks

    Wow... This is going to be a fun project for someone.

    The computer will need:

    • A running web server
    • A running web server with PHP installed
    • A place to write temp files
    • A database server - running and configured to store the data on the local hard drive or somewhere with read/write access

    Those are your requirements you'll have to work around on the CD.

    My best bet would be a bootable flavor of Linux, like Knoppix (there's now a ton of these bootable Linux CDs out now). But you make it your own by stripping all the junk out but the database server, web server, and PHP (not sure if those are actually included in Knoppix or not). Then you'll need to package up your web site and data onto the CD. Then when the CD runs, you'll need to create a script that tells the DB server to point to the local hard drive. Then you'll need to copy the database over to the local hard drive (assuming it hasn't been done already - if it has, you'll want to skip this step unless you want to blow any data changes away). After that, the user then can fire up their browser and go to town.

    Personally, that's too much work involved. If its an application that they need to run locally, I'd say port the app into a desktop software app. Or tell them they need their own web server and database.

      Well as we wouldn't know what machine they were going to run it on, it sounds like to much work! We also cant just let the CD install programs that they will hardly use!

      Firstly we would have to get around that the machine probably wont have a web server running!

      Unless someone can come up with a simple idea i'll tell them it can be done but isn't worth the trouble!

      Thanks

        Originally posted by sleaver

        Unless someone can come up with a simple idea i'll tell them it can be done but isn't worth the trouble!

        Run it from the web? Sounds pretty simple.

        If they have no network and no capability to setup/install their own server, then you're kind of stuck. The other option is to sell them a pre-configed server with your app(s) on it. That would keep them happy - all they have to do is plug some cables in and hope someone over there knows a little about networking so they could get the box on the network and the other machines talking to it. Otherwise, I think you'll be stuck having to write a desktop app...

          This is what I'm hearing....

          Client has no internet connection---is it because they don't want to pay for one or because they have very little use for it?

          Client won't use the application very much...is it because the application isn't very important to the client?

          And it's most likely not worth the trouble???

          Possible solution....ask them to get an advertisement supported ISP...ie NetZero/Juno where they get 10 hours of Internet Access free per month. And then access your web site over the net. Alternatively, you could be their ISP throw back to the old BBS days....it would take a lot less time then creating a specialized OS that no one wants anyway. My 2 cents anyway

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