Very Computer

Hi, I have been tasked at work to provide a Webserver (Hardware and
software)
for our corporate intranet, I am an NT/Novell admin by trade but am
getting more
and more interested in Linux ( I hve been using it for about 12 months)
This is maybe a chance to introduce linux into my working environment
My question is, although I have been using linux for a while, I have
never looked at
apache webserver, Can anyone give me any insight into its ease of use
and administration
The intranet will start off simple at first, but will require setting up
departmental security
individual homepages/ability to check e-mail via Exchange server/user
feedback pages etc
etc, my boss will expect an NT server with IIS, but If I can get away
with a linux system
I intend to install Redhat 5.2 and Apache, anyone got much experience of
setting up
such a combination and what does it perform like

Just looking for some simple opinions on what u think I should do
I am quite Familiar with NT Server/IIS combination but as i said before
it may be a good chance to promote linux where I work

Any help or advice would be much appreciated

regards

Adrain

Apache is very easy to configure - most of your config is in two files.  I
have never worked with IIS, but the sheer size of the beast always scared
me.  You can fit all of Apache on a floppy or two.

I was up and running with the NT version in a few hours, had CGI runing in
less than a day (this was with an early beta with bad docs).

RH installs Apache by default (httpd should be running somewhere).  I don't
know if that's a good idea, but it makes it easy to configure.

Yan

In our last episode (Fri, 12 Feb 1999 10:12:37 +0000),
the artist formerly known as cufc said:

Quote:>Hi, I have been tasked at work to provide a Webserver (Hardware and
>software)
>for our corporate intranet, I am an NT/Novell admin by trade but am
>getting more
>and more interested in Linux ( I hve been using it for about 12 months)
>This is maybe a chance to introduce linux into my working environment
>My question is, although I have been using linux for a while, I have
>never looked at
>apache webserver, Can anyone give me any insight into its ease of use
>and administration
>The intranet will start off simple at first, but will require setting up
>departmental security
>individual homepages/ability to check e-mail via Exchange server/user
>feedback pages etc
>etc, my boss will expect an NT server with IIS, but If I can get away
>with a linux system
>I intend to install Redhat 5.2 and Apache, anyone got much experience of
>setting up
>such a combination and what does it perform like

There isn't much comparison as to ease of use.  I'll admit that the work I've
done with both is relatively limited, but it seemed to me that doing something
as simple as getting a list of all free/in use IP addresses was almost
impossible under IIS.  We had resorted to keeping track of used and free
addresses on a piece of paper :(  With Apache, pretty much all of the
configuration for everything, including each virtual host you want to set up,
is contained in a handfull of files, whereas if you want to set up virtual
hosting on IIS, it's a royal pain.  Apache makes URL rewrite rules extremely
simple, and CGI is very easy to implement as compared to those ASP and
ODBC-type thingies.  Setting up directory-level security is also very simple:
it's a matter of maintaining a list of allowed users in the protected
directory and a master password database somewhere.  And you don't have to
reboot the machine everytime someone f&#%s up with their Front Page Web crap.

All I can remember about IIS is that doing *anything* is really, really
painful.

--
William
It is pitch black.  You are likely to be spammed by a grue.

  In a message on Fri, 12 Feb 1999 10:12:37 +0000, wrote :

c> Hi, I have been tasked at work to provide a Webserver (Hardware and
c> software)
c> for our corporate intranet, I am an NT/Novell admin by trade but am
c> getting more
c> and more interested in Linux ( I hve been using it for about 12 months)
c> This is maybe a chance to introduce linux into my working environment
c> My question is, although I have been using linux for a while, I have
c> never looked at
c> apache webserver, Can anyone give me any insight into its ease of use
c> and administration
c> The intranet will start off simple at first, but will require setting up
c> departmental security
c> individual homepages/ability to check e-mail via Exchange server/user
c> feedback pages etc
c> etc, my boss will expect an NT server with IIS, but If I can get away
c> with a linux system
c> I intend to install Redhat 5.2 and Apache, anyone got much experience of
c> setting up
c> such a combination and what does it perform like
c>
c> Just looking for some simple opinions on what u think I should do
c> I am quite Familiar with NT Server/IIS combination but as i said before
c> it may be a good chance to promote linux where I work
c>
c> Any help or advice would be much appreciated

Apache installs and runs out-of-the-box (RedHat 5.2).  RedHat 5.2 also
includes Samba, which is a MS-Windows file server.  With Samba installed
on the Linux box, you boss will be able to do a "Map Network Drive" off
the Linux box -- it will look just like a NT server box (except it won't
BSOD all the time).  In fact, except for the lack of ASP nonsense, your
boss probably would be unable to tell the difference, except it will be
faster and more reliable.  Also RedHat Linux includes something called
"MARS" which is a Novel Netware server package.  You can even run both
Samba and MARS at the same time.  And if there are any random Macs
about, you can get and install NetATalk for them.  Cover all bases with
one box.

