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Apache Books Media Software Book Reviews

Administering Apache 54

Posted by timothy from the first-apply-the-tourniquet dept.
Sure, you know that Netcraft tests have for a while provided empirical evidence of Apache's usefulness and ubiquity. But if you're called upon to use Apache in your workplace (or if you care to serve pages for fun off your home box), you might need more to go on. Chromatic took some busy time out of his life to write this review of Administering Apache, which he says takes a "calculated, strategic approach" to what has become one of the world's most important pieces of software.

Administering Apache
author Mark Arnold, Jeff Almeida, & Clint Miller
pages 513
publisher McGraw Hill
rating 8
reviewer chromatic
ISBN 0-07-212291-9
summary This task-oriented guide presents a comprehensive overview of Apache's features, suitable for the small homepage provider and the huge virtual-domain farm.

*

The Scoop

It's hard to know where to begin using something as powerful and flexible as Apache. Serving basic pages is easy, but how do you keep track of visitors? How do you provide unique and appropriate content? What happens when you need more than just a static server?

Adminstering Apache takes a calculated, strategic approach. Dedicating the first chapter to the needs of various entities (corporation, small business, large ISP, small ISP), it discusses the Apache features that will come into play. While the book can be read from start to finish as a tutorial, following one of the roadmaps is the quickest way to get things up and running.

What's to Like?

People who love details will appreciate many sections, like the comprehensive configuration information. The book passes the usefulness test, having served as an authoritative reference on multiple occasions. For example, the installing/compiling chapter has an excellent list of modules and configuration suggestions that came in handy with a recent project. (The index alone fills 19 full pages of two-column, small print text.)

Instead of grouping all of the possible httpd.conf directives in one section, the authors cover them by topic. Localisation information can be found in the content chapter, while logging directives live in chapter 5. This division of information fits the topical philosophy, increasing the work's reference value.

While by no means essential data or a comprehensive reference, the chapter on creating new Apache modules was very interesting. The authors write a sample module in C to implement a new MIME type handler. The program's evolution and refinement demonstrates Apache's design and API, as well as good module programming practices.

The scope of the book covers more than just Apache. Aside from obvious topics of security and networking issues, the text includes firewall and proxy information, pages of related Internet sites, and even sample bash scripts to create new homepage users and directories for ISPs. Other sections discuss HTTP and CGI from protocol and implementation standpoints. (Besides, any other book dedicated to Apache business use that doesn't have a section on paid referrer logs is incomplete.)

What's to Consider?

As with Apache itself, there is a strong Unix flavor to the text. The single Windows NT chapter is only five pages long, focusing on a few important differences from the Unix version. The other chapters are reasonably cross-platform (though most of the CGI examples are shell scripts, not Perl or PHP).

While a definitive guide would easily double the size of the book, precious little space covers common modules. Besides brief descriptions of distributed modules, the only real discussion involves mod_ssl, though a few have links provided. Also, the book concentrates on Apache in a commercial environment. Perhaps the corporate intranet server best approximates the single-user, small-site setup common for developers' personal pages.

From a writing standpoint, some sections are best left as references. The authors deserve sympathy for writing two pages describing log format string substitutions -- let alone testing and editing them. Though filled, in places, with almost too much information, the writing never becomes muddied. Still, you won't stay awake nights reading some chapters.

The Summary

While not the most exciting book to grace your shelf, Administering Apache is a detailed and useful guide to the Apache web server. More than an introduction, it will be a good reference, not just for the mechanics of the software, but for the technique and mindset necessary to maintain an installation in a business environment.

Table of Contents

  1. Planning Ahead
  2. Creating the Web Server
  3. Creating the Web Site
  4. Manipulating Content
  5. Using Logs
  6. Securing the Server, the Content, and the Connection
  7. Creating Homepage Web Sites
  8. Creating Virtual Domain Web Sites
  9. Proxying with Apache
  10. Troubleshooting
  11. Using Apache on Windows NT
  12. Programming the Apache Server
Appendix

You can purchase this book at Fatbrain.
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Administering Apache

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  • Most likely because they already have published a book on Apache.

    So? They've published more than one book on Oracle, Photoshop, etc. In fact, they've even published another Apache book [oreilly.com], so you can't claim that they've reached the Apache limit.
  • You seem to be mis-informed...
    *smirk* Apache (bless its heart) is a web server, Windows is an OS. Now lets move on...
    Apache can be run on Windows or Linux, however the latter is prefered.

