The freeware Apache web server runs on about half of the world's existing web sites, and it is rapidly increasing in popularity. Apache: The Definitive Guide, written and reviewed by key members of the Apache Group, is the only complete guide on the market today that describes how to obtain, set up, and secure the Apache software. Apache was originally based on code and ideas found in the most popular HTTP server of the time: NCSA httpd 1.3 (early 1995). It has since evolved into a far superior system that can rival (and probably surpass) almost any other Unix-based HTTP server in terms of functionality, efficiency, and speed. The new version now includes support for Win32 systems. This new second edition of Apache: The Definitive Guide fully describes Windows support and all the other Apache 1.3 features. Contents include:

• The history of the Apache Group
• Obtaining and compiling the server
• Configuring and running Apache on Unix and Windows, including such topics as directory structures, virtual hosts, and CGI programming
• The Apache 1.3 Module API
• Apache security
• A complete list of configuration directives

With Apache: The Definitive Guide, web administrators new to Apache can get up to speed more quickly than ever before by working through the tutorial demo. Experienced administrators and CGI programmers, and web administrators moving from Unix to Windows, will find the reference sections indispensable. Apache: The Definitive Guide is the definitive documentation for the world's most popular web server. Includes CD-ROM with Apache manuals and demo sites discussed in the book.

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Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  March 05 2001
Submitted by Kris Lightsey   [Respond | View]

Well, I would have ranked it higher, but the errors on pg. 62 are pretty egregious.

The book has name-based and ip-based virtual hosts backwards. It is very confusing to see this, but thankfully the unconfirmed user errata notes and the apache web site address the issue correctly and you can see clearly that the book is wrong on this point.

This sort of conceptual error should be fixed on reprints and in the confirmed errata section.




Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  August 16 2000
Submitted by Owen Boyle   [Respond | View]

This book is to Apache what "Learning Perl" is to Perl.

It is NOT a reference guide as The Camel Book is to Perl. It is a book for someone who doesn't know about Apache and wants to set up a complex site from scratch. For this reason, it has a "storybook" approach as it walks through the installation and configuration of the increasingly complex requirements of a mythical web-site ("butterthlies.com" - I never got the joke).

Everything is eventually well-covered but an experienced user will have to keep checking the index to find the directive he's after.

By the way, I'd take issue with the reviewer who complained that the procedure for configuring network cards (p38) didn't work on his system. Actually, I was amazed they included this page at all. The book is supposed to be about Apache - getting your network running is really your own affair. As it stands, there is enough information on the page to give you some strong hints about how-to-install-a-network-card on any Unix system. The details vary so much among various Unix flavours (Solaris, HP-UX, Linux..) and even among distributions (Red Hat, SUSE, Caldera..) that it is asking a bit much to expect a page on each.




Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  July 04 2000
Submitted by Jesse   [Respond | View]

In general this was a pretty good book, though it struggled to keep the big picture in view a fair amount of the time (as in, why bother doing the things it describes). My biggest complaint is that in Chapter 5, page 124, it states, "Our salespeople are logging in because they want to place orders, and we ought to be able to detect who they are so we can send the goods to them automatically. This can be done, and we'll look at how to do it in a moment." And then it never describes how it can be done (or at least, I never found it. It goes on to talk about cookies and the like, but never mentions correlating logins to the cookies that are issued). Figuring out how to do this was my primary reason for getting the book!


Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  May 17 2000
Submitted by Peter Matulis   [Respond | View]

A good book but I personally dislike the story-book approach where you have to read all the chapters in sequential order for things to make the best sense.

As an absolute beginners guide this is a valid strategy but not for anyone who already has set up a few sites.

Still well worth the cash but it would of been better if you could go to any chapter and not have to scratch your head about some reference (like a website name, machine name, or mock company name) used in an earlier chapter.


Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  May 17 2000
Submitted by Alexander Danel   [Respond | View]

I read the book from cover to cover, and now I'm attempting to go back and go through the examples. I have an immediate and perhaps major problem at page 38, section "Our Experimental Micro Web". It seems that the setup info on this page is going to be critical for much of what the rest of the book wants me to do, but it doesn't work on my Red-Hat Linux 6.1 machine. Nore is there much of a clue about what is supposed to happen. The problem is with the "ifconfig" program (which, by the way, is poorly documented in the Linux man page.) I can sort of guess what it's supposed to do, but there really should be a clear explanation. And since I can't get "ifconfig" to work with the same parameter list on my machine, I'm stuck.

