Newbie Configuration of Apache Server
 

I have successfully installed Debian (thanks to the wonderful guide available here online). Using Synaptic, I have successfully installed Apache. I know that because I can pull up the default Apache web page from my Windows XP computer.

Is there a GUI configuration for Apache? I want to host multiple web sites on this one server (single ip address). I am using wmaker as a windowing manager. (I hope wmaker stands for windows maker and not widow maker.)

I'm afraid I don't know any versions of anything but if you need that info, I'll get it if you tell me how. Thanks.

-Terry

configuring httpd.conf directly realy isn't too hard, but if you do want some form of gui, have a look at webmin.

Thanks. I've used Webmin before but it slipped my mind.

You say it's not too difficult to do it in text mode. Can you tell me where I can get some basic instructions for how to edit that file (I'm not even sure what directory it is stored in)?

-Terry

The best place to get some basic instructions on how to edit the file is the file itself. It 's really well documented. I did not have any expirience on how to edit it when I first tried. Just back up it and then play with it. If something goes really wrong you may still restore the original one. Also google is your friend.
The file is the same I think for any OS. I'm sure if you use google there are many tutorials/guides

Thanks. My problem was finding documentation that I could understand. It looks like a lot of the beginning docs still assume that you know basic text mode Linux. For all the times I've picked it up and put it down, I still struggle with the basics.

With that in mind, I am using debian and I need to know what to install that will enable me to print to my external Jetdirect on my network. I have lpr installed, but Webmin doesn't have anything in it except to print to a local port (coms and lpts) or to a unix server. I wanted to print out the http.conf file for closer examination. I'm off to try more things, but wondered if there were a helping hand (or rather a helping finger to point me in the right direction).

-Terry

Ok, the problem I am working on is to setup an Apache Server with multiple name-based web sites. If I find the answers to my own questions, I will post them here to have a log of what I am doing to accomplish this task.

I have printed information from Apache.org and I have a list of directives and explanations for them. I have Webmin installed and can get to the http.conf file through that GUI. However, the file is quite long and I would like to print it out.

So now I need to digress and figure out how to get my debian system to print to my JetDirect. I used Syanptic to find lprngtool and installed that. When I ran it, it suggested that I install mpage and gs (ghostscript - postscript - I finally got it!). The description for gs suggested that I try gv instead, so I did.

Then I successfully used lprngtool to (I think) configure my laserjet printer. But it won't print from a mozilla web page. Is there a printer test I can run?

You stupid newbie, (since noone has replied, I started talking to myself), You forgot to set the filter. The filter is the Windows equivalent to a "driver" that tells the computer what codes to send to the printer.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, the Printer Test page is right there on the menu of the lprngtool!!



The big question now is this: Why can't I print a web page showing in Mozilla? I click print but nothing comes out. It doesn't even show the new printer in the list. What's up with that?

I don't know exactly what you are doing but most linux distros, including fedora I think use CUPS for printing. Enable cups from the services windows in one of your menus, if it isn't enabled and then open your favorite Web Browser, and in the address bar type: (without any space)
From there you should be able to add a new printer, but as far I remember fedora can autodetect your printer. So even this may not be necessary.

I installed CUPS and configured it just like you said. From the CUPS administration, I was able to set up the printer and print a test page. (I have no idea if there will be any conflict between CUPS and LPRngtool.)

But why can't I print from the web browser?

And how do I print a document from a terminal window?

make sure you have in usr/bin the lp, lpr, lpq,lprm,lpstat soft links pointing to lp-cups,lpr-cups,lpq-cups etc.
You can print an ASCII file using lp or lpr command:
*EDIT*
lprng and CUPS cannot cooperate, because both need those links.
CUPS needs lp pointing to lp-cups and lprng needs lp pointing to lp-lprng I think.
But I don't think they conflict. It's just you cannot make use of both.

