Apache Web Server This is the main configuration menu for the WWW-server Apache. Apache provides many configuration options and is extendable with third-party modules. As a result _L_i_n_u_x_c_o_n_f can only control some of Apache's functionality -- the most important parts. In this window, you con- trol the server-wide configuration. You can also set default values, which can be overridden, for specific parts of the Web server con- tents. 11.. AAddmmiinniissttrraattoorr eemmaaiill This address will be included in error messages to Web clients (browsers), for example, when pages can't be found. This email address is usually webmaster@domain. 22.. DDoommaaiinn IIPP aaddddrreessss If you want to let several virtual domains share a single IP address, you must enter that address here. 33.. SSeerrvveerr nnaammee The name of the Web server. If name resolving works (using DNS or /etc/hosts) you should not have to enter anything here. However, if Apache is unable to determine the hostname at startup, or if the hostname is not the same as the official name of the Web server, you need to provide it yourself. 44.. SSeerrvveerr aalliiaasseess Alias names for the Web server. Names _m_u_s_t _n_o_t be provided here in the main configuration; this is only for virtual domains. 55.. DDooccuummeenntt rroooott The directory (in the real filesystem) from which your Web server will be serving most of its Web pages. For example: If you set the document root to /home/httpd/html, then accesses to http://your.webserver.com/index.html would return the file /home/httpd/html/index.html. An access to http://your.webserver.com/foo/gazonk.gif would return /home/httpd/html/foo/gazonk.gif. 66.. EErrrroorr lloogg The path to the log file for error messages. Usually, it is logs/error_log, which is relative to the ServerRoot. Often the directory logs in ServerRoot is a symbolic link to /var/log/httpd. Then the log path above would result in error messages being logged to /var/log/httpd/error_log. You should monitor this log after reconfiguring, since most configuration errors are logged here (Linuxconf, sadly, catches only a few of them.) Additionally, any failed accesses by clients (non- existent pages, failed authorization and so on) are also logged here. 77.. TTrraannssffeerr lloogg All accesses to the Web server will be logged in this file. Usually, it is logs/access_log. Every access is logged on a single line in the Common Log Format (most Web logfile analyzers understand this format). 88.. AAggeenntt lloogg The browsers used to access the Web server are logged in this file. 99.. RReeffeerreerr lloogg If an access was the result of a user following a link from some page to the accessed page, then the other, referring page is logged in this file. 1100.. SSccrriipptt AAlliiaass Provides the location for CGI programs. This should be two paths, separated by whitespace. The first path is the path used in URL that triggers execution of a CGI program; the second path is where those CGI programs are stored in the real filesystem. For example, if the script alias is /cgi-bin/home/httpd/cgi then a request for http://your.webserver.com/cgi-bin/feedback.py would execute and return the output of /home/httpd/cgi/feedback.py. 1111.. UUsseerr The user the web server should run as. This means that the Web server can only read and write those files which that a user has rights to read or write, respectively. Therefore, this should be set to a user with very low privileges, for example, nobody. An even better idea is to create a user specifically for the Web server. This is very important, if you want to let the Web server write files in some directory, since the user "nobody" should not have privileges to write files anywhere except in /tmp. 1122.. GGrroouupp The group the Web server should run as. See the discussion of User above, but apply it to groups instead of users. 1133.. TTuunniinngg 1133..11.. LLiisstteenn oonn ppoorrtt The TCP port on which the Web server should listen for HTTP requests. The standard port for HTTP is 80, so if you use another port you need to include it in the URL. For example, if you let your Web server listen on port 8000, then the URL to your server would be http://your.webserver.com:8000/. 1133..22.. PPiidd ffiillee The Web server stores the PID of its main process in this file. You will probably not need to modify this. 1133..33.. TTiimmee oouutt How many seconds the Web server will wait for a request to be sent after a client has connected to the server. If a client connects but doesn't send any request, it will be disconnected after this amount of time. 1133..44.. HHoosstt nnaammee llooookkuuppss Whether the Web server should attempt to find out the host names of connecting clients. If this is disabled, only the IP address of the client will be logged. If you enable it, the host name will be logged instead, if it is possible to resolve the IP address to a name. There are two disadvantages of enabling host name lookups. Every access results in network traffic to resolve the address, and the accessed page can't be returned until after the address is resolved, so your Web server will be slowed down. If you're interested in seeing the host names of machines accessing your Web server, a better idea is to let a log file analyzer resolve the addresses as it processes the log files. 1144.. FFeeaattuurreess This controls various features beyond simply returning the contents of a file. In most cases this is controlled by the sub-directory specs instead. 1144..11.. SSeerrvveerr ssiiddee iinncclluuddeess If enabled, files with the extension .shtml are processed to expand server side includes tags before the results are returned to the client. 1144..22.. IInncclluuddeessNNOOEEXXEECC Also enables server side includes, but the SSI tag #exec and #include:ing CGI-scripts are disabled. 1144..33.. MMaayy eexxeeccuuttee CCGGII Allow CGI scripts. Usually only enabled in the sub-directory spec for the CGI directory. 1144..44.. IInnddeexxeess When accessing an URL ending in a directory the file index.html in that directory is returned. If that file doesn't exist, and this option is enabled, a directory listing is returned. If this option is disabled, a 404 Not found is returned instead. 1144..55.. MMaayy ffoollllooww ssyymmlliinnkkss If an accessed directory or file is a symbolic link, the access will only be allowed if this feature is enabled. 1144..66.. FFoollllooww ssyymmlliinnkk iiff oowwnneerr mmaattcchheess As above, but additionally, the owner of the symbolic link and its target file must be the same. This allows users to have symbolic links to their own files, but not to sensitive system files like /etc/passwd. 1144..77.. MMuullttiivviieewwss Multiviews allows the client browser and the Web server to negotiate the format and language in which data should be returned. To make the Web server capable of doing this, you can store the various languages and data formats in files with certain extensions and then enable multiviews.