Apache installation

Hello all,

I have been a member of the guild for about three years now lurking in 
various list and taking a class every now and then. I have  learned a lot 
here. Thanks to all for sharing your knowledge, experience and time.

  Recently, I subscribed to this list because I am interested in setting up 
and maintaining a web server. My plan is to run an Apache Server on Linux. 
Experience has taught me that I learn by diving right in. I have installed 
Linux Mandrake 7.1 on a not so glamorous 166MMX PC with 64MB memory, I am 
told this machine should be just fine for learning.

When I installed Mandrake I also installed the Apache Server 1.3.12, MySQL 
and PHP 3. I would like to build my first database driven web site using 
MySQL, PHP and XML by example. In addition to the books that I have about 
XML, I bought Apache Servers Unleashed, Sams (hi Rick) and Sams Teach 
Yourself MySQL in 21 Days. I am finding it a little hard getting started 
because the servers were not installed in the locations that are referenced 
in the books.

For example, according to the book the installation path for Apache should 
be /usr/local/apache--it is in /usr/include/apache. The path to the cgi-bin 
is in /usr/lib/cgi-bin, not /usr/local/apache/cgi-bin. The path to MySQL is 
/usr/include/mysql. When I try some of the commands from the books they do 
not work. One example is the command to change passwords, bin/mysqladmin 
-password newpassword, I get an error message "no such file or directory".

Having the files in a directory with a different name would not be a 
problem--not being able to find files/directories could/would be. Not being 
able to execute commands is making it impossible to continue.

Will someone explain to me, a total newbie, what is going on and how should 
I proceed?

TIA
Gregory Norman

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