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By Ben Laurie, Peter Laurie
December 2002
Pages: 588
ISBN 10: 0-596-00203-3 |
ISBN 13: 9780596002039
(Average of 9 Customer Reviews)
Updated to cover the changes in Apache's latest release, 2.0, as well as Apache 1.3, this useful guide discusses how to obtain, set up, secure, modify, and troubleshoot the Apache software on both Unix and Windows systems. In addition to covering the installation and configuration of mod_perl and Tomcat, the book examines PHP, Cocoon, and other new technologies that are associated with the Apache web server.
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Book details
Third Edition: December 2002
ISBN: 0-596-00203-3
Pages: 588
Average Customer Reviews: (Based on 9 Reviews)
Featured customer reviews
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, December 28 2003
Unfortunately, this book is extremly obsolete. It's full of old 1.3x code and examples and a few chapters have 2.0.x ones, and the worst: this book has contradictory and wrong paragraphs in several chapters against the official Apache 2.1 docs. It's mainly focused on Unix and it's a total waste of time and money for Windows users running Apache (Unix users that have experience with Apache shouldn't waste their money with this book).
Seems that the authors have a kind of contract with FreeBSD group because this is the only OS that mainly appears on the book, it's a shame. Also seems that the authors doesn't know anything about Apache 2.0.x releases, do they want to live in the past?. By the way, the chapter related with "Security" is a complete joke.
If you're running recent Apache releases, for example 2.0.4x (with the most interesting and useful features) forget about this outdated and biased book and invest your time with the Official 2.1 Apache docs.
Sorry O'Reilly, better luck with the 4th Ediiton.
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, November 07 2003
This is the second book I had worked through from Orielly. Quite good for most of aspects. It needs some knowledge of Linux and computer networking for better understanding this book. The third edition have some typo and the example download contains some misconfigure file. However, if you look at this book closely, you can solve it by yourself. This can be regards as a practice for the reader. Quite good, hope that more information and improvment in next edition.
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, November 04 2003
This is a fairly comprehensive, 600-page guide to the Apache web server software. The book begins with an overview of what a web server and browser clients do, how they work, and planning/installing Apache. The book covers versions 1.3.x and 2.0.x, and the differences between them. After installation, the next few chapters explain the initial configuration required to get a working webserver, including the various directives blocks, access control, and setting up virtual hosts.
Chapter 5 discusses how to implement authentication, passwords, and more on access control, such as using .htaccess files. Following chapters describe how to change settings for various web filetypes, indexing, imagemaps, and redirection of web page requests. Chapters 9 and 10 explain using a proxy, and the multitude of logging and status options which can be configured.
One of the longer (and important) chapters, Chapter 11, goes into excellent detail about the security aspects of running a webserver. It includes discussion and examples on signatures, certificates, using SSL, and firewalls. General security precautions, real life scenarios, and even potential legal issues are addressed.
The next section goes over building and administering a large website, and the issues associated with that. Also there is a chapter on adding web applications to your site to allow flexible user interaction, such as forms submission. There are then several chapters regarding add-ons and extensions to get even more from the webserver. These include PHP, CGI, Perl, mod_perl, XML, and Cocoon. There are numerous examples of coding provided, although most of them are somewhat basic in nature. One subject that I thought should have been addressed more was integrating the webserver with a database (such as MySQL), as this is a very common requirement.
The last two chapters go over the Apache Application Programming Interface (API), and how to write Modules for Apache. This may be useful to more serious developers, but is probably too technical and difficult for the average casual user. The book closes with a good Index and there is also a very handy foldout inside the back cover which contains quick-reference data for the most commonly used configurations and commands.
Overall this book seems to "cover all the bases". It was useful to me as a beginner to set up a testing webserver, and yet has extra details and information for those more advanced webmasters. The quick reference section especially, should be very useful to experienced Apache users. I would highly recommend the book for anyone wanting to start or improve their knowledge in running the Apache webserver.
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, September 22 2003
I've been consistently impressed with O'Reilly's pubs until this book. I bought it with the little "Covers 2.0 and 1.3" on the cover as a key element. However, it appears that "Covers 2.0" is very much a marketing afterthought. There are so many basic differences between 1.3 and 2.0 that this book is almost completely useless. Poorly done, fellas.
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, July 02 2003
I ordered this book to learn apache from the ground up, but the examples download will not work out of the box for apache 2.0 (distributed with RedHat 9). It requires knowledge of apache and extensive editing of each httpd.conf file to make them workable. The book has great information, but could be a much better learning experience if the examples could be used.
