Running Apache on NT
If you are on NT you will want to install Apache as a
service. To do this select Start, Programs, Apache, Install Apache As
Service. Now Apache can be started and stopped using the ‘Services’
Control Panel Applet. Unless you have a good reason, I would suggest setting this to be started manually. To do this
go to Control Panel and select Services. Select the Apache service
and click ‘Startup’. Set ‘Start Up Type’ to ‘Manual’. This will
make you have to start Apache when you need it. The good thing is
that it will shut down when NT does. You will not see
any Apache windows with this setup.
service. To do this select Start, Programs, Apache, Install Apache As
Service. Now Apache can be started and stopped using the ‘Services’
Control Panel Applet. Unless you have a good reason, I would suggest setting this to be started manually. To do this
go to Control Panel and select Services. Select the Apache service
and click ‘Startup’. Set ‘Start Up Type’ to ‘Manual’. This will
make you have to start Apache when you need it. The good thing is
that it will shut down when NT does. You will not see
any Apache windows with this setup.
Running Apache on Windows 9x
If you are using Windows 9x, I would suggest downloading the Apache
Manager for Windows from my website (http://brian.threadnet.com/apmgr.html).
It stays in the system tray and hides all the console windows that Apache
creates. It will allow you to start, stop and restart Apache without
worrying about command line mess. If you do not want to use Apache
Manager, you can start Apache by selecting Start, Programs, Apache Web Server,
Apache Server. This will create a console (MS-DOS) window.
DO NOT CLOSE THIS WINDOW. To stop Apache you will need to
open an MS-DOS window, switch to your Apache folder ('c:apache') and type:
Manager for Windows from my website (http://brian.threadnet.com/apmgr.html).
It stays in the system tray and hides all the console windows that Apache
creates. It will allow you to start, stop and restart Apache without
worrying about command line mess. If you do not want to use Apache
Manager, you can start Apache by selecting Start, Programs, Apache Web Server,
Apache Server. This will create a console (MS-DOS) window.
DO NOT CLOSE THIS WINDOW. To stop Apache you will need to
open an MS-DOS window, switch to your Apache folder ('c:apache') and type:
apache -k shutdown
It may take a moment for the Apache console window to close. This
ensures a proper shutdown of all all the threads and properly closes all the
.conf and .log files. Now you know why I wrote Apache Manager.
ensures a proper shutdown of all all the threads and properly closes all the
.conf and .log files. Now you know why I wrote Apache Manager.
Testing The System
I do recommend you to run the console version of Apache at least once to be
sure all is running well. The only way to get output from Apache is
through the console window or the error.log file. The error log can be
found under the logs folder in the Apache install folder. In our case
'c:apachelogserror.log'.
sure all is running well. The only way to get output from Apache is
through the console window or the error.log file. The error log can be
found under the logs folder in the Apache install folder. In our case
'c:apachelogserror.log'.
Ok, start Apache by selecting Start, Programs, Apache Web Server, Apache
Server. If all is ok, you will see something like the following in the
console window:
Server. If all is ok, you will see something like the following in the
console window:
Apache/1.3.4 (Win32) running...
If you do not see that and the window disappears quickly you will need to run it from
an MS-DOS window. You will need to open an MS-DOS window, switch to your
Apache folder ('c:apache') and type ‘apache’. See what error message is
given. If it a parse error in the conf file, you will need to correct
it by editing httpd.conf and running Apache again.
an MS-DOS window. You will need to open an MS-DOS window, switch to your
Apache folder ('c:apache') and type ‘apache’. See what error message is
given. If it a parse error in the conf file, you will need to correct
it by editing httpd.conf and running Apache again.
So, now it is all running. To test your system, open a browser and
type: http://localhost/. You should see a page from
Apache congratulating you. If you do not, one thing to check is that you have a file
in your windows directory called hosts.sam. If it is not there, create it.
In that file put:
type: http://localhost/. You should see a page from
Apache congratulating you. If you do not, one thing to check is that you have a file
in your windows directory called hosts.sam. If it is not there, create it.
In that file put:
localhost 127.0.0.1
