How-to: Install, Configure and Troubleshoot Apache HTTP 2.2.3 on CentOS 5

By thiyagu114 - August 31, 2010 - 11:07pm

 This may be applicable to all Apache 2 versions.

 

To install Apache Server on CentOS 5:

Apache is installed with CentOS 5 by default.

To check if the Apache Server is installed

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#  rpm -q httpd

Or (with yum, you need to be on line)

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# yum groupinfo "Web Server"

If not installed, then install it with:

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# yum install "Web Server"

To install the text-based browser:

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# yum install elinks

To use elinks:

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# elinks 127.0.0.1

To access Apache Server on CentOS 5:

Open a browser and enter:

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http://localhost

To configure Apache Server on CentOS 5.

You do not need to do any thing to the default configuration httpd.conf file to get your Apache Server running.

All you need is to write your index.html and your web pages and place them in /var/www/html.

The default DocumentRoot is located in /var/www/html.

The default home page is located in /usr/share/doc/HTML/index.html.

The default ServerRoot in httpd.conf is ServerRoot “/etc/httpd”.

Make sure the firewall does not block access to port 80 by running:

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# system-config-securitylevel
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 Allow WWW(HTTP) as "Trusted Services"
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# apachectl start

Configure Apache service to start when the system is rebooted.

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# chkconfig httpd on

Configure Apache Server to restart on CentOS 5

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# apachectl restart

Example

  1. Back up your /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file.
  2. Run from the command line:
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# system-config-securitylevel
  3. http://s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/motion/images/blacktrans.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-size: 1.2em; white-space: pre-wrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">
check WWW(HTTP) as Trusted services
  4. http://s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/motion/images/blacktrans.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-size: 1.2em; white-space: pre-wrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">
# mkdir /var/www/html/test/
  5. http://s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/motion/images/blacktrans.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-size: 1.2em; white-space: pre-wrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">
# cd /var/www/html/test/
  6. http://s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/motion/images/blacktrans.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-size: 1.2em; white-space: pre-wrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">
# vi index.html
  7. insert(type i) the following:
    http://s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/motion/images/blacktrans.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-size: 1.2em; white-space: pre-wrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">
    Hello
  8. Save(press Esc then type :wq) the file
  9. http://s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/motion/images/blacktrans.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-size: 1.2em; white-space: pre-wrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">
# apachectl restart
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# chkconfig httpd on
  11. http://s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/motion/images/blacktrans.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-size: 1.2em; white-space: pre-wrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">
# chcon -R -u system_u /var/www/html/test/
  12. http://s2.wp.com/wp-content/themes/pub/motion/images/blacktrans.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; font-size: 1.2em; white-space: pre-wrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">
# chcon -R -t httpd_sys_content_t /var/www/html/test/
  13. Browse
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http://127.0.0.1/test

Configuring user based security

To allow only authorized users who have passwords, add the following lines to /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf.

Just before the commented option for the UserDir directive:

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       AuthType Basic
       AuthName "Test Passwords"
       AuthUserFile /etc/httpd/passdb
       Require user user1

Test the syntax with one of the followings:

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# httpd -t
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# httpd -S

Restart Apache

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# apachectl restart

Configuring Passwords

To create the passwords database passdb in /etc/httpd and add user1 to it run the following command:

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#  htpasswd -c /etc/httpd/passdb user1

To add another user, run the following command without the -c switch(which creates the database):

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#  htpasswd /etc/httpd/passdb user2

Configuring host based security

Add the following to the Directory if you want to allow access only to your network. If your network for example is 192.168.1.0:

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# vi /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
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Order allow,deny
       Allow from  192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0

Apache Troubleshooting

Backup the httpd.conf configuration file.

Make sure Apache is running:

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# service httpd status

If not running, start apache with one of the followings:

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# apachectl start
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# service httpd start

Make sure Apache is running during the boot process with this command:

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# chkconfig httpd on

Test the syntax with one of the followings:

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# httpd -t
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# httpd -S

To view error log file run the following command:

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# tail /var/log/httpd/error_log

To view Access log file run:

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# tail /var/log/httpd/access_log

To restar Apache with out disconnecting the users run :

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# service httpd reload

If you want stop Apache:

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# apachectl stop

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