10.5. Configuration Directives in httpd.conf
The Apache HTTP Server configuration file is
/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf. The httpd.conf file is well-commented and mostly self-explanatory. The default configuration works for most situations; however, it is a good idea to become familiar some of the more important configuration options.
Warning
With the release of Apache HTTP Server 2.0, many configuration options have changed. If migrating a version 1.3 configuration file to the 2.0 format, refer to Section 10.2, “Migrating Apache HTTP Server 1.3 Configuration Files”.
10.5.1. General Configuration Tips
If configuring the Apache HTTP Server, edit
/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf and then either reload, restart, or stop and start the httpd process as outlined in Section 10.4, “Starting and Stopping httpd”.
Before editing
httpd.conf, make a copy the original file. Creating a backup makes it easier to recover from mistakes made while editing the configuration file.
If a mistake is made and the Web server does not work correctly, first review recently edited passages in
httpd.conf to verify there are no typos.
Next look in the Web server's error log,
/var/log/httpd/error_log. The error log may not be easy to interpret, depending on your level of expertise. However, the last entries in the error log should provide useful information.
The following subsections contain a list of short descriptions for many of the directives included in
httpd.conf. These descriptions are not exhaustive. For more information, refer to the Apache documentation online at http://httpd.apache.org/docs-2.0/.
For more information about
mod_ssl directives, refer to the documentation online at http://httpd.apache.org/docs-2.0/mod/mod_ssl.html.