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, June 30 2003
This book offers a step by step process of installing the Tomcat webserver
to Unix (primarily) and Windows servers. at every stage, the authors have
taken the time to include the information about windows operating system.
the authors have taken the time to arrange the flow of the chapters to
match the events in a real world server configuration exercise of an
apache. the book also describes the differences in the versions of Apache
for the benefit of users.
In all, the book is good material for the not-so experienced apache user.
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, June 19 2003
This book is written well and is thorough enough, but Apache already comes with rather thorough documentation and I didn't find much new here. Might be worth it if you really want a bound manual, but otherwise, check the Apache documentation first and save yourself some money.
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, February 25 2003
I was very impressed with the second edition of this book, and didn't think there was much room for improvement. I was wrong... very wrong. What did the do different? An improved quick start guide, support for Apache 2.0, better layout (specific chapters for a specific topic), how to add PHP, CGI, mod_perl, mod_jserv / Tomcat, and Cocoon have been added. Just in shear pages it's over 200 additional pages. This book is better than the 2nd Edition in many ways. It has earned it's place on my bookshelf.
Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition Review, February 06 2003
Apache: The Definitive Guide
I bought this book to catchup with the open source initiative's webserver, apache. The book clearly explains all the different settings and commands the apache webserver can use ! Both versions (1.3 and 2.0) are covered in good detail.
WebDav
What i missed was a description of the dav_module and dav_fs_module used in version 2.0. The only place it was mentioned was on the quick reference card. WebDAV is used more widely now and the apache foundation has incorporated it in version 2.0. Nothing was mentioned ! A missed chance !
Win32
In the book the installation of apache is covered on both Unix and Win32 platforms. The last one, Win32, is not covered in detail, which i find quite poor for such a detailed book. In some passages the Win32 platform is critisized for its stability and security, not giving a non biased statement of the writers about that platform. Topics like security are very important for sysadmins using apache on the Win32 platform. Hopefully the 4rd edition will cover this subject in more detail !
Overall
A good readible book with lots of detailed descriptions and comments. Unix installation and configuration is detailed, the Win32 platform is not that detailed. Missed webdav module description and configuration. But still it is a good book to have !
Media reviews
"Overall this book seems to 'cover all the bases.' It was useful to me as a beginner to set up a testing webserver, and yet has extra details and information for those more advanced webmasters. The quick reference section especially, should be very useful to experienced Apache users. I would highly recommend the book for anyone wanting to start or improve their knowledge in running the Apache webserver."
--Dan Clough, Pensacola Linux User's Group, November 2003
"'Apache: The Definitive Guide' is an excellent resource for any webmaster. It provides insight into the numerous configuration options available. It covers both Apache 1.3 and 2.0 extensively, even providing Application Program Interface details for those needing to write their own apache modules...Rating 4 out 5 (Recommend)."
--Bruce Sass, Open Source Users Society, July 2003
http://www.osus.linux.ab.ca/bookreviews.php
"Much has happened with the Web since the publishing of the second edition of O'Reilly's 'Apache: The Definitive Guide' in February 1999...In conjunction with these changes, a new version of Apache (2.0) has been released. As a result, a new edition of O'Reilly's Apache guide recently has been published by Ben Laurie and Peter Laurie. The third edition contains a little under 600 pages--more than 200 extra pages than the second edition and several new chapters...it's one of the best books available on Apache."
--Russell J.T. Dyer, Unix Review, April 2003
http://www.unixreview.com/documents/s=7932/ur0304n/
"This book walks you through the process of acquiring, compiling, installing, configuring and modifying the Apache source code. Apache is controlled through roughly 150 directives. Simply thinking about completing the whole process could scare most novice programmers away, but in reality it takes less than a half hour to do and it's well worth the effort....The book ends with a hard fold-out six page Apache Quick Reference Guide. This would be invaluable to anyone working with Apache. This concise yet thorough Quick Reference alone is worth the price of the book."
--Diana F. Arsenault, CCPCUG, February 2003
"I was very impressed with the second edition of this book, and didn't think there was much room for improvement. I was wrong...very wrong. What did they do different? An improved quick start guide, support for Apache 2.0, better layout (specific chapters for a specific topic), how to add PHP, CGI, mod_perl, mod_jserv/Tomcat, and Cocoon have been added. Just in sheer pages it's over 200 additional pages. This book is better than the 2nd Edition in many ways. It has earned its place on my bookshelf."
