Chapter 2. Installing Your Server

Table of Contents
Choose Which Packages to Install
Your Operating System Must be Red Hat Linux 6.0 or 6.1
Stop Any Running Web Server Processes
Installing the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server
Installing if You're Not Running GNOME or KDE
Installation Problems
How to Un-install the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server

The Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server is provided in RPM (Red Hat Package Manager) format. This chapter contains information about how to install the RPMs needed to run the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server. Optional packages are also included with the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server; you can choose to install them or not, depending upon whether you want the functionality they offer. Descriptions of the packages are included in the section called Choose Which Packages to Install.

Please Note: In order to install the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server, you must already have obtained and installed the Red Hat Linux operating system version 6.0 or 6.1. Red Hat Linux is not included with the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server product.

Choose Which Packages to Install

When you install the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server, you have the opportunity to install additional packages that can add functionality to the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server. We are providing short descriptions of these optional packages, so that you may make an informed decision about whether to install each optional package or not. The following sections provide these brief descriptions and include the post-installation location of each package's documentation and configuration files.

When possible, we've also included a reference to a Web page where you should be able to find more information about configuring and managing the program. Remember, however, that these Web pages may include information about a more recent version of the particular package, if a new version of the package has become available since the release of this version of the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server.

Before you start the installation, please review the following packages and decide which ones you want to install.

Apache-ASP .15

Configuration File: /etc/httpd/conf/asp.conf

Documentation: /usr/doc/perl-Apache-ASP-0.15/

Apache ASP is a port of Active Server Pages (ASP) to Apache. Theoretically, Apache ASP allows developers to create ASP-style web applications that embed session management and Perl into HTML files.

If you are going to install the perl-Apache-ASP package, you'll also need to install the perl-Devel-Symdump, perl-HTML-Parser, perl-MIME-Base64, perl-MLDBM, perl-URI, perl-libnet and perl-libwww packages. Additionally, you'll need to install the mod_perl package from Red Hat Linux and then load in the mod_perl module, as described in the section called Configuring mod_perl in Chapter 5.

Basic information on configuring Apache-ASP is provided in the section called Configuring Apache-ASP in Chapter 5.

Apache JServ 1.0

Configuration File: /etc/httpd/conf/jserv.conf

Documentation: /usr/doc/apache_jserv-1.0/

The Apache JServ (or mod_jserv) module enables your Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server to execute Java servlets. The Apache JServ module is a 100% pure Java servlet engine that is fully compliant with the JavaSoft Java Servlet API's 2.0 specification. For more information on Apache JServ, see the Apache JServ Project website at http://java.apache.org/jserv/.

Please note that Apache JServ is known to have problems with the Kaffe Java Virtual Machine (JVM). If you're going to use Apache JServ, be sure to obtain the Sun JVM from http://www.blackdown.org/ and the Sun Java Servlet Development Kit (JSDK) 2.0 from http://java.sun.com/products/servlet/.

secureweb-devel

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: N/A

The secureweb-devel package contains the Apache include files, header files and the APXS utility. You will need all of these things if you intend to load in any extra modules, other than the modules provided with this product, to your Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server. Please see the section called Adding Modules to Your Server in Chapter 4 for more information on loading modules in to your Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server using Apache's DSO support.

If you do not intend to load in other modules to your Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server, you do not need to install this package.

ht://Dig 3.1.2

Configuration File: /etc/htdig.conf

Documentation: /usr/doc/htdig-3.1.2/

ht://Dig is a Web indexing and search engine intended to be used by small domains or intranets. ht://Dig isn't meant to be a "real" Internet search engine like AltaVista, Excite, etc. Instead, ht://Dig is meant to provide searching capabilities for a single company or campus website or even for a subsection of a large website.

Please Note: ht://Dig does not currently have the ability to connect to a secure Web server. If you want to use ht://Dig with your Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server, you will need to leave your server's configuration at the default configuration, which enables both secure and non-secure operations. Please see the section called Using Virtual Hosts in Chapter 4 for information on how the default configuration of your Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server runs secure and non-secure servers on your machine using virtual hosts.

