LAMPP startup fails with Error 2

Question

i'm trying to set up a webserver for testing my php scripts.

I downloaded the latest version of lampp (1.8.1) and extracted it to /opt/lampp.

Now i've just tried to start it but it fails:

xxx@xxx-pc1:/opt/lampp$ sudo /opt/lampp/lampp start
Starting XAMPP for Linux 1.8.1...
/opt/lampp/share/lampp/phpstatus: line 4: /opt/lampp/bin/php: cannot execute binary file
XAMPP: Starting Apache with SSL ...
/opt/lampp/bin/httpd: 1: /opt/lampp/bin/httpd: Syntax error: "(" unexpected
XAMPP: Error 2! Couldn't start Apache!
XAMPP: Starting diagnose...
XAMPP: Sorry, I've no idea what's going wrong.
XAMPP: Please contact our forum http://www.apachefriends.org/f/
XAMPP: Starting MySQL...
./bin/my_print_defaults: 1: ./bin/my_print_defaults: Syntax error: "(" unexpected
XAMPP: Couldn't start MySQL!
XAMPP: Starting ProFTPD... XAMPP: /opt/lampp/lampp: line 333: /opt/lampp/sbin/proftpd: cannot execute binary file
XAMPP: Error 126! Couln't start ProFTPD!
XAMPP for Linux started.
xxx@xxx-pc1:/opt/lampp$

Does anybody know this problem?

Answer 1

You have to install LAMP before it will run. The easiest way to do this in Ubuntu is to run this command.

xxx@xxx-pc1: sudo tasksel

This will start tasksel which opens a dialog box and allows you to select and install several components, one of which is LAMP. Installing LAMP will give you Apache, PHP and MySQL all wrapped up and working together. It will also make an entry in /etc/init.d to start it all up for you automatically.

If Tasksel is not installed then install it like so:

xxx@xxx-pc1: sudo apt-get install tasksel

Once in tasksel just follow the inputs and provide some basic answers and you're off and running

Answer 2

"cannot execute binary file"

If you can't run it go over to http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-linux.html and download the appropriate version for your 32 bit/ 64 bit OS. To know which one you're using type this command -

uname -m