--Kenneth Wilcox, Boise Software Developers Group, February 2003
Reviews from Previous Edition
"My personal favorite [Apache book]...due to its clear and concise format."
--ApacheWeek, February 2002
"The book lives up to its title well; it's a great guide for getting started and maintaining a Web serve with a
Apache."
--Jon Holman, UnixReview, December 2001
"If your intention is to use Apache, then Lauries' book is probably not just definitive, but essential."
--Joe McCool, ACCU, January 2000
"I can highly recommend this resource to any sysadmin who must set up and run a web site with Apache and to the programmers who must work with it."
-- E. V. Bell II, Ed's Internet Book Review
"...an excellent guide even for webmasters who have never installed or configured a server before. However, you should have a basic knowledge of the Web and understand how it works to get the most benefit from this publication."
--fabrain.com, March 1999
"I have no reason to doubt its claim as the definitive guide and the 2nd edition is probably justified. If your intention is to use Apache, then Lauries' book is probably not just definitive, but essential. It takes the reader through from the design of the simplest possible 'hello world' site to a complex application involving on-line forms etc."
--Joe McCool, Cvue, January 2000
"a very good guide to Apache, the world's most popular web Server . . . if you are a C programmer and want to work directly with Apache's complex, but powerful application programming interface (API), you will find this book indispensable . . . This guide is amusingly written - a rarity in technical books! - and does cover most of the basics well. We'd buy the book if we were Apache webmasters"
--Stephen J. Vaughan-Nichols, Smart Reseller, April 1999
"The best book I've seen on getting the most from Apache. This is the owner's manual for the world's most widely used web server."
--Chuck Murcko, Apache Group member
"Another Nutshell book that is a 'must have' for Internet professionals using the Apache webserver software. The authors have applied their ample qualifications to produce a handbook with enough information to remain a useful tool for the basics and beyond."
--Randy Terbush, Apache Group member
"For excellent documentation, the O'Reilly folks have published 'Apache: the Definitive Guide'."
--Shirley Duglin Kennedy, Information Today, March 1998
If you want good documentation, take a look at the O'Reilly books Apache' titles, which are written by some of the program's developers. Of course, if you're working with web servers and Unix systems-especially Open Source-you'll probably have a pile of O'Reilly books on your shelves and all over your desk.
--Simon Bisson, Application Development Advisor, October 1999
"Apache, a freeware program, is one of the most popular server software used on the Unix platform. The aim of this book is to show web administrators how to properly set up the Apache server. The first three chapters are a tutorial on how to set up web sites - using virtual hosting & Apache. The rest of the book covers the following subjects: Common Gateway Interface (CGI) Authentication Content & Language Arbitration Indexing Redirection Proxy Servers Server-Side Includes Logs The Apache API Writing Apache Modules Security
Also included with the book is a cd-rom. The cd includes Apache, versions 1.1.1 & 1.2b; the HTTP/1.0 & 1.1 specs; the CGI/1.1 specs; gzip version 1.24; and the sites referred to in the book. However, the authors suggest that you download Apache from www.apache.org, as it's likely to be a more current version than the one included with the book. But you can compile and install Apache from the included cd-rom.
It's obvious that the authors know Apache very well. In fact, Ben Laurie is a member of the core Apache group. The authors state that they expect most people who read this book to have used the World Wide Web and to understand how it works. I qualify for that part! Then they go on to say they expect readers are now thinking about running their own server.
I'm not thinking about running my own server - especially after reading this book. However, I rent space on two servers - one locally for my own site & one for the purpose of reselling web space. Both servers are powered by Apache. So it couldn't hurt to learn a little about the software & what it can do.
The Lauries take you from installing Apache through running secure, virtual host web sites. There are demonstrations you can duplicate using your own equipment. Along the way, they also try to alert you to all the dangers inherent in running a server and what you can do to avoid or bypass them.
Where this book really shines is in the details. Apache is controlled through roughly 150 directives. As far as I can tell, they're all covered in minute detail. For each directive, the syntax, where it is used, & an explanation is provided. This is, in fact, the bulk of the book.
Although this book is highly informative & well written, I could not set up a web server after reading it. So if you know a little about the web, and think you'll just read this book to set up your own server, think again.
On the other hand, if you're more familiar with the requirements of running a server - how to connect to the Internet, security questions, how domain hosting works, etc - and you want free software to set up your server - this book is for you."
--CompuNotes, August 1997