See the section called Configuring ht://Dig in Chapter 5 for more information on how to configure ht://Dig after installation. You may also want to look for more information on the ht://Dig Web page at http://www.htdig.org.

IMP 2.0.11

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: /usr/doc/imp-2.0.11/

IMP (IMAP webMail Program) is the Horde Project's IMAP webmail client. IMP is a set of PHP3 scripts that implement an IMAP-based webmail system. When installed on a server which supports IMAP and PHP3, IMP allows users with accounts on the system to check their mail over the Web. IMP's website is located at http://www.horde.org/.

IMP is in the noarch directory on your CD. If you're installing IMP, you'll also need to install the horde package. And, if you're installing IMP, you'll also need to install the mod_php3 package included with Red Hat Linux. Then you'll need to load in the PHP3 module, as described in the section called Configuring mod_php in Chapter 5.

Mailman 1.0

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: /usr/doc/mailman-1.0/

Mailman (the GNU Mailing List Manager) is software for managing e-mail-based discussion lists. Mailman is comparable to other list management programs like Majordomo and Smartmail, but Mailman's configuration is handled over the Web. Mailman sets up a Web page for each mailing list. Users can then subscribe and unsubscribe via the Web, and the list manager can perform all list management administration tasks via the Web. Mailman supports archiving, mail-to-news gateways, and most mailing list capabilities. For more information about Mailman, see the Mailman website at http://www.list.org/.

mod_dav 0.9.11

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: /usr/doc/mod_dav-0.9.11/

WebDAV (Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning) is a set of HTTP extensions which allows users to edit and manage files on remote Web servers. WebDAV (usually referred to as DAV) supports the collaborative use and manipulation of documents via the Web. At this time, only the Microsoft(TM) Internet Explorer browser supports DAV functionality. However, other browsers should support DAV in the future. For more information about DAV, see the WebDAV Resources website at http://www.webdav.org/.

The mod_dav module provides DAV capabilities for an Apache Web server. For more information on the mod_dav module and configuration options, see the mod_dav website at http://www.webdav.org/mod_dav/.

mod_roaming 1.0.1

Configuration File: /etc/httpd/conf/roaming.conf

Documentation: /usr/doc/mod_roaming-1.0.1

The mod_roaming module allows your Apache Web Server to act as a Netscape Roaming Access server. Using mod_roaming, you can store your Netscape Communicator 4.5 preferences for multiple users (including bookmarks, address books, and cookies) on your Web server. Then you can access, use and update the settings from any Netscape Communicator 4.5 which can access your Web server. For more information about mod_roaming, see the mod_roaming website at http://www.klomp.org/mod_roaming/.

Webalizer 1.30-04

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: /usr/doc/webalizer-1.30-04

The Webalizer is a Web server log file analysis program written in C for speed and portability. The Webalizer inputs a Web server's log file, analyzes the data, and produces reports and graphs which can be viewed with a browser. For more information about the Webalizer, see the Webalizer website at http://www.mrunix.net/webalizer/.

Packages Included in Red Hat Linux

The Red Hat Linux operating system includes several packages with can provide extra functionality to your Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server. Descriptions of them are provided next.

Netscape Navigator 4.51

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: http://help.netscape.com/

Netscape Navigator is a popular Web browser. Extensive help is available using Navigator's Help menu or from Netscape's Technical Support Web site at http://help.netscape.com/.

Netscape Communicator

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: http://help.netscape.com/

Netscape Communicator is a suite of products that includes the Navigator Web browser as well as an e-mail client, a news reader, and a Web page editor. Extensive help is available via any of the individual program's Help menus or from Netscape's Technical Support Web site at http://help.netscape.com/.

mod_perl

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: /usr/doc/mod_perl-1.19/ or use the following commands:

perldoc mod_perl
perldoc Apache

mod_perl is an Apache module that incorporates a Perl interpreter into Apache, so that Apache can directly execute Perl code. Installation of the mod_perl package links the Perl runtime library into the server and provides an object-oriented Perl interface for the Apache server's C language Application Programming Interface (API). The end result is a quicker CGI script turnaround process, since no external Perl interpreter has to be started.

