ColdFusion MX 7 has its own web server that you can use to develop ColdFusion MX 7 applications, without depending on an external web server, such as Internet Information Server (IIS), Apache, or SunONE. Macromedia does not recommend using the built-in web server in a production environment. However, it is more than suitable for development, allowing you to create virtual directories and set the default document (for example, default.cfm or index.cfm).
During the ColdFusion MX 7 installation, you must choose a web server. If you select the built-in web server, your web root directory is located in the cf_root/wwwroot directory. By default, the web server runs on port 8500. This means that to display a page in your application, you must append :8500 to the host name or IP address in the URL; for example,
http://localhost:8500/YourApp1/index.cfm. (If the page still does not appear, make sure that the document is located in the built-in web server's web root directory; for example, C:\CFusionMX7\wwwroot\YourApp1\index.cfm.)
Note: If you install the Server configuration of ColdFusion MX 7 with the built-in server and port 8500 is in use, for example by ColdFusion MX or ColdFusion MX 6.1, the installer starts with port 8501 and looks at up to 100 ports to find one that is not being used by an application that is running. ColdFusion MX 7 uses that port and displays a message to indicate which port it selected.
If you select an external web server, the built-in web server is deactivated.
This section describes the following topics: