document root per dir Apache 2.0

Jorey Bump wrote:

> No wonder you're confused. May I suggest a different layout:
>
> /var/www/sites/mother.lws.lan
> /var/www/sites/www.cadopugs.com
> /var/www/sites/www.bigbra.com
>
> Having sites within sites is chaos. You can stop using the /var/www/html
> directory entirely (unless you need it for suexec). This layout is a lot
> more flexible, especially if you ever use mass virtual hosting.
>
Whew! I thought I was just slow! Seriously, I am an artist, but as a
Renaissance man my knowledge is wide but not as deep as I like! But here
is central VA when I say Linux or Apache I receive a long blank stare!
;-) I am self-taught. So if you indulge me I have a few more questions

Ok, 'mother' is my Apache 2.0 server, I have another 'Bob' that runs
Apache 1.3. The only thing I use mother's web site for is the Apache
document ion on the default document root /var/www/html/ so I'd like to
keep it, but like your suggestion to move clients off the main server's
document root

/var/www/sites/cadopug
/var/www/sites/bigbra
....

The way I have things on my LAN setup private or experimental sites are
under my private LAN domain 'lws.lan'. I don't publicly host, inside my
router client sites for which they have actual public FQD I have the
local 'Dev|Maintenance' copies as w3.cadopug.com and my LAN's DNS is
authoritative. The public versions www.cadopugs.com are forwardered out
handled by public DNS and respective hosting servers.

> Also, don't use these as the document root, each should have a
> subdirectory (such as website/) to serve that purpose, and even a
> separate cgi-bin directory, if needed (parallel to website/, not in it).
> This allows you to put support files outside of the DocumentRoot, where
> they can't be accessed directly by a browser.

I agree but the the cgi-bin is best out of the document root, but the
hosting companies that I am dealing with have it within. I am trying to
mirror what they do so that a site that I test on my private LAN as
w3.someclient.com will work like the public www.someclient.com! I like
to get the bugs out before I go public! At least I try ;-)

>>respectively. So I guess what I want to do is for the server's default
>>'mother.lws.lan' server definition add the rewrite
>>
>>RewriteEngine On
>>RewriteRule ^/([^/]+)/(.*)$ /var/www/html/sites/%1/%2 [P]
>> /or/
>>RewriteRule ^/([^/]+)/(.*)$ /sites/%1/%2 [P]
>>
>>I did something wrong because I get a Forbidden error, with
>>http://mother.lws.lan/cadopugs/index.html
>>
>>but before the rewrite rule it was accessable as
>>http://mother.lws.lan/sites/cadopugs/index.html. Also if a correct
>>whatever error that I am making in my regexp would this actually mean
>>the DOCUMENT_ROOT would become '/var/www/html/sites/cadopugs' for
>>http://mother.lws.lan/cadopugs/...
>>and '/var/www/html/sites/bigbra' for http://mother.lws.lan/bigbra/...
>>and not mother.lws.lan's '/var/www/html' ?
>

Now if my client sites are moved out side of the main server's document
root, i.e.,

/var/www/sites/ not under /var/www/html/...

and I am trying to mimic the SSL certificate sharing like the hosting
companies, I use the dummy one I setup for mother. Originally I had
these sites under mother's document root so the
41_mod_ssl.default-vhost.conf the default <VirtualHost _default_:443>
section handled it.

<embarrassment>I kludge some <Directory> sections to allow the virtual
host's cgi-bin to work... </embarrassment>

How would I define the client sites in
41_mod_ssl.default-vhost.conf
so that they would they would be accessed via
https://mother.lws.lan/cadopugs now they are not under mother's default
SSL definition, but I am sharing the dummy SSL certificate?
Also I have to get their respective cgi-bin directories to work since
some have shopping cart scripts!

> No, you're missing the point here. In order to use a proxy rewrite, you
> must use an URL as the target, not a file location:
>
> RewriteEngine On
> RewriteRule ^/cadopugs/(.*)$ http://www.cadopugs.com/$1 [P]
> RewriteRule ^/bigbra/(.*)$ http://www.bigbra.com/$1 [P]
>
> If you only have a few sites, start with this, rather than trying to
> devise a generic regex that is too complex for your needs.
>

Would I use some rule like:

RewriteRule ^/cadopugs/(.*)$ https://mother.lws.lan/$1 [P] in the
_default_443 section and change _default_443 document root to
'/var/www/sites' ?


Sorry to ask so many questions, I am reluctant to do too many major
changes at this moment (without full understanding) because I have my
own business website mirrored on this server and I have to keep it
synced with my online one for my business sales....

I guess I could fool with 'Bob', the Apache1.3 server the config should
be fairly similar, just appears that 2.0 splits the conf into several
sub-conf files....

Again, thank you for all your help!

--
Take care,

Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com