I have an index file that was formerly a simple index.html file. I had this file saved as /datalib/Dropbox/foobar/index.html and linked from the foobar subdirectory of my Apache root directory with a symlink:
All worked well when I pointed my browser to http://localhost/foobar/index.html

Then I added some PHP coding. During the writing and testing process, I had the index.php file in the foobar subdirectory of my Apache root directory, and again all worked well: I was able to open it by pointing my browser to http://localhost/foobar/index.php

However, when I moved the PHP file into the /datalib/Dropbox/foobar subdirectory and set up a symlink in the foobar subdirectory of the Apache root directory, I cannot open it in my Firefox browser. I get the message 403 Forbidden and I'm told I "don't have permission" to access the file on this server.

In short, I can open an index.html file either directly or through a symlink, and I can open the index.php file directly, but not through a symlink (even after rebooting the computer). File permissions are 775 all the way down to the Apache root.

Any ideas where I should look for the problem?

Hi,

You should check the apache error_log for hints.

Regards

1 members found this post helpful.

Thanks, bathory. I found the error.log file and the relevant message is I know the link target exists because I can open it with vim using the symlink; and the former symlink to index.html also worked, so I assume that the problem is due to the symlink pointing to a PHP file.

Also - and perhaps due to the same issue - when I simply put http://localhost in my browser's address-bar, I get a hot-link listing of all the other subdirectories of the Apache root - all of which have index.html files - but the foobar subdirectory is not listed.

I don't know where to go from here.

Nah, the file type has nothing to do with this.
Just make sure you're not using "SymLinksifOwnerMatch", or that the target file and the symlink belong to the same user.


Make sure the (sub)dirs have 755 permissions and the files 644

1 members found this post helpful.

Also if you're using selinux you may need to tell selinux you're using files in a directory outside the default directory for www files.

bathory - - Aha! The permissions on the /datalib/Dropbox sub-directory were 705 - I changed them to 775, and all is right in the world! (Well, at least this little corner of it.)

Thanks!