FAQs

This topic contains some of the most frequently asked questions Zend Server users have asked the Zend Documentation team.

Think you have a question that should be added to this page? Send it to documentation@zend.com.

Q: What is Zend Server?

Zend Server is an integrated application platform for mobile and web applications, which:

  • Provides superior tools to enable developers to create higher quality code faster
  • Provides best-in-class app life-cycle automation capabilities from code to production
  • Provides the best back-end platform for scaling, performance and application management

More about Zend Server...

Q: Do I need to change my application to use Zend Server?

No. Zend Server is built using regular PHP from php.net and everything that runs on php.net can run on Zend Server. To start using Zend Server’s features, you can either put your code in the document root of your web browser, or you can use the Zend Server Deployment mechanism, which helps you eliminate key sources of deployment failures and ensure consistency across development, staging and production.

Q: What is the expected improvement in performance with Zend Server?

With Zend Server, your apps are already running faster than before. You can squeeze even more performance out of them using the following features:

  • Running jobs using Zend Job Queue allows executing time-consuming jobs asynchronously, removing application bottlenecks and improving end user experience.
  • Using Zend Page Cache speeds up recurring access to PHP pages by caching the entire output of specific URLs.
  • Can't cache the entire page? Use the Zend Data Cache API to avoid computing the same data again and again.

Q: Which operating systems does Zend Server support?

Zend Server can be installed on a variety of OS: Windows, Linux distributions, Mac OS X and IBM i.

Q: Can I automate the installation of Zend Server using Puppet or Chef?

Once you have installed Zend Server, Zend Server Web APIs / CLI Tools can be used within Puppet / Chef / Other CM engines to launch your installation on Development / Production profiles, modify configurations, deploy applications for first use, and more.

For an introduction to Zend Server CLI Tools which utilizes Web APIs calls, click here.​

Q: How can I install Zend Server using my existing Apache Web server?

In Windows, Zend Server bundles its own Apache Web server and cannot use an existing pre-installed Apache server.

On Linux, Zend Server uses the Apache server which is shipped with the Linux distribution.

Q: Can I upgrade to Zend Server 8.5 from a previous version of Zend Server?

Yes. For more details, see the installation and upgrade guide for your operating system:

Q: How do I know which Zend Server edition is right for me?

Zend Server is suitable for each stage of your app’s life-cycle - whether in development, staging or production. Zend Server editions are tailored for each stage with a specific set of features for that will boost your productivity. For a breakdown for these editions and included features, see Zend Server Editions.

Q: Can I use the Zend Server Developer edition in production?

The Zend Server Developer edition is meant for development purposes only, and therefore cannot be used in production. To use Zend Server in production, try any of the other Zend Server editions.

Q: I use the Zend Server Free edition. What happened to the Free edition in Zend Server 7 and 8?

The Free edition does not exist in Zend Server 7 and higher. You can continue using the Zend Server 6 Free edition for as long as you like.

If you wish to upgrade to Zend Server 7 or 8, you will be able to use the new Zend Server Developer edition for a period of one year and with no cost. Please note, that this edition can only be used for development purposes, and not production.

Q: Which Zend Server editions support clustering applications onto multiple servers?

Running highly available applications that are clustered across multiple servers requires Zend Server Enterprise or Professional editions. Learn more about the differences between the various editions of Zend Server.

Q: For multiple server environments, how many licenses will I need?

You need one license for every instance of Zend Server in the cluster, regardless of how many physical or virtual machines the cluster is actually running on or the number of CPUs used by those machines.

Q: How does Zend Server pricing account for virtualization or for machines with multiple cores?

Zend Server is priced per server instance, regardless of the physical or virtual nature of the hardware or the hardware CPU configuration.

Q: How do I access the Zend Server UI?

Depending on your OS, simply open your browser at:

  • Windows: http://localhost:10081/ZendServer or https://localhost:10082/ZendServer
  • Linux/Mac: http://localhost:10081/ZendServer or https://localhost:10082/ZendServer
  • IBM i: http://IBM_i_hostname:10088/ZendServer

Note:

If you are using a remote connection, replace 'localhost' with your Host Name or IP.

