Re: [gentoo-dev] RFC - apache start page.

[Stuart Herbert]

On Tuesday 25 May 2004 10:29, Stroller wrote:
> Well, this may simply be because I've upgraded from a previous
> installation of Apache2, or it may be because I didn't see the ewarn
> when I emerged, but I used to have a /home/www/htdocs/ directory in
> which everything installed. I believe that cgi-bin, icons & error were
> in there..?

Gentoo used to use /home/htdocs as the ServerRoot for Apache.  It was moved 
to /var/www/localhost round about the release of apache-2.0.48-r1.

IIRC, the move happened without much warning because we had to release -r1 to 
address a security problem.  It just happened that -r1 used the proposed 
defaults, and we had to get the fix out quickly.

> Now I find that I have separate /var/www/htdocs/ & /var/www/localhost
> directories and that cgi-bin, icons & error go in the top-level
> /var/www/.

Apache should be installing this arrangement:

	/var/www/localhost
	|- htdocs
	|- cgi-bin
	|- icons
	|- error

This is so that you can create new virtual hosts under /var/www.

> GLEP 11 is presumably not intended as user-documentation, so
> an explanation for someone who finds GLEP 11 heavy-going would be
> appreciated.

I have asked for help from the gentoo-doc project; unfortunately, no-one has 
been able to volunteer their time to help us with docs.

David Stanek has been kind enough to start work on this.  You can find a draft 
at:

	http://roninds.homelinux.net/vhost.html

We really need help from people who can spare the time to help us write some 
good docs.  Otherwise, you'll have to wait until they're top of my priority 
list, and then I'll write them myself ;-)

This information was posted to the gentoo-web-user@g.o mailing list back in 
April.

> My server is never addressed as "localhost".

Doesn't matter.  If we're going to make it possible for you to install 
web-based apps using Portage, they have to have a default home.  That's 
what /var/www/localhost is.

> I do use virtuals,
> although I'd be happy to admit I don't have a clue about them. I
> believe that when I originally emerged Apache2 I made suitable
> directories for compaq.stroller.uk.eu.org & www.stroller.uk.eu.org
> within htdocs & pointed the virtual hosting at those directories. When
> squirrelmail emerged to htdocs I could simply symlink
> mail.stroller.uk.eu.org to squirrelmail in the same directory. Now
> compaq.stroller.uk.eu.org & www.stroller.uk.eu.org reside within the
> /var/www/ alongside localhost

You can still symlink if you wish.  Nothing we've changed prevents you from 
doing so.

> In writing this email to you I find that an emerge --update has placed
> the new squirrelmail in /var/www/htdocs/, a directory which is now
> otherwise fairly redundant, as it only contains the default Apache
> start-page (in several languages). That update to squirrelmail has been
> ignored the past month, as I wasn't aware it would go there.

Okay, sounds like you're running with ACCEPT_KEYWORDS=~x86.  It also sounds 
like your /etc/vhosts/webapp-config file is incorrect too.

I recommend that you run

	emerge -C squirrelmail
	emerge webapp-config
	etc-update
	emerge squirrelmail

to restore your system to something approaching sanity.

I'd also recommend that you either pay closer attention to what and where 
Portage installs things, or that you stop running with ACCEPT_KEYWORDS=~x86.

> This is what _I_ find confusing, however it was you that stated:
> > I'd say that the main problem people have (apart from my stupid bugs
> > ;-)
> > is that they just don't h.a.f.c. about virtual hosting.

Actually, it wasn't Chuck who said that, it was me.

> In what other ways have users demonstrated to you that the don't have a
> clue about virtual hosting..?

This is based on my personal experience of directly talking to Gentoo users 
about web-based applications over the last month or two.  Most users are 
comfortable w/ using their box to serve pages for just the one domain; moving 
to using name-based virtual servers has demonstrated that there's a bit more 
to read about.

There are good docs already available from Apache's website, explaining how 
virtual hosting works.  We just need some help to write some Gentoo-specific 
ones - especially ones that show you how much easier it is to do on Gentoo 
than on <insert alternative Linux distribution here>.

Advance warning: when I can make the time, I plan to look at the idea of 
installing Apache with virtual hosting ON by default.

Hope that helps,
Stu
-- 
Stuart Herbert                                              stuart@g.o
Gentoo Developer                                       http://www.gentoo.org/
                                                   http://stu.gnqs.org/diary/

GnuPG key id# F9AFC57C available from http://pgp.mit.edu
Key fingerprint = 31FB 50D4 1F88 E227 F319  C549 0C2F 80BA F9AF C57C
--