Apache Frequently Asked Questions

Progressive Networks uses the open source Apache web server to host its sites. If you're new to Apache, read on for some basic information on using your new Apache-based account.

Getting Started

  1. What's the URL to my site?
  2. What's the path to my web root directory?
  3. Can I use CGI scripts? What kinds?
  4. Can I use SSI's? If so, how?
  5. Where are my site's log files?
  6. Can I use an .htaccess file?

Configuration

  1. What's the path to Perl? What's the path for Python?
  2. How can I password protect a directory?
  3. What permissions should my CGI scripts have?

Other

  1. How come http://anything.myaccount.f2o.org works?
  2. Can I use blogging software like Moveable Type or GreyMatter?
  3. How do I create a custom 404 document for my site?
  4. What are the default directory index files?

Getting Started


What's the URL to my site?

You can use a number of different URLs for your account, although they all end up in the same place. For free f2o accounts, yourusername.f2o.org will work, as will any prefixes such as www.yourusername.f2o.org, this.is.myusername.f2o.org, etc. The most common URLs are www.yourusername.f2o.org and yourusername.f2o.org.

If you're a paid domain account holder, your URL would be YourDomain.com or www.YourDomain.com (where yourdomain.com is the domain name you signed up with).

What's the path to my web root directory?

The path to your directory as seen through an FTP client would be www/public_html/ for free f2o accounts, and www/YourDomain.com_html/ for paid domain hosting accounts. The full path to your web root is /home/sites/yourusername/www/public_html for free accounts and /home/sites/yourusernamewww/YourDomain.com_html/ for paid domain hosting accounts.

Can I use CGI scripts? What kinds?

Sure thing! By default, your web root directory is configured to handle CGI scripts without the need for a "CGI-BIN" directory. You can use Perl and Python to start, although we're fairly accommodating to other languages as well.

Can I use SSI's? If so, how?

Yes. SSI's are also enabled by default. Make sure your file has an .shtml extension so that Apache will recognize it as an SSI page and parse it as such. An example Virtual Sever statement would look like this:

<!--#include virtual="file.inc" -->

where file.inc is the file you wish to include.

Where are my site's log files?

Your account comes with two log files called access.log and error.log. They are both available in the log/ directory of your account. access.log is set to log referrer and browser information in addition to the usual access information. These files are automatically rotated once a month on the first of the month. If you'd like to keep backups of your logs, rename them, download them, or move them to a different server!

Can I use an .htaccess file?

.htaccess files are permitted, and we're fairly lenient in what Options you can use and override. By default, your web root directory has the following Options: MultiViews, ExecCGI, SymLinksIfOwnerMatch, and IncludesNoExec. You are allowed to override the following options as well: FileInfo, AuthConfig, Indexes, and Limit. For more information on how to use .htaccess, view the Apache .htaccess documentation.

Configuration


What's the path to Perl? What's the path for Python?

Perl can be found at /usr/bin/perl and Python is at /usr/bin/python.

How can I password protect a directory?

By configuring your .htaccess file to use an 'htpasswd' file. For more information on how to do this, check out this informative documentation about Apache authentication from the Apache documentation page.

What permissions should my CGI scripts have?

Most CGI scripts need to be world readable and executable to be run by Apache. Setting a CGI script as '755' through your FTP client should do the trick.

Other


How come http://anything.myaccount.f2o.org works for free f2o accounts?

When you sign up for a free f2o account, we configure the DNS to match anything before the .yourusername.f2o.org to your account. Because of that, any string before your subdomain will resolve to your account.

Can I use blogging software like Moveable Type or Wordpress?

Yes! All the modules needed for both packages are pre-installed for you. However, if you run into problems setting up your blogging software, check out the support forums for help. Chances are someone else has had a similar problem and we've found a solution already.

How do I create a custom 404 document for my site?

Adding a custom 404 document is a nice way to create a friendly and helpful message for documents that cannot be found on your site. To do so, simply create an .htaccess file in your web root directory (usually ~/www/public_html/) and add a line similar to this:

ErrorDocument 404 /error404.htm

If you need further assistance, feel free to ask in the Support Forums.

What are the default directory index files?

The default files which will be displayed if just a directory name is entered are as follows: index.html, index.php, index.cfm, index.cgi, index.shtml, index.asp, default.asp.

If you have more than one directory index file within a directory, they will be be shown in the order listed above, index.html first and default.asp last.

Need More Help?

Progressive Networks has a number of support options in addition to our FAQ's available for our members: