Apache2: Activating User public_html Directories & Virtual Directories- Hosts- Domains under Ubuntu Linux

Summary: Let the hacker beware

These pages describes how I activated the public_html user directories to be served up by the Apache web server and set up virtual directories, meaning fake domains. The audience is mainly developers and home users who want to work on their websites at their desktop computers. I describe what has worked for me and some problems you might encounter using Ubuntu Linux 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbons) desktop software. I have no idea if this is applicable to the GUI-less server software. These are experiences I had using computers in my home. They may or may not work for you. I also don't know the distinctions between virtual hosts, virtual directories, and virtual domains.

Step 1: Installing Apache2 and php5

In a terminal (Applications...Accessories...Terminal), type sudo apt-get install apache2 php5 and press enter. Yeah, you need to be connected to the internet. You will be told you're getting some extra software packages with that order. Just say, "Yes, super-size me". The software php5 is not necessary, but at some point it will probably be useful to you if you are developing your own website. You can also use System...Admin...Synaptic Package Manager to install the software.

Test Step 1: When you install apache2 in Ubuntu linux, it is set to start automatically on each boot. You should be able to open a web browser and type in "http://localhost" and see the default apache directory. Click on the directory for the "It Works!" message. If you can't do this, don't proceed. One thing to check is that you have the IP 127.0.0.1 associated with "localhost" in the /etc/hosts file. You can also check this through the GUI System...Admin...Network...Hosts Tab.

Error - Gotcha if Any Reinstalls Done

Subtitled "Don't do what I have done". If you have a problem and decide to reinstall apache... just using "mark for reinstallation" or "reinstall" on the command line did NOT get me a fresh /etc/apache2 setup. I'm not sure which package all this stuff is in, but if you select all the titles with "apache2" in them and "completely remove", or "force remove", or "--purge", then you will be able to start anew again. Research "apt-get" for the right commands. Make sure you check the timestamp on the files in the /etc/apache2 directory when you THINK you have a new installation!

Step 2: Activating the User's public_html Directory with userdir

Background: Firstly, create a directory (folder) called "public_html" in your home directory. There are a couple of reasons to do this. When you have a web server shared by many people, like a shared-hosting ISP, it is necessary to give each user separate access to the "live" files. I have found that on a simple development machine, it is also easier to have your work all within your own home directory and not have to worry about permission and folders owned by the root user. What it gets you is the ability to access your websites in your home directory by a URL in the form http://localhost/~myhome. We can improve upon this with virtual directories, but first things first.

There are only two commands you need to enter to activate the User Directory feature, and then one command to reload the configuration files. The last command includes an absolute path, so it doesn't matter where you execute it from. The first two "ln" commands assume you are in the directory /etc/apache2/mods-enabled. What you need to do is create two symbolic links (soft links, symlinks) in the stated directory pointing to the corresponding module in /etc/apache2/mods-available (which is where they really live). So, if "$" is your prompt,


$ cd /etc/apache2/mods-enabled

$ sudo ln -s ../mods-available/userdir.conf userdir.conf

$ sudo ln -s ../mods-available/userdir.load userdir.load

$ sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

On your home system, restarting apache will give you a warning "apache2: Could not reliably determine the server's fully qualified domain name, using 127.0.1.1 for ServerName" simply because you are at home and don't have a fully qualified domain name. No problemo.

Test Step 2: Open up a browser and type http://localhost/~myhome, where "myhome" is your username. For Debian and Ubuntu, your home directory is located within the "/home" directory. Apache should show the folders and files you have in your directory, or even display a web page if you have an "index.html" file in there. If you get sent to the internet or the default apache2 directory, something is wrong and you shouldn't go to the next step.

Step 3: Virtual Directories

Background: There is a HUGE benefit to using virtual directories for the do-it-yourself website developer. You can create all of your development sites exactly the same as for your live web server. For example, if you have a site on a shared hosting environment that you do not have full control over, then the path "/" is the "top of the world" to your instance of the Apache sever. You cannot duplicate these paths using the "~user_name" address. Enter virtual directories, or fake little domains, for your desktop environment.

Part A - Networking: Okay, this is hardly networking so don't sweat it. There are no wires to get tangled, as everything happens within your own machine. The end result is that we need to modify the /etc/hosts file, which can be done through the administrative GUI, System...Administration...Network. Keep in mind there is always more than one way to achieve things. I am describing a method that uses a fixed IP for my server. You CAN do this even if your Linksys or other router is set to DHCP. It makes it much easier when you want to have other machines in your house access your server.

Start the System...Admin...Network GUI and enter your password.
Click on our Network connection in the "Connections" tab and then click the "Properties" button.
Uncheck "roaming mode" and at "Configuration" choose "Static IP".
You need to know what your network IPs are, but here are some typical examples. IP=192.168.1.xx (anything but 1), Subnet Mask=255.255.255.0, Gateway=192.168.1.1 (that is your Linksys or other router from your ISP).
Click on the "Hosts" tab and click the "Add" button.
Enter the 192.168.1.xx number in the IP box and ALL the virtual domains you want to use in the Aliases box (they should all point to the same server), separated by spaces. For example, I use "com" and "newcom" for my current site and a new version of my site.
Click "Okay" and "Close". We are done with networking. Now we tell Apache what to do with the data.

Part B - Create Apache Virtual Directories: We will now be concerned with the directories in /etc/apache2 called "sites-available" and "sites-enabled" (you see a pattern here?). This is extremely easy to do if you know the trick that you really don't need most of the stuff in the "default" virtual directory file if you are just working in your home. The simplest thing is to just show you what I use. This will be a physical file in the "sites-available" section. Later we make links.


<VirtualHost *>



ServerName com



DocumentRoot /home/utree/public_html/com



</VirtualHost>

Dude! You cannot believe it is that easy if you ever looked at the "default" file in that directory. The pre-formatted code above is the content of a plain text file I can call anything I want, but will name it "com" so as to keep my sanity. "ServerName" is the name of the virtual directory, or "fake domain", that will allow you to enter "http://com" in your browser to see the site. The "DocumentRoot" is the absolute path to another file called "com" (not the one we just made, but a directory file). My username is "utree" because er, never mind why. Within utree's home directory, I have created a file called "public_html" where all my websites are. Each website has a directory within public_html, like "com", to keep all of the files for that website. I happen to keep the names consistent throughout, but that is not necessary. So the next file we create would be /etc/apache2/sites-available/newcom (you can use $sudo gedit to make it simple) and would look like this:


<VirtualHost *>



ServerName newcom



DocumentRoot /home/utree/public_html/newcom



</VirtualHost>

Follow this pattern for all of your virtual directories (fake domains).

Part C - Make Apache Virtual Directories Available: Luckily, there is really nothing new here. You follow an exactly analogous procedure to activate virtual directories that you did to activate User Directory modules. We create symbolic links within the directory /etc/apache2/sites-enabled to the sites in the "sites-available" directory.


$ cd /etc/apache2/sites-enabled

$ sudo ln -s ../sites-available/com com

$ sudo ln -s ../sites-available/newcom newcom

$ sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

Test Step 3: Okay, by now I'm assuming you actually have some kind of a website you are working with and that the contents of it are within a directory, like "newcom", in your public_html folder. Open up a browser and try the address "http://newcom/" (I don't think you need the trailing slash). Apache should serve up the index.html file in that directory, or even the index.php file if you have PHP installed correctly. Note: If you don't see the file php5.conf in /etc/apache2/mods-enabled, then you don't have php installed correctly. Ready for extra credit?