Apache shared hosting

Introduction : -

Shared Hosting or Virtual Hosting refers to a hosting service where more than one web site reside on the same server , each web site has its own space.

Apache Shared Hosting can be implementing in two ways :-

1- Apache IP-based virtual Hosting : - each web site should has its own IP address or web sites can share one IP address but with different PORT number (www.site1.com:8888 , www.site2.com:8889 ... ) .

2- Apache Name-based Virtual Hosting :- more than one web site can share the same IP address , that means all web sites in the DNS point to the same IP address and the apache takes care of redirect the requester to the correct site.

Example :-

x hosting company host six web sites ( www.site1.com , www.site2.com .... www.site6.com ) on the same server and each of them belong to different person.

Implementation :-

assume we have one server running solaris 10 and we want to host two web sites on this server .

Information :-

- First web Server IP :- 192.168.1.50

- Second web Server IP :- 192.168.1.51  (you need the second IP   just if you want to implement IP-based Virtual host based on port number)

- first web site name :- site1.com

- second web site name :- site2.com

Steps :-

Note :- Clear cache storage in the web browser before test any changes .

- IP-based virtual host (case 1 :- each site has its own IP address )

➊ make sure the apache service is running on solaris 10 , at the prompt type :-

  svcs -a | grep -i apache2  

if the apache is running you will see the following : -

 online   0:28:03 svc:/network/http:apache2   

if the status is disabled , 

 disable   0:28:03 svc:/network/http:apache2   

enable it , at the command prompt type :-

  svcadm enable apache2   

➋ create directories that will hold site1 and site 2 files , 

cd /var/apache2/htdocs       
mkdir site1 site2         
cd site1             
echo "Site1 Page">>index.html   
cd ..                 
cd site2             
echo "Site2 Page">>index.html  

note that the "/var/apache2/htdocs is the DocumentRoot folder which holds all web sites files.

➌ Copy the file /etc/apache2/httpd.conf-example to /etc/apache2/httpd.conf by running the following command .

 cp /etc/apache2/httpd.conf-example /etc/apache2/httpd.conf   

➍ edit the httpd.conf file as the following :-  

  vi /etc/apache2/httpd.conf   

Follow the link to Configure basic apache setting :- Configure Apache on Solaris

scroll down until you reach Virtual Hosts section .

add the following information :- 

<VirtualHost 192.168.1.50:80>   
  ServerName site1.com   
  ServerAdmin admin@site1.com   
  DocumentRoot /var/apache2/htdocs/site1   
  ErrorLog /var/apache2/logs/site1.error.log   
  Customlog /var/apache2/logs/site1.access.log combind   
  </VirtualHost>   
  <VirtualHost 192.168.1.55:80>   
  ServerName site2.com   
  ServerAdmin admin@site2.com   
  DocumentRoot /var/apache2/htdocs/site2   
  ErrorLog /var/apache2/logs/site2.error.log   
  CustomLog /var/aapche2/logs/site2.access.log   
  </VirtualHost>   

➎ save and close the document.

➏ restart the apache service

  svcadm restart apache2   

now , you have completed the configuration , try to access the site1.com by its IP address by type 192.168.1.50 in the web browser , if you see Site1 Page then your configuration is OK , now try to access site2.com by type 192.168.1.55 in the web browser  , you have to see Site2 Page. 

if you want to access site1 and site2 by names add a recored in the DNS for site1 and site2 , if you don't have a DNS server you can do that from hosts file in the operating system as follow :-

↪ UNIX + Linux = edit /etc/hosts file and add a record for site1 and site2 as following :- 

192.168.1.50    site1.com

192.168.1.55    site2.com

↪ Windows = edit C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file and add a record for site1 and site as following :-

192.168.1.50    site1.com

192.168.1.55    site2.com

-IP-based virtual host ( case 2 :- web sites share one IP address with different PORT )

➊ clear all configuration in previous step .

➋ make sure the apache service is running on solaris 10 , at the prompt type :-

  svcs -a | grep -i apache2  

if the apache is running you will see the following : -

online   0:28:03 svc:/network/http:apache2 

if the status is disabled , 

disable   0:28:03 svc:/network/http:apache2   

enable it , at the command prompt type :-

svcadm enable apache2   

➌ create directories that will hold site1 and site 2 files .

cd /var/apache2/htdocs       
mkdir site1 site2         
cd site1             
echo "Site1 Page">>index.html   
cd ..                 
cd site2             
echo "Site2 Page">>index.html  

note that the "/var/apache2/htdocs is the DocumentRoot folder witch holds all web sites files .

