Server problem? Need help.

[tigmarque]

I didn't know where to ask about this, and I don't even know how to "name" my problem so here goes with the explaining.

I have an apache server which runs a multitude of different virtual hosts.

I have a website which I need to put on the internet - using a virtual host. The domain name is registered and is pointing to the correct name servers.

I edit the httpd.conf file, config test then restart.

I go to mozilla and type in the url. Nothing happens. No page loads. No errors come up, nothing happens.

In Internet Explorer it takes me to a "We can't find ..." page.

This is the same process used over and over again for about a dozen sites. What's wrong with this one?

If I browse to the site using the server that the webserver is on I can browse to the site. But otherwise nothing happens.

I would really appreciate your expertise on this one. Thanks in advanced.

Skye

[PeOfEo]

sounds like a remote access / unmapped port problem. If you had direct access to the machine it would not be hard to fix. When I say unmapped port, that is one possible cause, it could be any number of things.

[tigmarque]

Thanks for your quick reply PeOfEo. I have direct access to the server, unfortunately I don't have much experience in these things.

You wouldn't be able to elaborate on a solution would you?

Thanks again,

Skye

[PeOfEo]

check to make sure the router switch or hub (whatever the server is behind) does not have a firewall blocking access from the server, make sure requests on port 80 are sent to the servers local ip.

[ray326]

Turn off the "friendly" error messages in IE or use a real browser and tell us what Apache has to say about it.

[tigmarque]

Ok. I think I can post more on my prob =)

Ray326 mozilla says nothing. It doesn't go to the web page or give any error whatsoever.

If I type in "http://www.thedomainname.com" in explorer it takes me to a "The page can not be displayed" page.

I have set up the virtual host in the httpd.conf file so that there is another serveralias pointing to a sub-domain (of a different domain name) instead. So ... to elaborate:

<VirtualHost *>
DocumentRoot /home/site/blah.com.au/htdocs
ServerName blah.com.au
ServerAlias *.blah.com.au
ServerAlias blah.somethingelse.net
ErrorLog /var/log/apache/blah.com.au-error.log
CustomLog /var/log/apache/blah.com.au-access.log combined
<Directory "/home/site/blah.com.au/htdocs/stats">
AllowOverride AuthConfig
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>

If I browse to "blah.somethingelse.net" everything is fine.

I assume now that it's a dns error?

I would except for the fact that the name servers are all set up correctly. And other domains we have running with the exact same settings work perfectly.

I appreciate your help here. I feel so lost as this is all new territory to me.

So thanks,

Skye

[PeOfEo]

go to the server's ip.

[ray326]

I'll have to check your setup with what I'm using at work tomorrow. I'm assuming you're running a single IP with DNS aliases separating your virtual hosts. Oh, just hit me. What do your access and error logs say when you hit that URL? Does the box see the request at all?

[tigmarque]

PeOfEo, if I browse to the servers IP I end up at the "default" page for the server.

Ray326, it doesn't appear to be getting there at all. You assume correctly about the set up.

When I try to browse to the page using my PC nothing happens and nothing registers in either the error log or the access log.

When I browse using lynx from the server to the page I get there and the access log reads:

127.0.0.1 - - [24/Mar/2004:09:04:46 +1100] "GET / HTTP/1.0" 200 5338 "-" "Lynx/2.8.4rel.1 libwww-FM/2.14"

Skye

[PeOfEo]

Ill say this yet again go to the ip (not a domain name can be thought of as a synonym for the ip)
ip:port/page
If it works we know it is not a dns problem. You can go to pages other then the default page in the root dir with the ip, you are not limited to that.
http://24.129.72.170/layout/index.aspx
That is not my root dir, but look its my ip in the url. I did not put in the port because 80 is the default for http requests, so it was unneccessary.

[tigmarque]

PeOfEo, I'm not sure what you mean.

Just say that the default sites directory is: /home/site/defaultname/htdocs

And the site which I am trying to set up is located on:
/home/site/blah/htdocs

How do I browse to that?

Sorry if I sound a little obstinate or dumb, but I don't really know what you mean.

[PeOfEo]

http://ipaddressofserver/home/site/blah/htdocs/

[ray326]

127.0.0.1 - - [24/Mar/2004:09:04:46 +1100] "GET / HTTP/1.0" 200 5338 "-" "Lynx/2.8.4rel.1 libwww-FM/2.14" I'm surprised that got you to the right place.

Ok, here is the virtual host section of my httpd.conf. This is an IBM/Apache 1.3.x server on NT. There are two virtual hosts, myhost and webteam, running off port 80 on the same ip. Myhost is the primary name and webteam is an alias as far as the DNS setup is concerned. Hopefully you'll see something in there that helps.

<VirtualHost "160.209.2.55 (webteam.mycompany.com)">
ServerPath "j:/ibm http server"
Options ExecCgi IncludesNOEXEC Indexes
ServerName webteam.mycompany.com
DocumentRoot h:/webteam/htdocs
ServerAdmin myname@mycompany.com
UseCanonicalName On
ErrorLog logs/webteam-error.log
ServerSignature Off
IndexOptions FancyIndexing
IndexOrderDefault Ascending Name
ScriptAlias /cgi-bin h:/webteam/cgi-bin
ServerAlias webteam
<Directory h:/webteam/htdocs>
AllowOverride all
UseCanonicalName Off
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>
BindAddress 160.209.2.55
NameVirtualHost 160.209.2.55
<VirtualHost "160.209.2.55 (myhost.mycompany.com)">
ServerName myhost.mycompany.com
ServerPath "j:/ibm http server"
<Directory h:/www/htdocs>
AllowOverride all
UseCanonicalName On
Dav On
DavMinTimeout 600
</Directory>
<Directory H:/www/cgi-bin>
AllowOverride none
Options None
</Directory>
<Directory h:/axor/cgi-bin>
AllowOverride none
UseCanonicalName Off
AuthName AXOR
AuthType basic
AuthUserFile h:/axor/axor.acl
Require valid-user
</Directory>
<Directory h:/abl/cgi-bin>
AllowOverride none
UseCanonicalName Off
Require valid-user
AuthName AXL
AuthType basic
AuthUserFile h:/axor/axor.acl
</Directory>
ScriptAlias /cgi-bin H:/www/cgi-bin
ServerAlias myhost
DocumentRoot h:/www/htdocs
ServerAdmin myname@mycompany.com
ErrorLog logs/myhost-error.log
Options ExecCgi IncludesNOEXEC Indexes
</VirtualHost>