The most common use of mod_perl is the use of its Apache::Registry module as a speedy replacement for the Common Gateway Interface (CGI). The Apache::Registry module emulates the CGI environment, so programmers can write CGI scripts which will run under either CGI or mod_perl.

You should realize that previously existing CGI scripts may require some improvements. Normally, CGI scripts have a lifetime of one HTTP request. That short lifespan allows programmers to get away with questionable scripting. Since the Apache::Registry module maintains a cache of scripts, it is quicker, but it may be less forgiving of non-standard programming.

For more information on how to set up mod_perl as a replacement for CGI, refer to the section called Configuring mod_perl in Chapter 5. For more general information about mod_perl, try the Apache/Perl Integration Project web page at http://perl.apache.org/. Basic information on getting mod_perl set up is included in the section called Configuring mod_perl in Chapter 5.

PHP3 and PHP/FI

Configuration File: N/A

Documentation: /usr/doc/mod_php3-3.0.7/ or /usr/doc/mod_php-2.0.1/

PHP is an HTML-embedded scripting language. PHP attempts to make it easy for developers to write dynamically generated Web pages. PHP also offers built-in database integration for several commercial and non-commercial database management systems, so writing a database-enabled Web page with PHP is fairly simple. The most common use of PHP coding is as a replacement for CGI scripts.

The mod_php module gives Apache the ability to understand and process the embedded PHP language in Web pages. Please refer to the section called Configuring mod_php in Chapter 5 for more information on post-installation configuration of mod_php. You should also try the PHP web page at http://www.php.net/ for more information about PHP.

Both PHP3 (the mod_php3 package) and PHP/FI (the mod_php-2 package) are included in Red Hat Linux 6.0 and 6.1. PHP/FI, the older version of PHP, is provided for people who run other programs which depend on PHP/FI and will not run with PHP3. If you have never used PHP/FI before, but you would now like to try PHP, you do not need to install the mod_php-2 package; you should install the mod_php3 package.

Basic information on how to get PHP started is included in the section called Configuring mod_php in Chapter 5.

Squid 2.2 STABLE

Configuration File: /etc/squid.conf

Documentation: /usr/doc/squid-2.2/

Squid is a proxy caching server for Web clients which supports HTTP, FTP and gopher data objects. Squid keeps meta data, popular objects, and Domain Name Server (DNS) lookups cached in RAM (or on disk if you don't have the memory to spare). Squid supports non-blocking DNS lookups and implements negative caching of failed requests.

Using Squid, you can set Web browsers to use your Web server as a proxy server. Obviously, this is only useful if you have more than one person using it or you repeatedly visit the same Web pages. Squid will cache requests so that if you access a site more than once, the subsequent retrievals will be much faster. The second and subsequent retrievals will be retrieved from the proxy server's memory instead of from the actual website.

Much more complete information about configuring Squid is provided at the Squid Web page at http://squid.nlanr.net/. Basic configuration information is provided in the section called Configuring Squid in Chapter 5.

Bonus E-Commerce Applications

The Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server includes bonus applications that provide support for electronic commerce. All of these bonus applications are provided as RPMs and are located in vendor subdirectories in the Ecommerce directory on the Linux Applications Library (LAL) included with the Red Hat Linux Apache/SSL Server.

The LAL also contains demonstration versions, in RPM format, of a number of other commercial Linux products. For more information, please refer to the README file on the CD.

Please note that the products on the LAL are not supported by Red Hat, Inc. Questions and issues concerning software on the LAL should be addressed to the responsible company, and not to Red Hat, Inc.