Introduction to Apache Web Server Administration — A 3 day course

Synopsis

An Apache web server training course for system administrators who need to understand and then configure to get the best from their Apache servers.

The aim is to provide a real understanding so the delegates will spend time doing exercises that illustrate & practice what they have been taught in the lectures.

We find that many find SSL/TLS configuration for encrypted web sites leaves many confused. How this works is explained, as is how to create OpenSSL configuration files & make Certificate Signing Requests. Exercises are done using Let's Encrypt signed certificates to create multiple HTTPS virtual hosts.

This Apache course is delivered over three days, but a selected subset of the course modules can be delivered to experienced development in-house teams.

It is common for such in-house Apache training courses to select particular families of Apache modules and application servers to focus on. For example, Java oriented development teams will typically want the optional Tomcat module focusing on the tomcat servlet container, excluding less relevant topics like mod_perl and including material from our Java programming courses.

Perl programmers will typically ignore tomcat and may want to add Perl programming topics from elsewhere. Something similar may apply for PHP shops.

This is an instructor-led, hands-on Apache web server course, organised around practical tasks in web server configuration and administration.

Getting started with Apache

What is a web server ?
Apache features & market share
Apache versions & platforms supported
Installing & running Apache
Apache configuration file
Overview of HTTP/1
HTTP Request Methods
Accessing a web server telnet & openssl
Persistent connections, chuncked transfers, byte serving, ETags, conditional transfers
HTTP Pipelineing, compression
HTTP 2.0 features & protocol

Apache basic configuration

Apache Directives
Apache Modules
Checking Configurations
Apache variables
Logging, defining fields & location
Error logs
Custom error pages
Server and directory index pages
Custom index pages
Forbidding index pages
Directory paths without trailing slashes
Per-directory configuration: Location
Other containers: Directory & File
Regular expressions in container specifications
Containers & case insensitive file systems
Order of merging of containers
<IfDefine> & <IfModule>
<If> & <Else> & <ElseIf>
<Limit>
Directories & Alias
Configuration outside httpd.conf: .htaccess
Protecting files & directories with passwords
Creating a password file: htpasswd
AuthType & AuthName
Generating custom errors: ErrorDocument
Authentication information in databases
Restricting access by IP address
Only listening on specific IP addresses
Listening on IPv6 addresses
Listening on a non standard port number
Restricting access by IP address
allow,deny & deny,allow
Address and password authentication
Authentication, Authorisation & Access control in Apache 2.4
Apache 2.4 Require: env, method, expr
RequireAll, RequireAny, RequireNone
Character sets and human languages
Setting Content MIME type
Content expiry: ExpiresByType & Cache-Control
Directory options: Indexes, FollowSymLinks, ExecCGI, MultiViews, ...
Multi Processing Modules
Tunable parameters for performance
Enabling KeepAlive

Serving multiple sites with virtual hosts

DNS & virtual host names
Enabling virtual hosts: NameVirtualHost
Defining & configuring virtual hosts: VirtualHost
Host aliases: ServerAlias
Virtual hosts on specific IP addresses
Virtual hosts on specific port numbers

Dynamic pages - CGI, PHP and Perl

CGI programs
Running CGI programs with Apache
CGI parameters
PHP scripts & mod_php
PHP speedups — Code caching
PHP speedups — persistent database connections
Perl scripts & mod_perl
using ModPerl::Registry
ModPerl::Registry v ModPerl::PerlRun v CGI Perl

Using Apache modules

Loading modules
mod_speling, mod_alias, mod_userdir, mod_status
Why use mod_rewrite ?
URL rewriting patterns
Rewrite flags
Internal rewriting v redirection
Forcing redirection
Transforming URLs
Conditional rewrites: RewriteCond
RewriteCond alpha & numeric comparison
File tests
Browser-dependent pages
Canonical URLS
Preventing hot/deep linking
Force use of SSL
Time based access
RewriteMap
When Container tests and Rewrites are performed
mod_rewrite in .htaccess
directory prefix stripping: RewriteBase
RewriteLog & RewriteLogLevel
Per user directories: better security
Directory listings: mod_autoindex, IndexOptions
Header manipulation mod_header
Monitor Apache Performance with mod_status
Input & Output Filters
Server side includes

Web proxy with mod_proxy

mod_proxy
Forward Proxy
Reverse Proxy / Gateway
Related Modules: mod_proxy_http, mod_proxy_ftp, mod_proxy_connect, mod_headers
Cached pages CacheEnable
Configuring what to proxy where
Configuring a Reverse Proxy
Substitute, ProxyHTMLURLMap & ProxyPassReverseCookieDomain
Load Balancing with mod_proxy_balancer
Cluster manager balancer-manager
Proxying by rewriting
Back end optimisations
Controlling access to the proxy server

Serving pages using HTTPS with mod_ssl

HTTP security
The need for encryption
HTTPS myths & recent advances
HTTPS — an overview, TLS & SSL
Trap door functions & public keys
Private/session keys & symmetric encryption
Diffie-Hellman(-Merkle) key exchange, RSA, X.509, SSL Certificate
Man in the middle attacks
Choosing cypher suites
How long should the key be ?
Installing mod_ssl
mod_nss instead of mod_ssl
HTTP and HTTPS sites cohabiting
HTTP and HTTPS virtual hosts
SSL specific environment variables & logging
Generating keys & certificates
Review of purpose & process
Generating a key
openssl command
Generating a Certificate Signing Request
Understanding the openssl.cnf file
Multi site certificates
Show certificate expiry dates
Working with Let's Encrypt
Using Certbot & alternatives
Using openssl to connect to a web site
Certificate on Debian
Revoked certificates
OCSP stapling
HTTPS best practices

Apache and HTTP/2

How to Configure HTTP/2
Testing HTTP/2
HTTP/2 Push
HTTP/2 implications

Suitable For

Software developers

Webmasters & system administrators.

Technical and support staff in electronic commerce.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Web-based Application Service Providers (ASPs).

The course does not depend on any particular operating system and has been delivered to delegates who were using: Linux, Apple's MacOS & Microsoft Windows, BSD Unix.

This Apache web server course was originally devised to meet the needs of developers and technical support staff at the UK's largest business ISP. The design of the hands-on exercises in this Apache course and in our other Apache courses draws heavily on their experience and that of our own e-commerce consultants.

Prerequisites

A basic understanding of computer administration and of the TCP/IP protocols.

Competent use of a text editor.

Knowledge of programming or shell scripting techniques is an advantage, although a high level of practical programming competence is not needed.