The Server tab allows you to configure basic server
settings. The default settings for these options are appropriate for
most situations.
The Lock File value corresponds to the LockFile
directive. This directive sets the path to the lockfile used
when Apache is compiled with either USE_FCNTL_SERIALIZED_ACCEPT or
USE_FLOCK_SERIALIZED_ACCEPT. It must be stored on the local disk. IT
should be left to the default value unless the logs
directory is located on an NFS share. If this is the case, the default
value should be changed to a location on the local disk and to a
directory that is readable only by root.
The PID File value corresponds to the PidFile
directive. This directive sets the file in which the server
records its process ID (pid). This file should only be readable by
root. In most cases, it should be left to the default value.
The Core Dump Directory value corresponds to the CoreDumpDirectory
directive. Apache tries to switch to this directory before
dumping core. The default value is the ServerRoot. However, if the user
that the server runs as can not write to this directory, the core
dump can not be written. Change this value to a directory writable by
the user the server runs as, if you want to write the core dumps to disk
for debugging purposes.
The User value corresponds to the User
directive. It sets the userid used by the server to answer
requests. This user's settings determine the server's access. Any files
inaccessible to this user will also be inaccessible to your website's
visitors. The default for User is apache.
The User should only have privileges so that it can access files which
are supposed to be visible to the outside world. The User is also the
owner of any CGI processes spawned by the server. The User should not
be allowed to execute any code which is not intended to be in response
to HTTP requests.
 | Warning |
|---|
| | Unless you know exactly what you're doing, don't set the User to
root. Using root as the User will create large security holes for your
Web server.
|
The parent httpd process first runs as root during
normal operations, but is then immediately handed off to the apache
user. The server must start as root because it needs to bind to a port
below 1024. Ports below 1024 are reserved for system use, so they can't
be used by anyone but root. Once the server has attached itself to its
port, however, it hands the process off to the apache user before it
accepts any connection requests.
The Group value corresponds to the Group
directive. The Group directive is similar to the User. The
Group sets the group under which the server will answer requests. The
default Group is also apache.
