Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Administration Unleashed

Summary 337Starting and Stopping the ServerEven though a non-root user such as apache owns the httpd processes, you still must beroot to start and stop the service. Now that you have the basic settings configured, usethe service httpd start command as root to start the server. If all goes well, the serverwill start. If you have a syntax error in the configuration file, a message is displayed to letyou know the server hasn’t been started and a gives a hint on where the syntax error islocated. Also check the error log file as defined with the ErrorLog directive for messages.If the web server is already running, the service httpd reload command must be runbefore the changes take effect. To stop the server, use the service httpd stop command.To configure the web service to start automatically at boot time, execute the chkconfighttpd on command as root.SummaryThis chapter provided a basic understanding of the Apache HTTP server and how it isconfigured in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The list of required configuration options isshort. However, as you have read, the Apache HTTP server can be customized in numerousways. It can be configured to serve multiple websites, and modules can be added tothe Apache HTTP server to enhance its functionality. What and how log messages arewritten can even be customized.15