Transcript Apache - WordPress.com

APACHE






Apache is generally recognized as the world's most popular Web
server (HTTP server). Originally designed for Unix servers, the
Apache Web server has been ported to Windows and other network
operating systems .
The name "Apache" derives from the word "patchy" that the Apache
developers used to describe early versions of their software.
The Apache Web server provides a full range of Web server features,
including CGI, SSL, and virtual domains. Apache also supports plugin modules for extensibility.
Apache is reliable, free, and relatively easy to configure.
Apache is free software distributed by the Apache Software
Foundation.
The Apache Software Foundation promotes various free and open
source advanced Web technologies.
APACHE WEB SERVER

HTTP

IIS

SSL
HTTP



HTTP - the Hypertext Transfer Protocol - provides a
standard for Web browsers and servers to communicate.
The definition of HTTP is a technical specification of a
network protocol that software must implement.
HTTP is an application layer network protocol built on top of
TCP. HTTP clients (such as Web browsers) and servers
communicate via HTTP request and response messages.
The three main HTTP message types are GET, POST, and
HEAD.
HTTP utilizes TCP port 80 by default, though other ports
such as 8080 can alternatively be used.
IIS



IIS is Microsoft's business-class Web server. Although
Apache boasts more total worldwide installations than IIS,
many corporations choose IIS as their Web server because
it is supported by a commercial organization. Some have
criticized IIS in the past, though, for its alleged security
weaknesses.
IIS has improved over the years, supports many Web
standards including SSL, and integrates well with other
Microsoft Web technologies such as FrontPage. An
admininstrator can manage IIS through a graphical console,
the Internet Services Manager.
It is also known as Internet Information Server
SSL



SSL security technology helps to improve the safety of
Internet communications. SSL is a standard for encrypted
client/server communication between network devices.
A network protocol, SSL runs on top of TCP/IP. SSL
utilizes several standard network security techniques
including public keys, symmetric keys, and certificates.
Web sites commonly use SSL to guard private information
such as credit card numbers.
It is also known as Secure Sockets Layer
CONFIGURING APACHE


One aspect of Apache that some site
administrators find confusing -- especially those
unfamiliar with UNIX-style software -- is its
configuration scheme.
Instead of using a point-and-click graphic user
interface (GUI) or Windows Registry keys as most
other modern software packages, Apache
generally relies on simple text files for its
configuration settings.
Configuration Files
Apache uses a system of three text files for managing its
configuration data. All three of these files (almost always)
appear in Apache's ./conf directory and are designed to be
edited by system administrators
* httpd.conf for general settings
* srm.conf for resource settings
* access.conf for security settings
When Apache first starts, these files are processed in the
order shown above. Originally, the initial installation of
Apache included default entries within each of the three
files.
Inside Httpd.conf
In the most recent versions of Apache, however, the default
installation has changed. Now httpd.conf is treated as the
"master" configuration file and it contains all of the settings.
Both srm.conf and access.conf still exist in the installation, but
they contain no settings and are empty except for some
comments.
Traditionaly httpd.conf contained general settings such as the
ServerName and Port number. These entries appear as
follows in the file:
ServerName compnetworking.about.com
Port 80
The term "httpd" stands for HTTP Daemon. In a UNIX environment, the
term daemon refers to a type of process designed to launch at system
boot and continue running for very long periods of time. The name
doesn't make much sense on a Windows platform, but the concept of a
UNIX daemon can be compared to the concept of Windows services.
The Windows port of Apache allows for installation as a Windows service
but does not require it.
This file contains a number of other entries (technically called
directives), but for most of these, modifications are optional. Probably the
most useful of these entries is ServerAdmin -- it allows the administrator
to set the email address that will be displayed on error pages (such a
"404 pages") in the client's browser, giving users a way to contact
someone if a site problem occurs:
ServerAdmin [email protected]
Access and Security Settings
It is recommended practice now for Apache
administrators to manage their resource and security settings
from httpd.conf. Administrators of older versions of Apache
can simply cut their entries from srm.conf and access.conf
and paste them into the master file. If an administrator wants
to go one step further and delete the two empty files, they
should also place the following entries in httpd.conf to
prevent Apache from attempting to access them:
AccessConfig /dev/null
ResourceConfig /dev/null
CONCLUSION
The family of .conf files supports most but not all
of Apache's configuration options. Other important
mechanisms for managing an Apache Web server
include the .htaccess file, the mime.types file, and the
family of log files. Look for discussion of these in a
future article.