Re: [tlug] Did Apache change everything? (Setting up virtual hosts)

[Curt Sampson <cjs@example.com>]

In answer to your question, "Did Apache change everything?" the answer
appears to be "no, your distro changed everything."

Given that this is highly likely to change again, both within your
current distro and as you move to other distros, here's my suggestion
on how to configure things so that these sorts of changes cause minimal
pain.

What you want to do is replace the default configuration file supplied
by by your distro with your own configuration file that has the
bare minimum of configuration possible and does not depend on any
configuration information supplied by your distro. This will not
insulate you from changes (since things like the location of loadable
modules can move), but it will ensure that you are not left to the whims
of someone else when it comes to configuration of most of your website,
and minimize the amount of work you need to do when those few things do
change.

After installing apache, you can find out what configuration file
it's using this way. First, start it, if it's not automatically
started. Then use "pgrep -lf apache" find the binary that's running,
and examine the command line to see if it has "-f filename"
option. If it does, that's the configuration file it's using.
If not, run the binary (often /usr/sbin/apache2) with the -V
option and look for the SERVER_CONFIG_FILE definition, which
will give you the default config file. (In my case it's "-D
SERVER_CONFIG_FILE="/etc/apache2/apache2.conf".) That's the file you
want to replace.

I recommend keeping your configuration file with your site, which
ideally should be kept under revision control. (In particular, you must
have a spare copy of the most recent version of your configuration file
in case the package system modifies it.) If you do that, you can simply
remove the system configuration file and replace it with a symlink to
your file. Alternatively, if there are issues with that, you can just
copy your configuration file over top of the system configuration file.

This configuration file should be as small as possible, with just the
bare minimum number of directives to get your site working properly.
This will aid significantly in understanding and debugging your
configuration. Comments should generally be avoided unless you're doing
something especially tricky; copying the documentation from the manual
into comments in your configuration file simply makes it harder to read
(which, as I mentioned above, makes understanding and debugging the file
more difficult).

Avoid including any of the other system configuration files that the
default system configuration may include; if these vanish, it can be
difficult to figure out what was in them, and their contents can also
change on you from time to time. For places where you need to repeatedly
use information that changes from system to system (such as the user
which apapache should become if started as root, the locations of
modules or perhaps your document root directory), consider assigning
these to variables and using those in your configuration file. I think
that apache will let you do this with SetEnv and ${} syntax, such as

    SetEnv APACHE_LOG_DIR /var/log/apache2
    ...
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log vhost_combined

This can serve to minimize and keep together the information you need to
change when your vendor moves paths around on you.

> I'm going to skip past the bitching about having to learn new crap to
> accomplish the same tasks...

Well, I can't say it's really a fair complaint, since it was you who
decided to let somebody you don't even know change your configuration
any time he feels like it. Take back control of your configuration and
your life will certainly be happier.

cjs
-- 
Curt Sampson         <cjs@example.com>         +81 90 7737 2974
             http://www.starling-software.com
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism
by those who have not got it.    --George Bernard Shaw