How to do SQL Server web dev from OS X?

Hi,

I'm a web developer/slow switcher. I've been using Dreamweaver for development on my windows box. Big AJAXy SQL Server-based app. I'm thinking about switching to using Coda on the Mac as my main dev tool (scary thought). If I install SQL Server in my Parallels VM on my Macbook, can I run/test my web apps from the mac side connecting to the SQL Server running on WinXP? If so, how? Do I just use the server name and userid/password like I would on a Windows box?

Thanks for any advice.

Config: I have an Intel Macbook Core2 Duo, latest versions of Leopard and Parallels. Windows XP (up to date) running on VM/Bootcamp. Would be installing SQL Server 2005 Standard or Express.

Best regards,

Jeff Childers

 

Since this board seems to be a little slow . . . over four days I figured this out for myself.

The first thing you do is install Apache+Php on the WINDOWS side and not on the Mac side. I.e. don't install MAMP on Mac OS X, install XAMPP on Windows. There's no way for the Mac version of Apache to load the php_mssql.dll extension to talk to MS SQL. This is OK. You then need to set Parallels to use "bridged networking" so that you can talk to the Apache from the Mac side. You can address the Win-Apache by entering the name of your Windows computer in your browser on the Mac side, e.g.:

http://macbookxp

For some reason, Kaspersky Antivirus blocks the web port and you have to shut it down in order to talk to the Windows session from OS X. I haven't figured out how to open a port using the version of Kaspersky that comes with Parallels. Maybe somebody smart can chime in here.

The next thing is two issues with SqlExpress, getting it to work with PHP. I record them here for posterity just in case you are unlucky enough to be searching this forum (as I was).

1- Be sure to update the ntwdblib.dll
2- In your PHP.INI, set the otherwise unremarkable setting:
Enable _dl=On
to:
Enable _dl=Off

Who knows what this is or why it works? Not me. But I spent three days installing and uninstalling Apache, PHP, and SqlExpress until I found this setting. This did the trick. Now I'm coding my MS SQL web app on the Mac, and can still test using IE in my Parallels VM. Yay!

Good luck,

Jeff

 

Glad you figured it out, enabling that extension makes sense... You need to have the DL support.

 

Did you get any further with XAMPP on OSX?

Hi,
Just like the subject - did you try further with
XAMP on OSX as the main host and have the virtual win machines to test ie?

I'm on day 3 of hair pulling - I'm gonna keep going
because I just got my mac to do web design and I wanna
use it to learn the system & methods rather than
go back to windows Hmmm ... but is looking like I might have to

Cheers
Phil