About Apache


This section describes the packages you need to install and provides references for the programs covered in this chapter. The "Notes" section on page 788 introduces terminology and other topics that will help you make better sense of this chapter. "JumpStart I" (page 789) gets Apache up and running as quickly as possible.

Prerequisites

Minimal installation


Install the following packages:

  • httpd

  • apr (Apache portable runtime)

  • apr-util

Starting Apache


Run chkconfig to cause httpd to start when the system enters multiuser mode:

# /sbin/chkconfig httpd on


After you configure Apache, use service to start httpd:

# /sbin/service httpd start


After changing the Apache configuration, restart httpd with the following command, which will not disturb clients connected to the server:

# /sbin/service httpd graceful


Optional packages


You can install the following optional packages:

  • httpd-manual The Apache manual

  • webalizer Web server log analyzer (page 825)

  • mod_perl Embedded Perl scripting language

  • mod_python Embedded Python scripting language

  • mod_ssl Secure Sockets Layer extension (page 821)

  • php Embedded PHP scripting language, including IMAP & LDAP support

  • mrtg MRTG traffic monitor (page 826)

  • net-snmp and net-snmp-utils SNMP, required for MRTG (page 826).

More Information

Local


The Apache Reference Manual and Users' Guide /var/www/manual Point a browser at http://localhost/manual if httpd is running or at /var/www/manual/index.html if httpd is not running. The manual is available online only if the httpd-manual package is installed.

Web


Apache documentation RHEL httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0, FEDORA httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2

Apache directives list RHEL httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/directives.html, FEDORA httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/directives.html

Apache Software Foundation (newsletters, mailing lists, projects, module registry, and more) www.apache.org

mod_perl perl.apache.org

mod_php www.php.net

mod_python www.modpython.org

mod_ssl www.modssl.org

MRTG mrtg.hdl.com/mrtg.html

SNMP net-snmp.sourceforge.net

SSI RHEL httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/howto/ssi.html, FEDORA httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/howto/ssi.html

webalizer www.mrunix.net/webalizer

Notes

Terms: Apache and httpd


Apache is the name of a server that serves HTTP and other content. The Apache daemon is named httpd because it is an HTTP server daemon. This chapter uses the terms Apache and httpd interchangeably.

Terms: server and process


An Apache server is the same thing as an Apache process. An Apache child process exists to handle incoming client requests, hence it is referred to as a server.

Firewall


An Apache server normally uses TCP port 80; a secure server uses TCP port 443. If the Apache server system is running a firewall, you need to open one or both of these ports. To get started you just need to open port 80 (HTTP). Using the Red Hat graphical firewall tool (page 768), select WWW (HTTPD) and/or Secure WWW (HTTPS) from the Trusted services frame to open these ports. For more general information, see Chapter 25, which details iptables.

SELinux


When SELinux is set to use a targeted policy, httpd is protected by SELinux. You can disable this protection if necessary. For more information refer to "Setting the Targeted Policy with system-config-securitylevel" on page 402.

Running as root


Because Apache serves content on privileged ports, you must start it as root. For security reasons, the processes that Apache spawns run as the user and group apache.

Locale


The httpd daemon is started using the C locale by default. You can modify this behavior, for example, to use the configured system locale, by setting the HTTPD_LANG variable in the /etc/sysconfig/httpd file.

Document root


The root of the directory hierarchy that Apache serves content from is called the document root. As shipped by Red Hat, the document root is /var/www/html. You can use the DocumentRoot directive (page 796) to change the location of the document root.

Modifying content


As shipped by Red Hat, only root can add or modify content in /var/www/html. To avoid having people work as root when they are manipulating content, create a group (webwork, for example), put people who need to work with Web content in this group, and make the directory hierarchy starting at /var/www/html (or another document root) writable by that group. In addition, if you make the directory hierarchy setgid (chmod g+s filename), all new files created within this hierarchy will belong to the group, which facilitates sharing files. See page 539 for more information about working with groups.

Versions


RHEL runs Apache version 2.0. FEDORA runs version 2.2.




A Practical Guide to Red Hat Linux
A Practical Guide to Red HatВ® LinuxВ®: Fedoraв„ў Core and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 0132280272
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 383

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