➍ Copy the file /etc/apache2/httpd.conf-example to /etc/apache2/httpd.conf by running the following command .

cp /etc/apache2/httpd.conf-example /etc/apache2/httpd.conf   

➎ edit the httpd.conf file as the following :- 

  vi /etc/apache2/httpd.conf  

scroll down until you reach Listen Directive , add the following information :-

 Listen 192.168.1.50:8081   
 Listen 192.168.1.50:8082   

➏ scroll down until you reach Virtual Host section and ad the following :- 

<VirtualHost 192.168.1.50:8081>   
  ServerName site1.com   
  ServerAdmin admin@site1.com   
  DocumentRoot /var/apache2/htdocs/site1   
  ErrorLog /var/apache2/logs/site1.error.log   
  Customlog /var/apache2/logs/site1.access.log combind   
 </VirtualHost>   
 <VirtualHost 192.168.1.50:8080>   
  ServerName site2.com   
  ServerAdmin admin@site2.com   
  DocumentRoot /var/apache2/htdocs/site2   
  ErrorLog /var/apache2/logs/site2.error.log   
  CustomLog /var/aapche2/logs/site2.access.log   
 </VirtualHost>   

➐ save and close the document.

➑ restart the apache service

 svcadm restart apache2  

now , you have completed the configuration , try to access the site1.com by its IP address by type 192.168.1.50:8081 in the web browser , if you see Site1 Page then your configuration is OK .

now try to access site2.com by type 192.168.1.50:8080 in the web browser you have to see Site2 Page. 

if you want to access site1 and site2 by names add a recored in the DNS for site1 and site2 , if you don't have a DNS server you can do that from hosts file in the operating system as follow :- 

↪ UNIX + Linux = edit /etc/hosts file and add a record for site1 and site2 as following :- 

192.168.1.50    site1.com

192.168.1.50    site2.com

↪ Windows = edit C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file and add a record for site1 and site as following :-

192.168.1.50    site1.com

192.168.1.50    site2.com

in the browser type site1.com:8081 and site2.com:8080

- Name-Based Virtual Host

➊ clear all configuration in previous step .

➋ make sure the apache service is running on solaris 10 , at the prompt type :-

 svcs -a | grep -i apache2   

if the apache is running you will see the following : -

  online   0:28:03 svc:/network/http:apache2   

Copy the file /etc/apache2/httpd.conf-example to /etc/apache2/httpd.conf by running the following command .

 cp /etc/apache2/httpd.conf-example /etc/apache2/httpd.conf   

➌ create directories that will hold site1 and site 2 files .

cd /var/apache2/htdocs   
 mkdir site1 site2    
 cd site1    
 echo "Site1 Page">>index.html   
 cd ..   
 cd site2   
 echo "Site2 Page">>index.html 

➍ edit the httpd.conf file as the following :- 

  vi /etc/apache2/httpd.conf   

➎ scroll down until you reach Virtual Host section and ad the following :- NameVirtualHost 192.168.1.50:80

<VirtualHost 192.168.1.50>   
  ServerName site1.com   
  ServerAdmin admin@site1.com   
  DocumentRoot /var/apache2/htdocs/site1   
  ErrorLog /var/apache2/logs/site1.error.log   
  Customlog /var/apache2/logs/site1.access.log combind   
</VirtualHost>   
<VirtualHost 192.168.1.50>   
  ServerName site2.com   
  ServerAdmin admin@site2.com   
  DocumentRoot /var/apache2/htdocs/site2   
  ErrorLog /var/apache2/logs/site2.error.log   
  CustomLog /var/aapche2/logs/site2.access.log   
</VirtualHost>  

➏ save and close the document.

➐ restart the apache service 

  svcadm restart apache2   

if you want to access site1 and site2 by names add a recored in the DNS for site1 and site2 , if you don't have a DNS server you can do that from hosts file in the operating system as follow :- 

↪ UNIX + Linux = edit /etc/hosts file and add a record for site1 and site2 as following :- 

192.168.1.50    site1.com

192.168.1.50    site2.com

↪ Windows = edit C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file and add a record for site1 and site as following :-

192.168.1.50    site1.com

192.168.1.50    site2.com

in the browser type site1.com and site2.com

 

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