Apache Web Server Administration

An Apache webserver course provides a technical introduction to installing, configuring and managing the Apache web server and to supporting CGI programming on the Apache server. Our hands-on training courses are designed to teach students how to manage an Apache server in a way which balances comprehensive and powerful functionality on the one hand with safe, secure and reliable operation on the other.

The Apache webserver course was originally devised to met the needs of developers and technical support staff at the UK's largest business ISP. The design of the hands-on exercises in this Apache course and in other Apache courses drawas heavily on their experiences and that of our own commerce consultants

Day 1

Lesson 1 Getting Started

• Apache
• Webservers
• Apache features
• Installing Apache
• Installing FoxServ
• Compiling Apache
• Running Apache
• Running Apache automatically
• Checking Apache is running
• Serving webpages
• Setting the document root
• Applying configuration changes

Lesson 2 Basic Configuration

• Configuring Apache
• Directives
• Modules
• Checking configurations
• Logging
• A little HTTP
• Configuring log-file contents
• Specifying log-files
• Logging errors
• Browser error messages
• Curtom error pages
• Server and directory index pages
• Custom index pages
• Forbidding index pages
• Trailing slaahes in directory paths
• Directory paths without trailing slashes
• Per-directory configuration
• example
• Other directives affecting where setting apply
• Context for container directives
• Per-directory configuration outside httpd.conf
• ,htaccess file configuration
• Protecting files with passwords
• Creating a password file
• Maintaining a password file
• Password authentication example
• Password authentication details
• Restricting access by IP address
• Address and password authentication

Lesson 4 Serving Multiple Sites with Virtual Hosts

• Multiple sites on a server
• Setting up virtual host names
• Testing host names
• Enabling virtual hosts
• Defining virtual hosts
• Configuring virtual hosts
• Using virtual hosts
• Host aliases
• Managing many hosts

Day 2

Lesson 1 Dynamic pages with CGI and PHP

• Dynamic pages
• CGI
• CGI programs
• Sample Unix shell CGI script
• Sample Perl CGI script
• Running CGI programes with Apache
• CGI parameters
• Perl CGI parameter example
• CGI issues
• PH scripts
• Using mod_php
• Sample PHP scripts

Lesson 2 Using mod_perl to Create Dynmaic webpages with Perl

• mod_perl
• Installing mod_perl
• Using mod_perl
• Using Apache : : Registry
• Apache : : Registry v CGI Perl
• Apache : : Perlrun
• Other mod_perl features

Lesson 3 Using other Modules

• Modules
• Loading Modules
• mod_spelling
• mod_rewrite
• URL rewriting patterns
• Redirecting
• Transforming URLs
• Browser-dependant pages
• Deploying mod_rewrite

Lesson 4 Serving Pages Using HTTPS with mod_ssl

• HTTP security
• HTTPS
• Installing mod_ssl
• Getting a certificate
• Configuring mod_ssl
• HTTP and HTTPS sites cohabiting
• HTP and HTTPS virtual hosts