[sharp-discuss] apache2 not starting on Ubuntu 7.04 SHARP installation

[Clemens Vonrhein]

Hi Lee,

On Fri, Aug 15, 2008 at 10:43:29AM -0400, Lee S Parsons wrote:
> Actually, that wasn't the problem, either.  The email did go out (I made 
> myself an account to make sure that it worked).  It simply wouldn't allow 
> the new user to log in - only the user I made at installation was allowed 
> in.

Is there maybe a permission problem? What does the httpd log-file has
to say about it:

  $BDG_home/sushi/logs/error_log
                       access_log

>> It's all related to you using a 2.X version of the Apache httpd
>> distributed by the OS supplier (I'm prettu sure about that).
>>
>>   
>
> I'm willing to concede that the "AuthUserFile" problem is indeed an apache 
> installation problem and not your problem.

It's not really an installation problem: just that different versions
of Apache have different design and feature set.

> I will continue with a two-pronged approach to see if I can get
> either version of apache to work correctly for sharp.

1.3.X definitely does work.

> Perhaps I missed something critical in the httpd.conf file, but my 
> understanding is that you can have apache residing anywhere on your system, 
> and then use an httpd.conf file from anywhere else on your system, as long 
> as you use the -f switch to specify the file. 

Correct - but our conf files also use the -D switch to define
Sushi/Buffet switches.

> I intentionally used a different directory name, because after the 
> installation of sharp, there was no "helpers-server" directory under 
> /usr/local/SHARP.

If you have helpers_server.*.tar.gz (and also helpers_client.*.tar.gz)
before running 'installSHARP -F' it will create a subdirectly helpers.

> I might be missing something here.  If Apache won't start from the command 
> line, why would it start from a script?  I understand that I need the 
> adm/bin commands for starting it for sharp, but I guess I don't see why it 
> would work for sharp if it won't work without it.

If the binary doesn't start at all (core dump, segmentation fault):
yes, you're right. But if the binary is functional you still need to
use the correct -D switch (at least for 1.3.X - 2.X might be different
there).

>> Yes - and you can download the latest from the 1.3.X series.
>>
>> This option is by far the safest for getting everything to work!
>>
>>   
>
> We will begin on that and see if it makes life any better. 

Let us know if it works (or doesn't).

> Perhaps I'll get lucky and finish my PhD before you complete the move to 
> Apache 2.x, so someone else here can work on that transition for our 
> installation...

I hope your PhD isn't stalled because of these issues ;-)

At least our academic licence doesn't allow you to sue us for
compensation (but I might invite you for a coffee if you ever bump
into me at a conference/workshop).

Cheers

Clemens

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