apache error (probably mine)

OK, I'll humble myself. Its probably a PEBKAC error, but this is what I'm getting when trying to load Apache2. (first time setting up a server)

(13): make_sock: could not bind to address [::]:80
no listening sockets available, shutting down
Unable to open logs

How do I fix it?

Can you post your config file. What address have you bound apache to? Also check if the user from which apache is launched has the required permissions

did you start it as root? if not do so.The default socket is bound to port 80 and so needs root privileges to be created. If you change the config file to make the apache listen on port 8080 i. e. you can start it as normal user...

.. also, you might want to check that there isn't already an instance running that's blocking the port.

ps -ef | fgrep httpd

Andy M

is it possible that apache is trying to bond to ipv4 address and ipv6 - but the server doesn't have ipv6 enabled ??

also run netstat -ntl to see what tcp ports are currently being listened on

the couldn't open logs does however imply a permissions problem

Running in root, I get this:

phantom@lightseeker:~$ sudo apache2 (98): make_sock: could not bind to address [::]:80 no listening sockets available, shutting down Unable to open logs phantom@lightseeker:~$

or...

phantom@lightseeker:~$ netstat -ntl Active Internet connections (only servers) Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:2208 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:3306 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:38611 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:631 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN tcp6 0 0 :::80 :::* LISTEN phantom@lightseeker:~$

Took care of that part...

Now, I'm getting more errors.

phantom@lightseeker:/etc/apache2$ sudo apache2
Syntax error on line 54 of /etc/apache2/httpd.conf:
Cannot load /etc/apache2/mods-available/actions.load into server: /etc/apache2/mods-available/actions.load: invalid ELF header
phantom@lightseeker:/etc/apache2$

Here is my httpd.conf file (a friend's with a few mods, which i haven't finished cause it won't load my initial ones).

#
# This is the main Apache HTTP server configuration file.  It contains the
# configuration directives that give the server its instructions.
# See <URL:http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2> for detailed information.
# In particular, see 
# <URL:http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/directives.html>
# for a discussion of each configuration directive.
#
# Do NOT simply read the instructions in here without understanding
# what they do.  They're here only as hints or reminders.  If you are unsure
# consult the online docs. You have been warned.  
#
# Configuration and logfile names: If the filenames you specify for many
# of the server's control files begin with "/" (or "drive:/" for Win32), the
# server will use that explicit path.  If the filenames do *not* begin
# with "/", the value of ServerRoot is prepended -- so "/var/log/httpd/foo.log"
# with ServerRoot set to "@@ServerRoot@@" will be interpreted by the
# server as "@@ServerRoot@@//var/log/httpd/foo.log".

#
# ServerRoot: The top of the directory tree under which the server's
# configuration, error, and log files are kept.
#
# Do not add a slash at the end of the directory path.  If you point
# ServerRoot at a non-local disk, be sure to point the LockFile directive
# at a local disk.  If you wish to share the same ServerRoot for multiple
# httpd daemons, you will need to change at least LockFile and PidFile.
#
ServerRoot "/etc/apache2"

#
# Listen: Allows you to bind Apache to specific IP addresses and/or
# ports, instead of the default. See also the <VirtualHost>
# directive.
#
# Change this to Listen on specific IP addresses as shown below to 
# prevent Apache from glomming onto all bound IP addresses.
#
#Listen 12.34.56.78:80
Listen *:80

