Building Apache the Way You Want It - Determining Apache’s Locations Individually
(Page 8 of 13 )

Each of Apache’s locations can also be set individually, including a few rare ones that aren’t (at least, as yet) permitted in the layout. The list of available options, with their defaults in the Apache layout, is detailed in Table 3-5.

Table 3-5. Configuration Directives Relating to Locations

Option	Description
--with-program-name=NAME (2.0) Installs name-associated files using the base name of
--target=NAME (1.3)			NAME. This changes the name of the Apache executable
from httpd to NAME and also changes the default names
of the configuration, scoreboard, process ID, and lock
files—httpd.conf becomes NAME.conf, and apachectl
becomes NAMEctl, and so on. This can be useful, along
with --runtimedir for running a second instance of
Apache with a different configuration in parallel with an
existing one.
The default is httpd. In Apache 1.3 this option is called
--target, but in Apache 2 it has been renamed to
--with-program-name to make way for the new portability
options --target, --host, and --build.
--prefix=PREFIX		Installs architecture-independent files in PREFIX. This
determines the primary installation location for Apache
and the default value of the server root, for instance,
/usr/local/apache under Unix. Most other locations
default to subdirectories of this value.
--exec-prefix=EPREFIX				Installs architecture-dependent files (meaning
				principally compiled executables) in EPREFIX. This
				determines the root location of executable files, from
				which the --bindir, --sbindir, and --libexec directories
				are derived (if specified as relative values). It defaults to
				the same value as PREFIX if unspecified.
--bindir=DIR				Installs user executables and scripts in DIR. Usually
				located in the bin directory under EPREFIX.
--sbindir=DIR				Installs sys admin executables in DIR [EPRIFIX/sbin].
--libexecdir=DIR				Installs program executables in DIR. This defines the
				location of Apache’s dynamic modules, if any are
				installed. Usually located in the libexec (1.3) or modules
				(2.0) subdirectory under EPREFIX.
--mandir=DIR				Installs Unix manual pages for each of Apache’s
				executables in DIR. Usually located in the man directory
				under PREFIX. Not to be confused with --manualdir.
--sysconfdir=DIR				Installs configuration files such as httpd.conf and
				mime.types in DIR. Usually located in the conf directory
				under PREFIX.
				(Continued)

Table 3-5. Configuration Directives Relating to Locations (Continued)  

Option	Description
--datadir=DATADIR	Installs read-only data files in DATADIR. This determines
	the root location of all nonlocal data files, from which the
	--installbuilddir, --errordir, --iconsdir, --htdocsdir,
	--manualdir, and --cgidir directories are derived, if
	specified as relative values. It defaults to the same value
	as PREFIX if unspecified.
--errordir=DIR	Installs custom error documents into DIR. These are
	referred to by ErrorDocument directives in the main
	configuration file and produce nicer, and multilingual,
	error messages than Apache’s built-in ones. Usually
	located in the error directory under DATADIR. New in
	Apache 2.
--iconsdir=DIR	Installs icons for directory indexing into DIR. AddIcon
	directives in the main configuration file refer to these.
	Usually located in the icons directory under DATADIR.
	New in Apache 1.3.10.
--infodir=DIR	Installs documentation in GNU "info" format into DIR.
	Apache itself doesn’t come with any information
	documentation, but third-party modules might. Not
	created by default but, is usually located in the info
	directory under DATADIR. New in Apache 2.
--htdocsdir=DIR	Installs the default Apache startup Web page into DIR.
	The master configuration uses this directory as the initial
	value for the DocumentRoot directive. New in Apache 1.3.10.
--manualdir=DIR	Installs Apache’s HTML documentation into DIR. Usually
	located in the manual directory under DATADIR. Not to be
	confused with --mandir. New in Apache 1.3.21.
--cgidir=DIR	Installs the standard Apache CGI scripts into DIR. Usually
	located in the cgi-bin directory under DATADIR. The
	master configuration file points to this directory via a
	ScriptAlias directive. New in Apache 1.3.10.
--includedir=DIR	Installs Apache’s header files in DIR. These are required
	by apxs to compile modules without the full Apache
	source tree available. Usually located in the include
	directory under PREFIX.
--libdir=DIR	Installs Apache’s nonmodule object libraries in DIR.
	Usually located in the lib directory under PREFIX. New in
	Apache 2.
--localstatedir=LOCALDIR	Installs modifiable data files in DIR. This defines where
	files that convey information about a particular instance
	of Apache are kept. It usually governs the locations of the
	runtime, log file, and proxy directories below. Usually the
	same as PREFIX.
--runtimedir=DIR	Installs run-time data in DIR. This determines the default
	locations of the process ID, scoreboard, and lock files.
	Usually located in the logs subdirectory under LOCALDIR.

Table 3-5. Configuration Directives Relating to Locations (Continued)

Option	Description
--logfiledir=DIR	Installs log file data in DIR. This determines the default locations of the error and access logs. Usually located in the logs subdirectory under LOCALDIR.
--proxycachedir=DIR	Installs proxy cache data in DIR. This determines the default location of the proxy cache. Usually located in the proxy subdirectory under LOCALDIR.
--sharedstatedir=DIR	Installs shared modifiable data files in DIR. Not created by default, but usually the same as PREFIX. New in Apache 2.

When considering this list, it’s worth remembering that the directory organization is actually an artifact of the layout definitions in config.layout and not an implicit default; there’s nothing that automatically decides that the bin and sbin directories are under EPREFIX. The same is true for DATADIR and LOCALSTATEDIR—both define paths that are only used as the basis for the default values of other options in config.layout. If you create your own layout that doesn’t make use of them, they have no significance.

You can also combine a layout configuration with an individual location option. The configure script reads the layout first and then overrides it with individual options. For example, you can explicitly request the Apache layout and then override the sbin directory so it’s different from the normal bin directory:

[1.3] $ ./configure --with-layout=Apache --sbindir=/usr/local/apache/sbin
[2.0] $ ./configure --enable-layout=Apache --sbindir=/usr/local/apache/sbin

As a final trick, you can actually use the variables in the layout definition as part of individual location options. For example, the --exec_prefix option can be accessed with $exec_prefix. You need to escape the dollar to prevent the shell from trying to evaluate it, so the second command in the previous code could be written more flexibly as this:

$ ./configure --enable-layout=Apache --sbindir=\$exec_prefix/sbin

You can do this for any of the values defined in config.layout, which allows you to customize any predefined layout without editing it.

To check that you’ve got everything right, use the --show-layout option:

$ ./configure --enable-layout=Apache --sbindir=\ $exec_prefix/sbin --show-layout

This also has the benefit of providing the names of the values you can use in your own modifications (by prefixing them with a $).

CAUTION This isn’t yet supported by the Apache 2 configure script.

Next: Choosing a MultiProcessing Module (Apache 2) >>
 

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