Host Requirements

An HTTP server with PHP and MySQL support. Most HTTP servers are sufficient. PHP should be version 4.3 or better, this includes PHP 5. MySQL should be version 4.x.

Because PExOD uses SMTP and FTP to transmit ONIX data, the server should not place restrictions on outbound traffic for either of these.

It's best if the HTTP server has "mod rewrite" capabilities -- this is a preference for an Apache server, although PExOD has been successfully run on a diversity of servers. At a more detailed level, PExOD requires a folder with permissions suitable for uploading to and requires that a major portion of the application be hosted in a password-controlled subdirectory.

PHP has a long list of configuration settings, although there are configurations that are generally considered to be the most secure - obviously, this is preferred.

We would prefer that the server is robust, reasonably fast, and has a good connection to the internet. Services such as an automated backup system provide great comfort and peace of mind. We would prefer the server to exist in a good security environment, for example: it's physical environment should be secure; the user environment should be highly secure, and public users should be very tightly restricted. For PExOD installations considering using the integrated merchant, we will provide a security scan of the host to look for out-of-date patches, protocols and inappropriate ports.

In practice the most important thing is how helpful the people running the server are. If they're helpful then nothing is impossible, otherwise it can seem that nothing is possible.