Multiple xampp at Different Locations!

[oct4v3]

Hello Apache Friends,

I am new to the forums and Looking for help.

I am big fan of xampp, It helps me develop and test WordPress themes with different WordPress installations in htdocs and make websites ready to publish.

However, I want to save the data from being lost or stolen for one of the site, so for that reason I want to keep one xampp portable.

For one site I am doing, It needs to be Portable in External HDD
For other sites, I need separate xampp in my Laptop Drive C: permanent

I was able to Install the Lite Portable version of xampp in External HDD and on other hand installed full version of xampp in my Laptop C:\xampp

Now, the Site I want to have portable, Accessible from different laptop with its installation in External HDD, I don't need it in C:\xampp\htdocs

The C:\xampp and its htdocs are working OK on localhost but I need to work on that Portable Site also from same Laptop by Plugging in the External HDD xampp, so whatever Changes I make in that site, It remains in External HDD e.g mysql and apache, and htdocs folder, so No worries of loosing data for that site.

What is happening is, one control panel of xampp from c:\xampp is already running with its service installed on this Laptop, When I plug in External HDD, and Run its f:\xampp\ control panel, It starts but not starting the mysql and apache, saying the ports are already in use. Now, I don't know if I need to edit its ports to different one, once done, how I am going to access localhost/sitename from External HDD, will it be, localhost:88/sitename or so? Sorry, I am newbie.

What I want is, I plug in External HDD, work on the site which is portably installed on f:\xampp, and than plug out once I finish doing the site, while C:\xampp don't interfere with External HDD xampp,

I should be Able to Access both stuff from c:\xampp\htdocs and f:\xampp\htdocs same time.

The ways I don't want are:

I don't want to do that Portable site on c:\xampp and end of the way when I am done, I backup the c:\xampp\htdocs and c:\xampp\mysql
I don't want to setup the second Instance of xampp in Dropbox to make it accessible from different machines

Please, advice me the way to solve the Problem.

Thank you very much guys in advance.

Regards,
oct4v3

[Altrea]

Hi oct4v3,

Hi have read your thread for three times now and i am still not sure if i get what you want to achieve.

However, I want to save the data from being lost or stolen for one of the site, so for that reason I want to keep one xampp portable.

If you want to have a full working backup it is more recommend to copy the entire XAMPP folder to somewhere save periodly (beginner).
Or if you want to have version independend backups, copy the asset files (everything you want to save in \xampp\htdocs\ and do a full database export with the help of the command line tool mysqldump (intermediate).

Now, the Site I want to have portable, Accessible from different laptop with its installation in External HDD,

The XAMPP single components you want to start all need their own free ports (on EVERY Laptop you want to start them!)

What is happening is, one control panel of xampp from c:\xampp is already running with its service installed on this Laptop

Do you have registered any of the single components as windows services? If yes and you want to start the single components from the portable XAMPP too with it's own control panel, than you need to reconfigure the service names of the single components of your portable XAMPP. You can do this in the control panel configurations.
Otherwise XAMPP can't separate the windows services applications from their own applications (services always go first).

Now, I don't know if I need to edit its ports to different one, once done, how I am going to access localhost/sitename from External HDD, will it be, localhost:88/sitename or so? Sorry, I am newbie.

You need to reconfigure the ports so that each single component can capture free ports. Apache needs not only a HTTP port (port 80 by default) but also a SSL port (port 443 by default). You need to reconfigure these ports twice, once in the Apache configuration files and once in the control panel configurations for the prechecks.
The relating Apache configuration files are \xampp\apache\conf\httpd.conf (port 80 for the Listen and the ServerName directive) and \xampp\apache\conf\extra\httpd-ssl.conf (port 443 for the Listen and the default virtual host directive).

If you have changed that and Apache starts successful you need to add this port on every request, e.g.: http://localhost:10080/ if 10080 will be your new HTTP port.
I would choose high port numbers because the lower ones are commonly reserved for common products.

best wishes,
Altrea