Apache Web Server Configuration
Introduction
Apache has been the most popular web server on the internet since April 1996. The January
2002 Netcraft Web Server Survey found that 56% of the web sites on the Internet are using
Apache, thus making it more widely used than all other web servers combined.
Apache Web Server was developed under the Apache HTTP Server Project. It is an open-source
HTTP server for various modern desktop and server operating systems, such as UNIX and
Windows NT. The goal of this project is to provide a secure, efficient and extensible
server, which provides HTTP services in sync with the current HTTP standards.
Configuration
We have to first configure the DNS. Then configure the following file
/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf.
The root directory of Web server is /etc/httpd, which is divided into three parts:
1) /etc/httpd/conf (where configuration files stays)
2) /etc/httpd/logs (where the logs of Web server and site accessing stay)
3) /etc/httpd/modules (where the module stays, which enables the server side programmer to
do programming in the languages supported by Web server)
Now lets take a look at the file /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf.
httpd.conf-Apache HTTP Web Server Configuration file
This is the main Apache server configuration file. It contains the configuration
directives that give the server its instructions.
After this (httpd.conf) file is processed, the server will look for and process (only in
the case of 6.1 the following mentioned file is checked. If it is 6.2 they are not
checked):
/usr/conf/srm.conf
/usr/conf/access.conf
unless you have overridden these with ResourceConfig and/or AccessConfig directives here.
Directives
The configuration directives are grouped into three basic sections:
1) Directives that control the operation of the Apache server process as a whole (the
'global environment').
2) Directives that define the parameters of the 'main' or 'default' server, which responds
to requests that aren't handled by a virtual host. These directives also provide default
values for the settings of all virtual hosts.
3) Settings for virtual hosts, which allow Web requests to be sent to different IP
addresses or hostnames and have them handled by the same Apache server process.
Global Environment
The directives in this section affect the overall operation of Apache, such as the number
of concurrent requests it can handle or where it can find its configuration files.
ServerType: ServerType is either inetd, or standalone. Inetd mode is only supported
on Unix platforms.
erverRoot: The top of the directory tree under which the server's configuration,
error, and log files are kept.
PidFile: The file in which the server should record its process identification
number when it starts.
ScoreBoardFile: File used to store internal server process information. Not all
architectures require this.
In the standard configuration, the server
will process this httpd.conf, srm.conf, and access.conf in that order. The latter two
files are now distributed empty, as it is recommended that all directives be kept in a
single file for simplicity.
Timeout: The number of seconds
before it receives and sends a time out.
KeepAlive: Whether or not to allow persistent connections (more than one request
per connection). Set to "Off" to deactivate. MaxKeepAliveRequests: The maximum
number of requests to be allowed during a persistent connection. Set to 0 to allow an
unlimited amount. We recommend you leave this number high, for maximum performance.
KeepAliveTimeout: Number of seconds to wait for the next request from the same client on
the same connection.
Apache Web Server Web Server Configuration Apache HTTP Server
Useful Links
1) Apache HTTP Server -
Configuration Files |