    .ph0x
  • It is definately worth it if you are in the category of a user who is familair with unix but is realtively new to apache. If I was a total rank beginner I would use Mohammed Kabir's "Apache Bible" His book is an easy read with gome good graphics, but I prefer "Administering Apache" since it has many step-by-step intructions as to how to set up the server to do what you want. Also the "Apache Bible" is now almost 3 years old and is starting to show it. I still refer to it though to fill in some gaps.

  • Granted, the code methodology is a little tricky to get the hang of first, but once you understand how they designed it, it makes alot of sense.

    You just answered your own question, just consider that, for some reason, it might be trickier for some.

  • I've found the O'Rielly book on apache is much less readable than the confusing online docs. They should be ashamed of themself for publishing such a waste. I have a copy of "Apache Server Administrator's Handbook" and its not bad at all but I think that all books on apache are bound to suffer the same fate to some degree because apache is so damn confusing.

  • They're not all daft. I work for a very large corporation, and we use Apache. On Solaris.

  • I want a web server; not necessarily to be a professional web server admin: I've found the apache module of webmin incredibly helpful if you want to run apache but are less concerned with managing the web server itself.

    Here is a screenshot of the webmin module [webmin.com].

    PS: webmin is itself a great tool if you want to play with multiple distributions and not worry too much about the individual conf file idiosyncracies. Try it at webmin. [webmin.com]
  • I guess that '=p' in my comment was missed by your /god-like/ eyes, sorry if i offended the great iis masters.
    I meant that as an exageration on an otherwise shortcoming of uptimes for Microsoft box's.

    'Me thinks thou protesteth too loudly'
    -Shakespeare

    .ph0x
  • In my opinion win2K pro is the best desktop OS Microsoft has ever created. People say Unix is just "so wrong on the desktop" but i say "windows is so wrong as a server". Win 2k is very stable. Of course that could be because shoddy hardware don't even have drivers for it and won't crash the system, but it's faster than ME on my comp, more stable, and more powerfull. The only thing i can't stand is that its god medicore mulitmedia support compated to ME. Whislter SHOULD fix that but i've read that they are removing dual proc support in whister, which is dumb considering it's based on win2k. Apple figured out that there is a vaible market for dual proc desktop systems. and we all know it can be cheaper to but 2 (celerons)slower chips rather than one more powerful one(P3). yet the 2 slower one outperform the faster one.

    If whistler doesn't support 2 procs then that's ANOTHER thing microsoft will have missed.

  • Ok, it was a different tribe, so Sioux me...

  • According to Jeff, there's already a second edition of this book planned, with additional goodies on performance tuning (including information on non-core patches from ... SGI? can't remember). It sounds like that book will cover Apache 2.0.

    I'll certainly be reading the second edition this time next year.

    --

  • Re:Apache users are weenies (Score:3)

    by Surazal ( 729 ) on Thursday December 07, 2000 @08:42AM (#575374) Homepage Journal

    I am curious. How does one learn more from text config files than by using a GUI. Is it because it takes longer, so you get more exposure to the product? That doesn't seem right.

    Well, my experience with IIS is a bit limited, not because I haven't had exposure to it, but it such a "easy-to-use" product once you start doing some of the more complicated tasks it gets too frustrating to use properly.

    Think of it this way. I used to program religously in BASIC. Nowadays I stick to Perl, even though by most definitions Perl is "harder" to learn (which I agree with; I've used both extensively throughout my life). However, once you start doing tasks that are more complicated than the examples you find in the "Learning BASIC 101" tutorial books you realize that BASIC isn't as easy to use as you thought initially, since you start concentrating more on the "workarounds" rather that your code. Perl, as Larry Wall put it, "makes the easy job easy and the hard jobs possible". BASIC just does a good job of making the hard jobs a programming (and sometimes managerial) nightmare.

    When you have something like IIS, it appears to be easier because the first ten "easy" tasks you can think of to do with it are so simple. But the bugger is when you try to bend it in ways Microsoft never really intended. Thus, your stuck.

    Anyways those are my two cents.

  • Oh, but the Sioux are really the Lakota.
    Sioux is an Indian word meaning 'enemy', approapriately what the enemies of the Lakota called them. 8o)~
  • yeah but you also have to reboot IIS ever couple days to keep it going =p. And really its not quite as configurable as Apache.

    .ph0x
  • I guess I was just commenting on how most people on this site won't admit to that.
  • Unfortunately, not all people administering apache are experienced admin. While I can work my way through apache docs just fine, I know others here who might need to make changes to the server when I'm gone wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of some of that stuff.

