The Apache Configuration File

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We have changed a few items in the httpd.conf file, but we offered no explanation of what those items meant. Let’s take just a moment to examine this file closer. Also keep in mind that this file is heavily commented. Reading through the comments after you are finished with this chapter might be helpful for some readers. For now let’s take a look at a few items and what they mean. Table 15.3 will also mention some settings we have not worked with. Recall that the httpd.conf file has dozens of settings, many of them unnecessary for basic Web server operation.

Table 15.3: The httpd.conf file

Item	Purpose
DocumentRoot	This is the root Web folder. It is here that Apache will look for Web pages.
ServerRoot	This is the root folder for log files. Apache keeps various log files of what is occurring.
Port	This is what port to listen in on. Normally this will be set to 80.
Listen	This is an alternative IP address and port to listen to. This is important if you have more than one NIC with different IP addresses and you want both to respond to connections.
MaxClients	The maximum number of Web browsers that can simultaneously connect to your Web server.
ServerName	The name of your server.
ServerAdmin	This is the e-mail address for the Webmaster.

In this case that would be you. This is a very exciting topic. Not only can you create your own Web pages with Linux, but you can put them up for the entire world to see. You should now be able to set up and run Apache. If you wish to delve deeper into the intricacies of the Apache Web server, then it is suggested that you begin with www.apache.org. After that you might consider looking into books explicitly about Apache.

A few points about Web pages and Web servers. All Web servers by default look for the Web page index.html or index.htm. In other words, if you were to register www.mydomain.com, when someone typed in www.mydomain.com, your Web server would look in the document root directory for a file named either index.htm or index.html. This is what you should always name your starting page. That page can then have links to any other pages. Also remember that the most common error on the Internet is misspelled Web addresses. Always check that before spending time checking to see if your server is configured and running properly.

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