[TriLUG] Apache Cookbook

[Scott Chilcote]

Rodent of Unusual Size wrote:
> holding out?  i don't think there's been any secret about this; you
> just don't read my web log. :-)
> 
> as you all know, i generally don't come to meetings; the only one
> i've been to, in fact, was something last year about the kernel.
> i suppose i could do a talk or something, but i don't know when.
> it would help if i knew exactly what sorts of things people wanted
> to know, so i encourage everybody on the list who's interested to
> reply *in this thread* with 'i'd like to hear about x' comments
> so i can try to come up with stuff that'll be the most useful to
> the most people.

I'll be happy to weigh in.

This info may be generally available somewhere by now, but this problem 
has bitten me several times and I don't know where to find it.

I occasionally write CGI applications, and like to test them using 
Apache and a public_html directory in my user account.  Whenever I 
create one I find that I'm on a new Linux install or an upgraded one, 
and I have to go and configure httpd.conf to allow a user's public_html 
to work, and then get the CGI to execute.

It may just be me, but this has never, ever gone smoothly.  I read the 
comments carefully, apply what I think are the right changes, restart 
apache, try the CGI, and it doesn't run.  I go read the log files, tweak 
httpd.conf some more, tinker with dir/file permissions, pull hair, etc.

I have managed to get it all working, but since these are side projects 
I've also run out of time and had to put it aside.  It would be great if 
there's an easy way to do this now.  Maybe someone will volunteer the 
info.  If not, I'd enjoy getting the authoritative goods on how to make 
user account CGIs do their stuff the first time, every time.

Since security goes hand in hand with this, discussing the most recent 
ways to protect these programs would also be a great help.

I know httpd.conf has been discussed before, I remember a presentation 
on it from a TriLUG meeting a while ago.  I enjoyed that one, but I 
still lack the tools to take the default version Redhat provides and 
make this work consistently.

I hope others would find this useful.

--
Scott C.