[nylug-talk] VirtualDocumentRoot and PHP

[Tim Gales]

Ruben Safir wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 16, 2007 at 12:17:52AM -0500, Ron Guerin wrote:
>> Ruben Safir wrote:
>>
>>> But this is really not a matter of using a package manager or not.  It is an
>>> issue of Apache, and its configution and installation tools.  Apache has
>>> excellent installation tools, and configuration tools all its own.  They are
>>> well thought out, easy to use even by the novice, and essential to understand
>>> if one is to run an Apache Web Server.  Furthermore, Apache is designed to be
>>> expanded by modules making professional use of Apache OUTSIDE of any package 
>>> management an essestial aspect of running the server.
[ SNIP ]
 > Apache is designed to be installed by its source tree and to be
 > patched by its users.

"It is the Apache HTTP Project's first goal to create a robust and 
correct implementation of the HTTP server RFC. Additional goals include 
security, scalability and optimization"
--  Version 2.0 Developer Documentation

 From the Apache download page:
"Add-in modules for Apache 1.3 or 2.0 are not compatible with Apache 
2.2. If you are running third party add-in modules, you must obtain 
modules compilied or updated for Apache 2.2 from that third party, 
before you attempt to upgrade from these previous versions"

It would seem that the httpd server developers have spent quite a lot of 
effort to make Apache work reasonably well by just altering the 
directives in the configuration file -- leaving recompiling modules with 
different parameters as more of an edge case (i.e. high-performance 
issues or ultra-secure authentication schemes).

Robert Thau writes about
"Design considerations for the Apache Server API" at:
http://www.cs.vu.nl/~eliens/WWW5/papers/extra/Apache.html

Anyway, I don't think it is fair to say:
 > Apache is designed to be installed by its source tree and to be
 > patched by its users.
(as opposed to say getting it from Novell/SUSE in an rpm)

Apache is designed to be "robust and correct" and work
reasonably well 'out of the box'

-- 

T. Gales & Associates
'Helping People Connect with Technology'

http://www.tgaconnect.com