About test servers
The control server, in the case of websites, is used to modify the website (copy) without displaying it to the public. This is because when a developer changes a web page, the page often captures a function or contains errors due to incomplete changes to the source code. By hosting these pages on a remote test server, developers can use copies of the website hosted on that server to make changes without affecting the pages that are sent to customers. You can configure this server locally or remotely, depending on how you weigh the pros and cons.
Remote test server
You can set up a remote test server on sites such as GoDaddy or DynDns. These services typically pack a domain name with their server space. The advantage of this is that most of the “tuning” is already done for you. In addition, as Silverteiger pointed out, the service charge in this case is usually low. This may be recommended because the sheer amount of software your programmers may need is available on these servers. The only drawback is that the only way to stop the public from viewing this (what I know) is to make it password protected. However, you may need public access if your developers plan to work outside your work environment.
Local test server
Alternatively, you can configure one of your computers as a test server. The advantage of this is that the only fees you have to pay are the costs of the computer (it may be a low-end computer). Since this computer will be connected to the network, you do not need a domain name; instead, you will use the IP address assigned to the machine. It will not be posted on the Internet, therefore it is much easier to prevent other people from appearing. The only drawback is that your programmers must be on your network in order to work, and setting up this server can be quite complicated (depending on the needs of your programmers).
You will need to download and configure all the appropriate software (e.g. Apache, mySQL, PHP) to make it work. This is usually done on the server OS (i.e. on the Ubuntu server), but can be run on most operating systems. This process can also be made less painful by installing server software packages (for example, WAMP, LAMP, MAMP), which include the main software components that your developers will need. I would recommend using Ubuntu. You can use Ubuntu Desktop if you want to keep the GUI during setup. Or you can use Ubuntu Server - which saves a lot of memory using a terminal-based user interface (can make it more difficult to use).
You can further consider adding a service called FTP to the local server. This is a service that allows you to remotely read and write files on the server and may be required by your web developers for some of their editing programs (Dreamweaver, for example, can access files from FTP).
As a general note, most developers should be familiar with setting up the basic server software. In fact, this is usually part of the curriculum in web design. Thus, you can allow them to configure this software if you provide him with a computer. If you would otherwise like to configure it yourself, you can find some of the following links that will be useful.
Information Links
Shared Web Servers
- Wikipedia - general information about web servers
- HowStuffWorks - Information about the operation of web servers.
Remote servers
- Godaddy is a shared web hosting company with which you can use their services.
- DynDns - (as above)
Local servers
- Ubuntu Server : A Popular Server OS
- Apache : a popular HTTP server (aka Web Server)
- PHP : the widely used language of web developers
- LAMP : Linux Basic Server Software Package (Linux Apache mySQL PHP)
- WAMP : basic server software package for Windows (Windows Apache mySQL PHP)
- MAMP : Basic Server Software Package for Mac (Mac .... PHP)
- Configuring LAMP : [Steps 1-5] A wonderful article on setting up a web server on Ubuntu.