Apache config question

[Greg Barniskis]

Darryl Hoar wrote:
> Greetings,
> I have a Freebsd 6.0-Release system that I just
> installed.  I have installed Apache 1.3.33 from the
> ports system.
> 
> I can see the index.html file when I point my browser
> to the server.  What I can't do is :
> 
> browse to : http://server/cgi-bin/cscripts/myscript.cgi
> 
> I get a 404 Not found.
> The requested URL /cgi-bin/myscript.cgi was not found
> on this server.
> 
> The file myscript.cgi is located in the /usr/local/www/cgi-bin
> directory.  I verified this.
> 
> I have added:
> <Directory "/usr/local/www/cgi-bin/cscripts">
> deny from all
> Options ExecCGI
> AllowOverride AuthConfig
> Order deny,allow
> </Directory>
> 
> to the http.conf file.
> I did /usr/local/sbin/apachectl stop
> /usr/local/sbin/apachectl start.
> 
> of course /usr/local/sbin/apachectl configtest says the config file is OK.
> 
> What am I missing here ?

well, is your script really in www/cgi-bin/ or is it really in 
www/cgi-bin/cscripts/ ?

Your config and testing examples are not consistent as written 
above. That may just be transcription error due to writing email in 
a state of puzzlement/frustration, but if not, that inconsistency is 
clearly part of the problem.

Also, you may have reasons for trying to do things this way, but it 
is really not necessary to give any special httpd.conf directives 
(e.g. ExecCGI) for subdirectories of cgi-bin, which is already 
configured as a ScriptAlias by default. Everything under it is 
considered to be executable if file system permissions are correct 
and Apache's access controls allow entry. The configtest only tells 
you that your config file is syntactically valid, not that it's the 
right thing to do.

One would normally only need to add the ExecCGI option to a special 
directory in your normal document space (storage areas not already 
designated as ScriptAlias content), but not to children of cgi-bin. 
Just make your script files executable by permissions (755) and let 
the default config handle it.

In short, your config seems rather odd to me, but I'm no expert 
beyond the simplest CGI needs and as I said, maybe you have reasons 
for added complexity. If not, don't add complexity where not needed.


-- 
Greg Barniskis, Computer Systems Integrator
South Central Library System (SCLS)
Library Interchange Network (LINK)
<gregb at scls.lib.wi.us>, (608) 266-6348