    Personally, I see the book as more of a training aid, not a reference work. I'm sure once someone picked up the basics with this book that they would do just fine with the online manual.
  • The Most Important Software?

    You have obviously never played Starcraft...

    G.H.
  • ;p
    shits and it's actually 2 of them.

    .ph0x
  • I read things like that in the last half hour before going to sleep. At that time I'm usually positioned in something most people refer to as "bed" and somehow a book seems easier to read in bed than the text of a webserver if you don't mind:-)
  • Most likely because they already have published a book on Apache. Check here. [oreilly.com]

    Fawking Trolls! [slashdot.org]
  • Just because Windows comes preinstalled doesn't mean that you can't put "what ever the fuck you want" on it.
  • How the hell is apache confusing? It's probably one of the easiest-to-use webservers out there. Granted, the code methodology is a little tricky to get the hang of first, but once you understand how they designed it, it makes alot of sense.
    ----
    Dave
    MicrosoftME®? No, Microsoft YOU, buddy! - my boss
  • I doubt it's a matter of admitting, I think it's all about about personal preferences. It's just too bad that me saying that I'm actually quite happy with my W2K/WinMe dualboot system will cause this post to be modded as flamebait...
  • I tend not to buy a lot of books on specific programs or technologies, especially when they seem to be in a state of constant change. A good example is J2EE -- how often does Sun revise that puppy? I get a book on servlets, and then *boom*, the next revision of the spec is out. I really, really wish books came with upgrades :-).

    As far as this book, does it cover Apache 2.0 at all? I haven't examined that release in depth, but don't quite a few core things change (especially the module interface)?

    APache definately needs more reference materials, though -- whenever I want to do something somewhat sophisticated, I have to grovel around the net to find a Slashdot article or someone's web page on how to do it :-) Materials on httpd.apache.org are definately getting out of date...

  • I don't think that understanding is the problem, it's convenience. I like to use books, even though they often date quickly, because they are portable, easy to use, very high resolution and convenient.

    So is the web, but not always in the same circumstances. (I'd quite happily read a book on the train but wouldn't dare use my laptop.)
  • As far as performance is concerned, I'd go with WinME, but the reason I've got a dualboot is to make a solid difference between fun and profit, so to speak. The only way I've gotten WinMe to crash so far was by plugging in a SBlive without removing my old soundcard...
  • Is it because it takes longer, so you get more exposure to the product?
    Well a gui might be better for initial setup, but once you are profecient its easier to write text based config files. With text based config files you can write a gui to configure it. Swat for samba is the best example. Text based config files are easier to backup as well.
    It is true that the main reason for haveing better knowledge of a program through editing config files is partly due to increased time learning how the config files work. However, the long term benifit in ability to diagnose and fix problems is usually well worth it. My general knowlegde of SNB/CIFS was greatly increased when I setup SAMBA as a PDC. Yes I did invest alot of time in reading online docs as well as the Oreilly book, but I now can very quickly diagnose and fix SAMBA as well as SMB problems on Windows boxes. Editing apache files by hand may take more time initially, but in the long run the ability to fine tune and secure the server will benifit the admin in the long run.
  • ...that most server operators don't want to waste on encrypting, say, the Yahoo! homepage for a bazillion people.
  • The US Government tried to administer Apache, as well as other indian tribes, and look what happened to General Custer and the 7th Calvary.

    Unfortunately, that was the Sioux, and G.A. Custer led the 7th Cavalry. Calvary was a hill where a young carpenter from Bethlehem who pissed off the Romans was supposedly executed around 3 A.D. =P

    Kasreyn
  • Ah, but this is Slashdot, and EVERYBODY on Slashdot KNOWS that Apache is better. ;-)

  • I agree with your BASIC/Perl comparison, but could you give me an example of this in the Apache/IIS world?
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Hmmm... Maybe you work for the same company I do!

    Actually, we don't... Until next Thursday anyway! Then Apache on Solaris replaces O'Reilly website on NT!! (But we nearly all agree after the last 9 months of testing and planning that we should have used Linux as the OS. Solaris is pretty lacking when compared to Linux.)

    I just got back from a gruelling two day marathon of teaching our Operations Support Group in St Louis all about our new web architecture. 5:30 AM to 7:30 PM, five classes a day. I'm not usually out of bed until 8:30 AM. I'm still braindead, but it was fun! :)

  • Amen! of course, when things break you still have to go rooting around in the conf files. but webmin gets you up and running *very* quickly.

