Checkout geoserver and mapserver. Geoserver has a bulit in admin for the settings of your data layers, and is better with raster data. Mapserver is better for vector data. Regards..
You can enter tue site for many educational institutes that have IDL and they have put the manuals of the software in their web site. Just google.... if not send me a emai and gladly pin point it out.
This plugin is a good solution if your in the need of rapidly deploying maps in your existing joomla site. But better give OpenLayers a try. Openlayers is the backend of this pluging, but without the support and investment.