404 errors from Mavericks web server

Question

Running Mavericks server in VirtualBox while I come up with a checklist for implementing WordPress on a Mac mini next week. Running into strange 404 errors that I'm not familiar with.
1) Turned on web server and PHP. Localhost opens the default web page just fine.
2) Tried installing PHPmyadmin. Got 404 errors attempting to access any files in that directory.
3) Moved the default index.html.en into a folder named osxs. Got 404 errors trying to access those files. HOWEVER, localhost still finds that page in the root directory, which it shouldn't.
4) Moved WordPress default files into root folder. Localhost still shows default OSXS page.
Is there a cache that needs to be refreshed? I've tried turning Apache off and on again, with no luck.
Thanks,
Jeff

Answer 1

I'm going to guess you're reading some directions for an older OS X release, or for OS X client and not OS X Server.
404 is "not found".  That'll usually show up in the Apache logs, including the requested (failed) path.  When maintaining and particularly troubleshooting a web server, you'll always be reading the server logs and the web server logs.
If you've not already done so, use Server.app to create a web site underneath /library/server/web/data/sites and load your content management system there.  Don't create that directory elsewhere.  Keep it in that path.  At least not yet.  (Apache intentionally doesn't allow folks to navigate random parts of the file system.)
OS X Server requires functional DNS, as well.  To verify that, launch Terminal.app from Applications > Utilities and issue the following harmless diagnostic command:
sudo changeip -checkhostname
That'll require an administrative password, might show a one-time informational message around the use of sudo, and will then display some network information and then an indication that no changes are required, or that there are DNS or network problems. 
Do not use .local nor .arpa as your domain.