Last modified: Feb. 14, 2009

Contents
1 - Summary
2 - Dependencies
3 - Apache installation
4 - Service configuration
5 - Service check


1 - Summary

This guide will show how to compile and install apache from source in Red Hat
Enterprise Linux. Apache is web server software. This has been tested in Red
Hat Enterprise Linux 5.


2 - Dependencies

You will need the following package installed to compile apache from source.
  gcc-*
# rpm -qa | grep gcc-*


3 - Apache installation

Apache can be downloaded at http://httpd.apache.org/. This will be downloaded,
compiled and installed from source. Apache will be installed to
/usr/local/apache2.
# cd ~
# wget http://$mirror/httpd/httpd-*.tar.gz
# tar -zxvf httpd-*.tar.gz
# cd httpd-*/
# ./configure
# make
# sudo make install
# sudo make clean


4 - Service configuration

Find where the apache daemon was installed to.
# sudo find /usr/local/apache2 -name httpd
/usr/local/apache2/bin/httpd

Copy the init.d script to the correct location. Edit it to have the following.
  # httpd        Startup script for the Apache HTTP Server
  #
  # chkconfig: - 85 15
  # description: Apache is a World Wide Web server.  It is used to serve \
  #              HTML files and CGI.
# cd ~
# sudo cp /usr/local/apache2/bin/apachectl /etc/rc.d/init.d/apache
# sudo vi /etc/rc.d/init.d/apache

Enable the apache service so that it will start when the system starts.
# sudo /sbin/chkconfig --add apache
# sudo /sbin/chkconfig apache on
# sudo /sbin/chkconfig --list apache
apache          0:off   1:off   2:on    3:on    4:on    5:on    6:off

Find where the configuration file should be put.
# sudo grep httpd.conf /etc/rc.d/init.d/apache 
    echo Please edit httpd.conf to include the SSL configuration settings
# sudo strings /usr/local/apache2/bin/httpd | grep httpd.conf
 -D SERVER_CONFIG_FILE="conf/httpd.conf"
conf/httpd.conf
conf/httpd.conf
        directive in your httpd.conf file to list a non-root

You can now create your own httpd.conf file.
# sudo find /usr/local/apache2 -name httpd.conf
/usr/local/apache2/conf/original/httpd.conf
/usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf
# sudo cp /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf.example
# sudo vi /usr/local/apache2/conf/httpd.conf

You will need to configure SELinux appropriately. SELinux status can be
found by running sestatus.
# sudo sestatus | grep status:
SELinux status:                 enabled

Start the apache service. With the default configuration file the pid file
is in /usr/local/apache2/logs.
# sudo /sbin/service apache start
# sudo cat /usr/local/apache2/logs/httpd.pid
6403


5 - Service check

Reboot your computer. Log in like normal and check to see that the apache
service is running. That's it, now you have apache running in Red Hat
Enterprise Linux.
# sudo /sbin/shutdown -r now
# sudo ls -1 /usr/local/apache2/logs/httpd.pid 
/usr/local/apache2/logs/httpd.pid
# sudo cat /usr/local/apache2/logs/httpd.pid 
4546