Apache in FMS 4 Developer vs XAMPP Environment for PHP

Question

1.  Have a Flash Webpage under development designed to permit preview and streaming of FLV video.  Downloaded FMS Developer as a test server on my computer.  Apache 2.2 loads with it with a checkbox option to install it or not. I'm able to stream my video OK in this setup using RTMP://localhost and the FLVPlayback component in Flash Pro.  I like some of the OSMF players better like the one in the FMS Start Screen, but I haven't been able to integrate/embed it into my Flash webpage using the HTML provided.  They say just paste it to the webpage, but in ActionScript how do you do that?  None of the online help really explains how to embed Strobe Media Player into an FLA webpage using their HTML.
2.  I plan to use PayPal Express Checkout for Digital Goods (EC/DG) as my pay facility on the Flash webpage. My videos will play to a cuepoint and then jump to a PayPal button which executes (EC/DG) .  I'm having trouble integrating PayPal with my Flash webpage.  There's a lot of online help, but most solutions involve PHP.  To help me understand PHP I bought the e-book, "Adobe Dreamweaver CS5 for PHP" which recommends downloading the XAMPP platform which contains Apache, PHP, MySQL etc.  I have several questions concerning this:  (a) If I use the XAMPP software, as recommended in the Dreamweaver book, do I have to first uninstall the Apache that comes with FMS? I assume you can't have two Apache's running at the same time. (b) Is FMS the Server or is Apache the server in the FMS installation? (c) Does the Apache software installed with FMS include PHP and MySQL, which seems to be required for any server-side coding?
You can see by some of these questions that I'm new to all this Server stuff.  I'm doing it myself because I can't afford to pay the $400 to $500 a month for a Video Streaming Host.  I want to use FMS with Amazon Web Services to implement my Streaming Video Project, but I'm not sure I can do it with all the problems I'm encountering.  Anybody know any "reasonable" developers?   ;-)
Two final questions:
3.  Why would I need Flash Builder if I have Dreamweaver?  Don't they do essentially the same thing?
4.  Can I do everything I'm trying to do in 1 and 2 above just using ActionScript and JavaScript, which I understand is just Server-side ActionScript?
I appreciate any help you can give me on any one or all of these issues.  Thanks
Joel Cotten
VideoArts

Answer 1

1. backup your applications folder, fms.ini and any other config files that you have changed in the FMS install directory.
2. uninstall FMS
3. reinstall FMS and uncheck the option to install the bundled apache webserver . FMS should be installed on a seperate server as apache. Flashplayer uses port 80 and it  Will conflict adobe apparently bundles apache to be used as demo. I have never gotten PHP and all its modules such as gd to work on their version of apache. reinstall you applications folder and fms.ini(any thing else you backed up)
4. install apache 2.2,PHP,PHP PEAR(if you ever want to send mail)  install  mysql and mysql workbench on the server machine.
5. create a text document and change hide known file extensions in the windows folder options so you can change the text files extension to .html(myEmbedFile.html) paste the html provided into this file put it on the webserver and browse to it.
Resources to keep in mind.
1. You can use any desktop machine running windows that is has at least 512 mb of ram as development machine. I have installed all the above mentioned servers on desktop machines. I currently use a single quad core destop for all my delvelopment needs and because its a devlopment machine i took port 80 out of fms.ini and installed IIS,Mysql and FMS on it. Keep in mind if you are using windows 7 that you can install apache and PHP on it but I could not get GD (php graphics module) to install on it an currently use IIS. If you do all of this on Linux its not a problem but you may have to find a patch for FMS to get it to install.
2. if you want to attach your ip adderess to a domain name use dyn.dns their client will autochange your IP address if your ISP gives you a new one or you change a nic card or for any other reason.
You should do everything I've described above to be able to learn and create apps as effiecently and with as little hassle as possible.
You can use a package such as  XAMPP to which will install all the above servers but i prefer to do it one by one and use config files without a config manager and I think its easier to install any sever modules I might want to use in the future to expand my development websites. Your choice though.