#
# Dynamic Shared Object (DSO) Support
#
# To be able to use the functionality of a module which was built as a DSO you
# have to place corresponding `LoadModule' lines at this location so the
# directives contained in it are actually available _before_ they are used.
# Statically compiled modules (those listed by `httpd -l') do not need
# to be loaded here.
#
# Example:
# LoadModule foo_module modules/mod_foo.so
#
LoadModule actions_module          /etc/apache2/mods-available/actions.load
LoadModule alias_module            /etc/apache2/mods-available/mod_alias.so
LoadModule asis_module             /etc/apache2/mods-available/mod_asis.so
LoadModule auth_basic_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_auth_basic.so
LoadModule auth_digest_module      /usr/lib/apache/mod_auth_digest.so
LoadModule authn_anon_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_authn_anon.so
LoadModule authn_dbd_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_authn_dbd.so
LoadModule authn_dbm_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_authn_dbm.so
LoadModule authn_default_module    /usr/lib/apache/mod_authn_default.so
LoadModule authn_file_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_authn_file.so
LoadModule authz_dbm_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_authz_dbm.so
LoadModule authz_default_module    /usr/lib/apache/mod_authz_default.so
LoadModule authz_groupfile_module  /usr/lib/apache/mod_authz_groupfile.so
LoadModule authz_host_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_authz_host.so
LoadModule authz_owner_module      /usr/lib/apache/mod_authz_owner.so
LoadModule authz_user_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_authz_user.so
LoadModule autoindex_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_autoindex.so
LoadModule cern_meta_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_cern_meta.so
LoadModule cgi_module              /usr/lib/apache/mod_cgi.so
LoadModule dav_module              /usr/lib/apache/mod_dav.so
LoadModule dav_fs_module           /usr/lib/apache/mod_dav_fs.so
LoadModule dbd_module              /usr/lib/apache/mod_dbd.so
LoadModule deflate_module          /usr/lib/apache/mod_deflate.so
LoadModule dir_module              /usr/lib/apache/mod_dir.so
LoadModule dumpio_module           /usr/lib/apache/mod_dumpio.so
LoadModule env_module              /usr/lib/apache/mod_env.so
LoadModule expires_module          /usr/lib/apache/mod_expires.so
LoadModule ext_filter_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_ext_filter.so
LoadModule filter_module           /usr/lib/apache/mod_filter.so
LoadModule headers_module          /usr/lib/apache/mod_headers.so
LoadModule ident_module            /usr/lib/apache/mod_ident.so
LoadModule imagemap_module         /usr/lib/apache/mod_imagemap.so
LoadModule include_module          /usr/lib/apache/mod_include.so
LoadModule info_module             /usr/lib/apache/mod_info.so
LoadModule log_config_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_log_config.so
LoadModule log_forensic_module     /usr/lib/apache/mod_log_forensic.so
LoadModule logio_module            /usr/lib/apache/mod_logio.so
LoadModule mime_module             /usr/lib/apache/mod_mime.so
LoadModule mime_magic_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_mime_magic.so
LoadModule negotiation_module      /usr/lib/apache/mod_negotiation.so
LoadModule proxy_module            /usr/lib/apache/mod_proxy.so
LoadModule proxy_ajp_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_proxy_ajp.so
LoadModule proxy_balancer_module   /usr/lib/apache/mod_proxy_balancer.so
LoadModule proxy_connect_module    /usr/lib/apache/mod_proxy_connect.so
LoadModule proxy_ftp_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_proxy_ftp.so
LoadModule proxy_http_module       /usr/lib/apache/mod_proxy_http.so
LoadModule rewrite_module          /usr/lib/apache/mod_rewrite.so
LoadModule setenvif_module         /usr/lib/apache/mod_setenvif.so
LoadModule speling_module          /usr/lib/apache/mod_speling.so
LoadModule ssl_module              /usr/lib/apache/mod_ssl.so
LoadModule status_module           /usr/lib/apache/mod_status.so
LoadModule suexec_module           /usr/lib/apache/mod_suexec.so
LoadModule unique_id_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_unique_id.so
LoadModule userdir_module          /usr/lib/apache/mod_userdir.so
LoadModule usertrack_module        /usr/lib/apache/mod_usertrack.so
LoadModule version_module          /usr/lib/apache/mod_version.so
LoadModule vhost_alias_module      /usr/lib/apache/mod_vhost_alias.so
#LoadModule cache_module            modules/mod_cache.so
#LoadModule disk_cache_module       modules/mod_disk_cache.so
#LoadModule mem_cache_module        modules/mod_mem_cache.so
LoadModule php5_module             /usr/lib/apache/libphp5.so

<IfModule !mpm_winnt_module>
<IfModule !mpm_netware_module>
#
# If you wish httpd to run as a different user or group, you must run
# httpd as root initially and it will switch.  
#
# User/Group: The name (or #number) of the user/group to run httpd as.
# It is usually good practice to create a dedicated user and group for
# running httpd, as with most system services.
#
User nobody
Group nobody

# 'Main' server configuration
#
# The directives in this section set up the values used by the 'main'
# server, which responds to any requests that aren't handled by a
# <VirtualHost> definition.  These values also provide defaults for
# any <VirtualHost> containers you may define later in the file.
#
# All of these directives may appear inside <VirtualHost> containers,
# in which case these default settings will be overridden for the
# virtual host being defined.
#

#
# ServerAdmin: Your address, where problems with the server should be
# e-mailed.  This address appears on some server-generated pages, such
# as error documents.  e.g. admin@your-domain.com
#
ServerAdmin phantomcyph@localhost

#
# ServerName gives the name and port that the server uses to identify itself.
# This can often be determined automatically, but we recommend you specify
# it explicitly to prevent problems during startup.
#
# If your host doesn't have a registered DNS name, enter its IP address here.
#
ServerName cyphsystems:80