Also, it's really Ironic, you hijacked your own thread :)

I have located the httpd.conf file in the /etc/apache directory. I tried "lp httpd.conf" and "lpr httpd.conf" but nothing printed out. Remember I'm a newbie and I'm sure I'm missing something simple. Any directions you can kick me in?

are the lp,lpr links OK?
DOto see where they are linking to

running that command produces this:

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 3 Apr 30 02:19 /usr/bin/lp -> lpr

I don't know exactly what that means.

It means lp is a symlink to /usr/bin/lpr (think of it as like a shortcut in Windows, I made a post earlier this week with some more nerdy detail about how links work, which you can read if you want). Does typing lpq have an entry for your printer? If so, try lpr -P<printer name> httpd.conf. Do you get any messages of any type when you try that?

As for many host names on one server, read the virtual hosting part of httpd.conf. You use virtual hosts to do this. In particular in httpd.conf you have:

NameVirtualHost *

and then:

Fill in values appropriate to your system. Good luck!

WHat is lpr try the same command for lpr

Typing lpq immediately showed me the problem. The print q showed all the jobs I had tried and the printer listed was a generic dot matrix that got installed automatically. I went into the lprntool and deleted the wrong printer and then tried it again and it worked!! Thanks!

The printing also worked from Mozilla. Excellent!

Ok, through all of this I am confused by something minor. I was following the detailed instructions for installing Debian. At the end, the author showed us how to log in as an ordinary (non-root) user, open a terminal window, type "su" to change to root, and run synaptic to install new programs. That worked great until I rebooted. Then when I logged back in as a lowly user and opened xterm and typed in su, then tried to run synaptic, it says :

xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
xlib: client is not authorized to connect to server synaptic: could not open display

So now I have to log in as root to run synaptic. Any idea why?

Are you sure you did not type "su -" the second time?
Anyway the problem is that the X session belong to the user and it refuses the root connections.
I cannot remember how to solve it, but if you are using KDE try:
kdesu -c synaptic

You can also solve the problem by doing

xhost +localhost

as your user. This will have the X server accept all connectionbs from the local machine.

I'm certain I didn't type "su -" because I don't even know what that means. I am using WindowMaker.



I don't understand using xhost +localhost as my user. Can you explain?

After you have started your GUI, open a terminal window and type "xhost +localhost" (no quotes).

after I logged in, I opened a terminal window and typed in "xhost +localhost". It replied that the localhost was added to the access control list.

Then I typed "su" to change to root to run synaptic and got the same message as before:


xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
xlib: client is not authorized to connect to server
synaptic: could not open display

????

you probably did xhost +localhost for normal user and not as root. You need to do it for root as well.

On the root terminal do again.
# xhost +localhost

it should work...

Tux

I did it in a terminal window after typing su to change to root.

After your post, I shutdown xwindows, logged out, logged in as root, started xwindows, opened a terminal window, typed "xhost +localhost" and then shutdown xwindows, logged out from root, logged back in as a normal user, started xwindows, opened terminal windows, typed su to change to root, ran synaptic and it worked.

You were correct about the fix. Can you explain it to me a little bit? What did that do?

And, of course...Thanks!

-Terry

Well the man page is your friend:
*EDIT*
Also with su - you login as a different user, (if you don't specify username, the as root) the same as simply typing su but it also loads the enviroment of the different user, (reads .profile, etc) and will probable redirect you in the home directory of the user. Try it out.

I turned off the machine and turned it back on today, and now I'm back to having the same problem -- I can't run su from xterm and then run synaptic. I even went back and repeated the procedure that worked last time but was unable to get it to work. Is that normal? (Well, obviously it is for me.)

Re: Newbie Configuration of Apache Server
 

Forgive me, could you point me to the specific guide you're referring to? Thanks.

Be glad to. I found it under the Forums (on this site), Linux Distros, Debian, Debian Configuration Post Install.

That post will have this link in it: http://osnews.com/story.php?news_id=2016

It was a great guide for me.