Apache supports virtual hosting.  There is available an SSL version
(doesn't come with RedHat's official package), if you need E-Commerce
support.

I don't know about Exchange server.

c>
c> regards
c>
c> Adrain
c>

c>
c>                                                                                              

--
                                     \/


http://www.deepsoft.com              /\FidoNet:    1:321/153

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Date: Fri, 24 Apr 1998 10:51:27 -0400 (EDT)


Subject: FYI : Microsoft picks Solaris For HotMail!!!
To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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------------- Begin Forwarded Message -------------
Solaris calls Hotmail shots for Microsoft

Microsoft has decided to get the hots for Sun and is using Solaris to
run its acclaimed Hotmail web-based e-mail service instead of NT.

The software giant has attempted to exchange the Sun/Solaris
infrastructure of Hotmail with NT since buying it in December 1997.
However, the demands of supporting 10 million users reportedly proved
too great for NT, and Solaris was reinstated.

In a leaked report, sources close to Hotmail said:  "... its whole mail
server infrastructure is Solaris. NT couldn't handle it. On the web
server, they're running MP Pentiums and Apache on FreeBSD. They're
moving to Solaris for threads. The engineering team did its best to run
NT - and failed. The issue's being escalated."

Hotmail is running Apache's /1.2.1 web server which is not available
for NT due to technical difficulties. A statement on Apache's website
states: "The road to Windows NT has not been a pretty one.  Several
attempts have been made, both by Apache Group members and outside
folks, but due to a lack of stability and a clear consensus on how to
manage a true cross-platform development project, NT is not yet a
standard platform supported by Apache."

Microsoft is currently recruiting engineers for Hotmail, but NT
specialists need not apply.  Hotmail's website lists vacancies for an
operations software engineer and a QA engineer - and the common
requirement is for Unix experience.

Judy Gibbons, director of the Microsoft Network, was unaware of the
hardware behind Hotmail, but said:  "We looked at all the on-line mail
services and Hotmail was far and away the best. It has the most proven
and scalable architecture."

              First appeared in Network News, 22-April - 1998

--

------------- End Forwarded Message -------------

Michael Saintcross
Systems Engineer
Communications District

I am not super familiar with Apache but you might take a look at their
website

http://www.apache.org/

I have set up Apache on a Slackware 3.6 Linux 2.036 box (I also upgraded to
the 2.2.1 kernel).
Apache seems easy to use once you figure out all the places to put config
files.  As mentioned
in one of the other replies, there are only a couple of basic config files,
but if you need security you will
have to dig into the docs a bit.  For instance you have to tell Apache via a
new config file that I called 'users'
who can log in.  Mine is in '/var/lib/apache'.  Then go to the subdirectory
(apache protects by subdirectory)
you wish to protect and create a file called '.htaccess'
'.htaccess' has the following format:
--------------------------------------------
AuthName rsadf
AuthType Basic
AuthUserFile /var/lib/apache/users

require user user1 user2 user3

-------------------------------------------

The file 'users' has the following format:
---------------------------------------
user1
user2
user3
----------------------------------------
I'm not completely sure about the users file format.  The users file can be
anywhere and named anything as long as its pointedd
to by the 'AuthUserFile' line in '.htaccess'.  My only '.htaccess' file is
in /var/lib/apache/share/htdocs/rsadf.
Apache addes the passwords to the 'users' file using a utility called
htpasswd.  'htpasswd' is located in my /var/lib/apache/bin directory.

Note that Apache as it comes does not support SSL.  You can however manage
some security as I've described.  If you need SSL there is a version
available for one or two hundred and I think the Apache Website has a link
to it.

Hope this helps.
Dan Malcolm

dmalcolm.vcf < 1K Download

The cool thing about apache are the modules.  Each is very well documented, and
each adds a modular functionality.  The basic system is easy to set up (I was
assuming little to no security as this was an intranet) but the full blown
system can be a bear, as it is almost infinately scalable.

Yan