#
# DocumentRoot: The directory out of which you will serve your
# documents. By default, all requests are taken from this directory, but
# symbolic links and aliases may be used to point to other locations.
#
DocumentRoot "/hdd/www"

#
# Each directory to which Apache has access can be configured with respect
# to which services and features are allowed and/or disabled in that
# directory (and its subdirectories). 
#
# First, we configure the "default" to be a very restrictive set of 
# features.  
#
<Directory />
    Options FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride None
    Order deny,allow
    Deny from all
</Directory>

#
# Note that from this point forward you must specifically allow
# particular features to be enabled - so if something's not working as
# you might expect, make sure that you have specifically enabled it
# below.
#

#
# This should be changed to whatever you set DocumentRoot to.
#
<Directory "/hdd/www">
    #
    # Possible values for the Options directive are "None", "All",
    # or any combination of:
    #   Indexes Includes FollowSymLinks SymLinksifOwnerMatch ExecCGI MultiViews
    #
    # Note that "MultiViews" must be named *explicitly* --- "Options All"
    # doesn't give it to you.
    #
    # The Options directive is both complicated and important.  Please see
    # http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/mod/core.html#options
    # for more information.
    #
    Options Indexes FollowSymLinks

    #
    # AllowOverride controls what directives may be placed in .htaccess files.
    # It can be "All", "None", or any combination of the keywords:
    #   Options FileInfo AuthConfig Limit
    #
    AllowOverride None

    #
    # Controls who can get stuff from this server.
    #
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all

</Directory>

#
# DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory
# is requested.
#
<IfModule dir_module>
    <IfModule mod_php5.c>
        DirectoryIndex index.html index.php
        AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
        AddType application/x-httpd-php-source .phps
    </IfModule>
    DirectoryIndex index.html
</IfModule>

#
# The following lines prevent .htaccess and .htpasswd files from being 
# viewed by Web clients. 
#
<FilesMatch "^\.ht">
    Order allow,deny
    Deny from all
</FilesMatch>

#
# ErrorLog: The location of the error log file.
# If you do not specify an ErrorLog directive within a <VirtualHost>
# container, error messages relating to that virtual host will be
# logged here.  If you *do* define an error logfile for a <VirtualHost>
# container, that host's errors will be logged there and not here.
#
ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/error_log

#
# LogLevel: Control the number of messages logged to the error_log.
# Possible values include: debug, info, notice, warn, error, crit,
# alert, emerg.
#
LogLevel warn

<IfModule log_config_module>
    #
    # The following directives define some format nicknames for use with
    # a CustomLog directive (see below).
    #
    LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %b \"%{Referer}i\" \"%{User-Agent}i\"" combined
    LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %b" common

    <IfModule logio_module>
      # You need to enable mod_logio.c to use %I and %O
      LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %b \"%{Referer}i\" \"%{User-Agent}i\" %I %O" combinedio
    </IfModule>

    #
    # The location and format of the access logfile (Common Logfile Format).
    # If you do not define any access logfiles within a <VirtualHost>
    # container, they will be logged here.  Contrariwise, if you *do*
    # define per-<VirtualHost> access logfiles, transactions will be
    # logged therein and *not* in this file.
    #
    #CustomLog /var/log/httpd/access_log common

    #
    # If you prefer a logfile with access, agent, and referer information
    # (Combined Logfile Format) you can use the following directive.
    #
    #CustomLog /var/log/httpd/access_log combined
</IfModule>

<IfModule alias_module>
    #
    # Redirect: Allows you to tell clients about documents that used to 
    # exist in your server's namespace, but do not anymore. The client 
    # will make a new request for the document at its new location.
    # Example:
    # Redirect permanent /foo http://www.example.com/bar

    #
    # Alias: Maps web paths into filesystem paths and is used to
    # access content that does not live under the DocumentRoot.
    # Example:
    # Alias /webpath /full/filesystem/path
    #
    # If you include a trailing / on /webpath then the server will
    # require it to be present in the URL.  You will also likely
    # need to provide a <Directory> section to allow access to
    # the filesystem path.
    #Alias /image/ "/home/httpd/images/"

    #
    # ScriptAlias: This controls which directories contain server scripts. 
    # ScriptAliases are essentially the same as Aliases, except that
    # documents in the target directory are treated as applications and
    # run by the server when requested rather than as documents sent to the
    # client.  The same rules about trailing "/" apply to ScriptAlias
    # directives as to Alias.
    #
    ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "/home/httpd/cgi-bin/"

</IfModule>

<IfModule cgid_module>
    #
    # ScriptSock: On threaded servers, designate the path to the UNIX
    # socket used to communicate with the CGI daemon of mod_cgid.
    #
    #Scriptsock /var/run/cgisock
</IfModule>