It is not sufficient, in my opinion, to say "here's how it works on FreeBSD" when many of us are using different variants. This is too critical and cryptic a place to wave hands; the author should do the research for most popular Operating System variants, and provide enough explanation so that the remainin OS variants can be figured out. Bad spot to get lazy.


Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  August 27 1999
Submitted by mike jones   [Respond | View]



hi,

the book seems to be great. no problems there. it
is, as most oreilly books, very well written.

however, the installation via cdrom or any
other technique i've tried is totally hosed;
the file seems to be only partially recognized by
the system. see for yourself:

bash$ ls -l install/install
-rwxr-xr-x 1 jones wp 3210 Aug 26 18:58 install/install
bash$ install/install
bash: install/install: No such file or directory
bash$ which sh
/usr/bin/sh
bash$ head install/install
#!/bin/sh
#
# Install sample Web sites for Apache: The Definitive Guide edition 2
#

can someone please recommend a workaround (eg is the
tutorial available via the web)?

thank you,

mike jones


Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  August 05 1999
Submitted by Walid Mohamed   [Respond | View]



The installation procedure is very confusing.
I have installed Apache from its web site directly,
it runs fine. But I don't understand how to install
the sample sites included with the CD-Rom.
I would appreciate any help.

Thanks, Walid.


Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  July 14 1999
Submitted by Lee McKusick   [Respond | View]



I'd label Apache the Definitive Guide as having a strong introduction tutorial, and impressive advanced material on the SSI, API and Modules.

But the Guide is weak in the middle ground. I wanted more sample configuration statements with a carefully complete description. I wanted to see the authors address the larger context that Apache runs in: websites.

The preface very carefully escaped the authors from dealing with the larger issues of web site design.

Apache is like an elephant with 150 configuration variables. I ask the authors on their next edition to step back and show me how to do a few simple things with newbie level explicitness.

Next edition: Show me how to enable a specific directory for READ or POST or GET. Have the authors show how to go from a functional specification to lines in the .CONf files.




Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  April 28 1999
Submitted by Russ Emerson   [Respond | View]



I hate to say it, but "me, too." Under Red Hat 5.2,
regardless of what I do, the install script fails.

Maybe I'm just missing something....

Russ


Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  April 03 1999
Submitted by Jeffery Fleischer   [Respond | View]



I have read Michael's review and I am experiencing the same problem. The install script fails completely on the initial try. After trying the changes Michael suggested to the script, I still cannot get the sites to install. Considering how heavily the book itself refers to the sample sites, I'm not so sure how helpful it can be to new users such as myself, who do not know how to troubleshoot these scripts. For the record, I am currently running redhat 5.2. If anyone can help with this issue, please contact me at jfleischer@walrus.com

Thanks,
Jeff



Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  April 02 1999
Submitted by Michael Klemme   [Respond | View]



I just started reading the book.
My first action was to install the sample sites on my computer.
I was not to impressed by the installation program.
Firstly, it refused to run on Debian Linux 2.0 at all:
klemme@moa:/cdrom> ./install/install
./install/install: Permission denied.
It turned out that there are \r\n codes in the file. The command
tr \\r " " < ~/tmp/install > ~/tmp/install3
fixed that problem.

The next problem ist that the parameter substitution by the installation script is faulty.
Server name 2 is substituted for the administrator of server 1
Try this one:
sed -e "s?webuser?$WEBUSER?" \
-e "s?webgroup?$WEBGROUP?" \
-e "s?www.butterthlies.com?$S1NAME?" \
-e "s?sales@butterthlies.com?$S1ADMIN?" \
-e "s?sales.buttherthlies.com?$S2NAME?" \
-e "s?sales_mgr@butterthlies.com?$S2ADMIN?" \
-e "s?sales-IP.butterthlies.com?$S3NAME?" \
-e "s?/usr/www?$SITES?" < $X > $X.xxx
I personaly think the path to the apache binary should be adapted as well, since many systems come with pre-installed binaries in various places.
Add a
-e "s?httpd?/usr/sbin/apache?"
to the substitution (and adapt it to your path).

Otherwise:
Happy reading
Michael


Apache: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition Review,  July 28 1998
Submitted by Stephen R. Figgins   [Respond | View]



The install problem with the CD-ROM affects users on a Unix system. The disk was mastered on a Windows system, and the mastering tool wrote the install script in a DOS text format. There are also two lines in the script that need to be altered to properly modify the examples for your local site. You can find detailed instructions on how to convert the file to a Unix format so it will run, and what lines to change in the current errata for the book. If you run into any further problems, write us about it at bookquestions@oreilly.com. We can help you get it running.

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