Q: I've lost my password. How do I access the Zend Server UI?

You can easily reset your password:

  • Windows: In the Start menu, locate the Zend Server section, and select Zend Server | Change Password.
  • IBM i : Use Setup menu option 1
  • Linux/Mac OS X: run $ /usr/local/zend/bin/php /usr/local/zend/bin/gui_passwd.php <your new password>

    For more information on changing passwords, see Working with Authentication and Passwords.

Q: I am trying to add a custom PHP extension (as a DLL) on Windows, but the extension does not load. Why is that?

Before trying to add pre-built binary extensions on Windows, please make sure that the extension is built for the PHP version that is shipped with Zend Server, that it is not a debug build, and most importantly, that the extension is compiled in non-thread-safe (NTS) mode. Extensions compiled with thread-safety enabled will not work with Zend Server. Please note that Zend does not support custom extensions, and that before submitting any support requests, you should disable any custom extensions that you have added.

Q: Can I take advantage of application-specific features without having to use Zend Server to redeploy my existing applications?

Yes. Existing URLs on your server can be defined as applications, allowing you the same monitoring and management capabilities as applications deployed through Zend Server.

Q: What platforms and web servers are supported for application deployment?

Zend Server supports application deployment on Linux, Mac OS X, IBM i and Windows. Application deployment is only supported using the Apache and nginx web servers.

Q: How do I get Z-Ray?

Z-Ray comes bundled with Zend Server 8. If you haven't downloaded and installed Zend Server yet, go to http://www.zend.com/en/downloads.

Q: I have Zend Server 8 but still can't see Z-Ray, what should I do?

If you are in a development environment, make sure Z-Ray is enabled from the Z-Ray | Mode page in the Zend Server UI.

If you are in production, we recommend using Z-Ray's Selective Mode, to allow access with IP, URL and time restrictions.

If you still can’t see Z-Ray, there may be a connectivity issue. For more information, see Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues.

Q: Can Z-Ray work in production?

Z-Ray can be used in production using the Selective Mode. This mode enables administrators to allow access to Z-Ray according to IP, URL and time duration by passing a specially created access token in the URL.

Q: What is a document root?

The document root is the file system directory in which files need to be placed in order to be run by the Web server. Files placed in your document root can be accessed by browsing to http://localhost:<port_number>/<file_name>. Files and directories under the document root will generally be available for download (if they are static files such as HTML or images) or for execution (if they are dynamic files such as PHP scripts).

Q: Where is my document root?

The location of your default Zend Server document root depends on the operating system and the Web server you are using:

Windows

If Zend Server is running on Microsoft IIS - C:/inetpub/wwwroot

If Zend Server is running on Apache - C:\Program Files (x86)\Zend\Apache2\htdocs

If you changed the location of your Zend Server installation, your document root will be located at <Zend_Server_installation_directory>/Apache2/htdocs, where <Zend_Server_installation_directory> is the location of the directory in which your Zend Server is installed.

Linux

the location of your document root is defined by your distribution's Apache packages, and will vary depending on your distribution and configuration.

Common locations include:

  • Debian, Ubuntu - /var/www
  • Fedora Core, RHEL, CentOS, Oracle Enterprise Linux - /var/www/html
Mac OS X

/usr/local/zend/apache2/htdocs

Q: What is my port number?

In most cases, your Web server's port number will be 80. If your port number is 80, you can omit the <port> parameter from your URL when browsing to your Web pages (i.e. you can browse to http://localhost/<file_name> without specifying a port number).

In the following circumstances, your port number will be different:

  • You are running Zend Server on Mac OS X. In this case, the default port number will be 10088.
  • You modified the port number on which Zend Server listens, during or after installation.

Q: What is the 'Web server user'?

When the Web server starts up, its processes will run as a particular user. You can use this user to set permissions for the Web server and PHP to write to various system resources.

The following are the default user values. If you have modified your configuration, use the modified values:

Windows
  • If Zend Server is running on Microsoft IIS - IUSER
  • If Zend Server is running on Apache - SYSTEM
Linux
  • DEB installation - www-data
  • RPM installation - apache
  • RHEL, CentOS, Oracle Enterprise Linux - apache