Chapter 22: Web Servers: Apache

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Overview

Linux distributions provide several Web servers for use on your system. The primary Web server is normally Apache, which has almost become the standard Web server for Red Hat Linux. It is a very powerful, stable, and fairly easy-to-configure system. Other Web servers are also available, such as Tux. Tux is smaller, but very fast, and is very efficient at handling Web data that does not change. Red Hat Linux provides default configurations for the Web servers, making them usable as soon as they are installed.

Other Web servers available for Linux include the Red Hat Secure Server (www.redhat.com), Apache-SSL (www.apache-ssl.org), Stronghold Enterprise Server (www.redhat.com/software/stronghold), and Netscape Enterprise Server (home.netscape.com). Apache-SSL is an encrypting Web server based on Apache and OpenSSL (www.openssl.org). Stronghold is a commercial version of the Apache Web server featuring improved security and administration tools. You can also use the original NCSA Web server, though it is no longer supported (hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu). AOLserver is America Online's Web server that is now available under the GPL license (www.aolserver.com).

Apache freely supports full secure shell encryption using OpenSSL. There are also private cryptographic products available only with licensing fees. Instead of obtaining the licensing directly, you can simply buy a commercial version of Apache that includes such licensing such as Stronghold and Raven (www.covalent.net). Formerly, this kind of restriction applied to the use of RSA technology only in the United States, where it was once patented. The RSA patent has since expired and is now available for use in freely distributed products like OpenSSL.

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