Apache

Installing apache

Apache is the most commonly used web server in the linux world. There are alternatives such as lighttpd and spin-offs such as tomcat; this guide focuses on plan old apache using php and mySQL, otherwise known as a LAMP server (Linux-Apache-mySQL-php).

Before you begin, check that your /etc/portage/package.use file contains the php and mysql USE flags if they aren't in your /etc/make.conf.

$ sudo emerge -av apache

Once the emerge completes, we'll need to set the ServerName directive before we can start the server successfully.

$ sudo nano -w /etc/apache2/httpd.conf

Make sure the file contains the following directive:

ServerName yourserversname

Let's start apache with the system

$ sudo rc-update add apache2 default

And start the server

$ sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 start

You'll also want to add any user accounts desired to the apache group.

$ sudo usermod -a -G apache username

The default location for your web root is /var/www/localhost/htdocs/. To be sure your apache server is up and running, if you visit http://localhost , you should see a simple page with black text saying, "It works!"

Apache tips

To restart the apache server after a configuration change without interrupting service, enter the command

$ sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 graceful