We used Debian 5 Linux for this, and setting up PHP and Apache on it was a breeze. All it required was to first install Apache using the # apt-get install apache2, followed by another single line command to install PHP and MySQL, viz. # apt-get install php5 mysql php5-mysql.

Why Debian? Because Debian is a popular Linux distribution vendor and has small install image file. I’ve tried to install Debian with Virtual PC, VirtualBox and VMWare and have different results on different PC.

This tutorial shows how to set up a Debian Lenny (Debian 5.0) server that offers all services needed by ISPs and hosters: Apache web server (SSL-capable), Postfix mail server with SMTP-AUTH and TLS, BIND DNS server, Proftpd FTP server, MySQL server, Courier POP3/IMAP, Quota, Firewall, etc