#
# "/home/httpd/cgi-bin" should be changed to whatever your ScriptAliased
# CGI directory exists, if you have that configured.
#
<Directory "/hdd/cgi-bin">
    AllowOverride None
    Options None
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
</Directory>

#
# DefaultType: the default MIME type the server will use for a document
# if it cannot otherwise determine one, such as from filename extensions.
# If your server contains mostly text or HTML documents, "text/plain" is
# a good value.  If most of your content is binary, such as applications
# or images, you may want to use "application/octet-stream" instead to
# keep browsers from trying to display binary files as though they are
# text.
#
DefaultType text/plain

<IfModule mime_module>
    #
    # TypesConfig points to the file containing the list of mappings from
    # filename extension to MIME-type.
    #
    TypesConfig /etc/httpd/conf/mime.types

    #
    # AddType allows you to add to or override the MIME configuration
    # file specified in TypesConfig for specific file types.
    #
    #AddType application/x-gzip .tgz
    #
    # AddEncoding allows you to have certain browsers uncompress
    # information on the fly. Note: Not all browsers support this.
    #
    #AddEncoding x-compress .Z
    #AddEncoding x-gzip .gz .tgz
    #
    # If the AddEncoding directives above are commented-out, then you
    # probably should define those extensions to indicate media types:
    #
    AddType application/x-compress .Z
    AddType application/x-gzip .gz .tgz

    #
    # AddHandler allows you to map certain file extensions to "handlers":
    # actions unrelated to filetype. These can be either built into the server
    # or added with the Action directive (see below)
    #
    # To use CGI scripts outside of ScriptAliased directories:
    # (You will also need to add "ExecCGI" to the "Options" directive.)
    #
    #AddHandler cgi-script .cgi

    # For files that include their own HTTP headers:
    #AddHandler send-as-is asis

    # For server-parsed imagemap files:
    #AddHandler imap-file map

    # For type maps (negotiated resources):
    #AddHandler type-map var

    #
    # Filters allow you to process content before it is sent to the client.
    #
    # To parse .shtml files for server-side includes (SSI):
    # (You will also need to add "Includes" to the "Options" directive.)
    #
    #AddType text/html .shtml
    #AddOutputFilter INCLUDES .shtml
</IfModule>

#
# The mod_mime_magic module allows the server to use various hints from the
# contents of the file itself to determine its type.  The MIMEMagicFile
# directive tells the module where the hint definitions are located.
#
#MIMEMagicFile /etc/httpd/conf/magic

#
# Customizable error responses come in three flavors:
# 1) plain text 2) local redirects 3) external redirects
#
# Some examples:
#ErrorDocument 500 "The server made a boo boo."
#ErrorDocument 404 /missing.html
#ErrorDocument 404 "/cgi-bin/missing_handler.pl"
#ErrorDocument 402 http://www.example.com/subscription_info.html
#

#
# EnableMMAP and EnableSendfile: On systems that support it, 
# memory-mapping or the sendfile syscall is used to deliver
# files.  This usually improves server performance, but must
# be turned off when serving from networked-mounted 
# filesystems or if support for these functions is otherwise
# broken on your system.
#
#EnableMMAP off
#EnableSendfile off

# Supplemental configuration
#
# The configuration files in the /etc/httpd/conf/extra/ directory can be 
# included to add extra features or to modify the default configuration of 
# the server, or you may simply copy their contents here and change as 
# necessary.

# Server-pool management (MPM specific)
#Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-mpm.conf

# Multi-language error messages
Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-multilang-errordoc.conf

# Fancy directory listings
Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-autoindex.conf

# Language settings
Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-languages.conf

# User home directories
#Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-userdir.conf

# Real-time info on requests and configuration
#Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-info.conf

# Virtual hosts
#Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf

# Local access to the Apache HTTP Server Manual
#Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-manual.conf

# Distributed authoring and versioning (WebDAV)
#Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-dav.conf

# Various default settings
Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-default.conf

# Secure (SSL/TLS) connections
#Include /etc/httpd/conf/extra/httpd-ssl.conf
#
# Note: The following must must be present to support
#       starting without SSL on platforms with no /dev/random equivalent
#       but a statically compiled-in mod_ssl.
#
<IfModule ssl_module>
SSLRandomSeed startup builtin
SSLRandomSeed connect builtin
</IfModule>

> $ netstat -ntl
> Active Internet connections (only servers)
> Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State
> tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:2208 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
> tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:3306 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
> tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:38611 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
> tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:631 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN
> tcp6 0 0 :::80 :::* LISTEN

Ahaah Something's already got IPV6 port 80.

Now try (as root)
netstat -nap | fgrep ":80"

This will reveal what app has port 80 open.

Cheers

Andy M