The following are installation considerations for all platforms:
Macromedia supports upgrading to ColdFusion MX 6.1 from ColdFusion MX (the installation functions as an updater), ColdFusion 4.5, and ColdFusion 5. If you are upgrading, you must back up your existing ColdFusion applications first.
If you have previously installed a Beta version of ColdFusion MX 6.1, you must uninstall it before you install the release version.
Macromedia recommends using the built-in (internal port-based) web server for development, but not in a production environment.
If you have ColdFusion 4.5 or 5 installed on your computer, you can upgrade to ColdFusion MX (which disables ColdFusion 4.5 or 5), or you can install ColdFusion MX separately, in co-exist mode. If you install ColdFusion MX separately, your ColdFusion 5 installation remains the same and ColdFusion MX installs with its built-in web server. This is because ColdFusion MX and ColdFusion 5 cannot use the same web server.
You can switch to use a different web server for ColdFusion MX after the installation, by following the instructions for your platform and the web server in Configuring web servers. However, if you configure the web server that uses ColdFusion 5 to use ColdFusion MX instead, ColdFusion 5 will be disabled.
During installation of the server configuration, if you select the built-in web server, your web root directory is C:\CFusionMX\wwwroot by default. This web server runs on the 8500 port. To display a page, append 8500 to the end of the host name or IP address; for example, http://localhost:8500/MyApp.cfm. (If the page still does not display, make sure that the document is located in the ColdFusion MX web root directory; for example, c:\CFusionMX\wwwroot\MyApp.cfm.) For more information, see Using the built-in web server.
To interact with ColdFusion pages, components, and server-side ActionScript from a Macromedia Flash movie, use the Flash Remoting service in ColdFusion MX. To develop applications that use Flash Remoting, you must install the Flash Remoting components in the Flash MX authoring environment. The Flash MX authoring environment is required to build applications that connect to and interact with the Flash Remoting service in ColdFusion.
For more information on configuring ColdFusion MX 6.1 to use Flash Remoting, see Enabling web services access for Flash Remoting. For more information on Flash Remoting, see Developing ColdFusion MX Applications.
ColdFusion MX is built in Java and when installing the server configuration, the ColdFusion MX 6.1 installer automatically installs the JRE that is appropriate for your platform. When installing the J2EE configuration, ColdFusion MX 6.1 uses the same JRE as your J2EE application server.
In an optimal production environment, each ColdFusion MX application is hosted on a dedicated server; database, mail, and other servers are not on the same computer.