  • What's with equating all Unixes as Linux.

    Apache, with enough tweaking, will run on anything.

    ApacheC64 coming soon.....

    Veltyen
  • The advantages of Apache over IIS are for most
    web hosters:

    • delegation of configuration

      knowing users can configure their part of Apache themselves using .htaccess files. This is completely controllable by the administrator.

      As an added plus, each users authentication data is kept in separate password files, and independent of the system authentication data. This is crucial in a hosting environment.

    • self-healing process model

      The Apache process modell with a single manager process accepting requests and delegating them to a farm of worker processes is built with the idea of unstable or unsafe modules being present in the worker processes. Apache can recover from core'ing or memleaking worker processes and keeps your server online, albeit with higher system load.


    Both properties are priceless in a hosting environment and are the main reason why Apache is consistently chosen in mass hostings over IIS. The completely scriptable configuration is another plus, too. So is the abundance of useful modules and server extensions. Price is secondary.

    © Copyright 2000 Kristian Köhntopp [koehntopp.de]
    All rights reserved.
  • Why is he posting a book report?
  • I know books are always a good thing to have on hand, and they can easily be useful when you need to look stuff up, but when your on a webserver, you obviously have web access, and therefore should have access to apache's docs section. And an experienced admin should have at least the ability to understand those. I just see very little point in buying one of these to keep soemwhere besides a home bookshelf.
  • Sure, you know that Netcraft tests have for a while provided empirical evidence of Apache's usefulness and ubiquity

    Apache, safe when used as directed.
  • I for one would like this book, for the reason that it is easier to read a typeset hardcopy than CRT text, or even printed text.

    I find that half the usefulness of a book is derived from its readability when compared to other media. I could read this curled up in bed if I wanted to, and if I were that wierd. Usually I find better things to do in bed though...

    KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer.

  • The US Government tried to administer Apache, as well as other indian tribes, and look what happened to General Custer and the 7th Calvary.

    No thanks...

  • In other words, Apache is good for servers and windows is "good" for workstations. What's the problem?
  • Netcraft tests have for a while provided empirical evidence of Apache's usefulness and ubiquity.

    I don't understand. Netcraft shows that there are millions of Apache servers out there, so that means they are good, but 95% of workstations out there run Windows, which is supposedly bad. Huh?

  • <tongue_in_cheek>
    Ah, yes; IIS, the web server for illiterates.
    </tongue_in_cheek>

    Seriously, IIS is not nearly as flexible or useful a general tool like Apache is. Look at the book. Feel the power. Get away from those pretty useless buttons and dialog boxes. You don't learn anything from them.

  • Nothing like having a hard copy of something so you don't have to install docs on the machine (save space) and its much faster to flip to page 50, than scroll through a man page or follow links to the exact piece of info that you want.
  • why aren't O'Reilly publishing this? They must be kicking themselves now, this is clearly their territory and it paves the wave for a lovely wood carving of a native american on the front cover.
  • The more books the better. If it's one thing I can say is there are never enough manuals to quench my readings.
    I could give 2 $*!ts about most novels but when it comes to manuals I'm a happy camper.
    My girlfriend gives me these weird looks when I break out my Camel book or my Linux 4th edition manual. :)

    .ph0x
  • what exactly is in $* ? then we can know exaclt how much you care about it...
    tagline
  • I would also have reservations.
  • I am curious. How does one learn more from text config files than by using a GUI. Is it because it takes longer, so you get more exposure to the product? That doesn't seem right.
  • I don't understand. Netcraft shows that there are millions of Apache servers out there, so that means they are good, but 95% of workstations out there run Windows, which is supposedly bad. Huh?

    Well, it's 'good' in the 'ra-ra-ra-open-source' sense. Netcraft shows that Apache really is ubiquitous, I have no idea how it could show it is useful.

    But anyway. 95% of workstations running Windows is very good, for Microsoft at least.
  • Just great.

    Something else to add to my xmas list.

    The xmas list of all the things I am buying for *myself* for Xmas.

    [sigh ...]

  • Problem is I keep working for large corperations.. they are all stuck in the windows frame of mind.

    apache is SOO much more flexable, easily configured, easier to write cutstom apps for. This book sounds like it could be a good buy. (I will certainly buy it for a desktop guide, if nothing else.) Im shocked O'Riley let this one get away though.

  • Ah, but you can do the same thing with IIS. Even though it is usually configured through the GUI, anything in the metabase can be viewed and changed with Windows scripting.

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