FC5: Apache issue? Or something else?

[Paul Howarth]

Gilbert Sebenste wrote:
> On Wed, 24 May 2006, Paul Howarth wrote:
> 
>> Gilbert Sebenste wrote:
>>> On Wed, 24 May 2006, Tim wrote:
>>>
>>>>> On one of my FC5 machines, I run a webserver (Apache 2.2.2).
>>>>> I can connect to it normally from any web browser on any machine in 
>>>>> the
>>>>> world on the Internet...save one. The machine it's on! From that
>>>>> machine, running Firefox or Ephiphany, it says that it cannot 
>>>>> connect to
>>>>> the Web server. Turning off the firewall doesn't help. Never had the
>>>>> problem in FC1-4.
>>>>
>>>> Two things spring to mind:  You don't have the server listening to the
>>>> interface you're trying to use on that machine.  You're trying to
>>>> connect to an external address, and your network doesn't loop around
>>>> that way.
>>>>
>>>>>  Any ideas?
>>>>
>>>> Post your Apache configuration details, particularly what it listens 
>>>> to.
>>>> And say how you're trying to connect to it?  (External network address,
>>>> local network IP, localhost address, by named or IP address, etc.)
>>>
>>> # Change this to Listen on specific IP addresses as shown below to
>>> # prevent Apache from glomming onto all bound IP addresses (0.0.0.0)
>>> #
>>> #Listen 12.34.56.78:80
>>> Listen xxx.xxx.xx.xx:80
>>>
>>> Where the "x"'s are the IP address of the machine. I double-checked; 
>>> no typos.
>>>
>>> # You will have to access it by its address anyway, and this will make
>>> # redirections work in a sensible way.
>>> #
>>> #ServerName www.example.com:80
>>> ServerName www.machine.com:80
>>>
>>>
>>> # UseCanonicalName: Determines how Apache constructs self-referencing
>>> # URLs and the SERVER_NAME and SERVER_PORT variables.
>>> # When set "Off", Apache will use the Hostname and Port supplied
>>> # by the client.  When set "On", Apache will use the value of the
>>> # ServerName directive.
>>> #
>>> UseCanonicalName Off
>>>
>>> I am bringing up Firefox 1.5.0.3 on www.machine.com and doing a 
>>> standard http://www.machine.com in the browser window. No dice.
>>>
>>> I did this with Apache 2.058. I am running 2.22 now.
>>
>> Do you really need to restrict apache to listening on this one IP 
>> address, or could you not instead use:
>>
>> Listen 80
>>
>> That would listen on all interfaces, including localhost.
>>
>> Paul.
> 
> Paul,
> 
> Thanks for replying again. I'm confused though...it says to do an IP 
> address instead of just "Listen 80". Won't that "glom" up httpd 
> (whatever they mean by that)? I could try, and I bet that's the problem, 
> but I set that parameter like that on FC4 and it did not cause this 
> problem.
> Must be an Apache 2.22 thing.
> 
> (P.S. I just tried it. It worked...I can now see the web site on my 
> machine. But is this safe?)

It's listening on all interfaces now, including localhost. This is only 
a problem if:

1. You trust yourself less than everyone else on the Internet, or
2. You want to run different services on that port for different interfaces.

I wouldn't worry about it. That's how I have my server set up anyway, 
and it's been that way for as long as I can remember.

Paul.