From merlyn@stonehenge.com Thu Sep  3 05:44:02 1998
Date: 27 Aug 1998 11:39:11 -0700
From: Randal Schwartz <merlyn@stonehenge.com>
To: modperl@apache.org
Subject: configuring my new mod_perl server with <Perl> sections


Doug and Lincoln (and maybe Rob)... there's still some part of your
brain that's never made it into the docs about <Perl> sections.  I
tried to get www.stonehenge.com configured entirely in Perl, and kept
stumbling on "do I need a variable, a hash element, a listref, a
hashref, a list of hashrefs, or WHAT???" as I looked at each command.
Then I got to "SSLEnable" and threw my hands up.  No parameters!  What
do I do with THAT?

But, thank the maker for Apache->http_conf!  I can write stuff that
looks a lot like my existing files, and then add a little Perl magic
when needed.  In the main httpd.conf, I put:

    <Perl>
    do "/home/merlyn/lib/Apache/.httpd.pl";
    </Perl>

and a hint here... that file has to return 1, even though it's a do,
because I'm also using Apache::StatINC (ugh!).  And here's the
contents of that file:

    ## configuration for www.stonehenge.com

    package Apache::ReadConfig;	# in case that isn't set

    for my $host (qw(w3.stonehenge.com:80 w3.stonehenge.com:443)) {
      Apache->httpd_conf(<<"END");

    Listen $host

    <VirtualHost $host>

    ServerAdmin webmaster\@stonehenge.com
    DocumentRoot /WWW/stonehenge/htdocs
    ServerName $host
    DirectoryIndex index index.html Welcome.html
    ErrorLog /WWW/stonehenge/logs/error_log
    TransferLog /WWW/stonehenge/logs/access_log

    @{[join "", map <<THIS, qw(/cgi-bin/ /cgi/)]}
    ScriptAlias $_ /WWW/stonehenge/cgi-bin/
    THIS

    RewriteEngine on

    @{[join "", map <<THIS, qw(htdocs cgi-bin)]}
    <Directory /WWW/stonehenge/$_>
    AllowOverride All
    Options All
    order allow,deny
    allow from all
    </Directory>
    THIS

    ProxyRequests On

    Redirect /~merlyn/ http://$host/merlyn/

    ErrorDocument 404 /cgi/404-handler

    XbitHack full

    <FilesMatch "^\\.|~\$">
    deny from all
    </FilesMatch>

    AddType text/plain pod

    @{[$host eq "w3.stonehenge.com:443" && <<THIS]}
    SSLEnable
    SSLRequireSSL
    SSLLogFile logs/ssl_log
    THIS

    </VirtualHost>
    END
    }

    "true";

Notice that I'm configuring my SSL and non-SSL host nearly identically
(that's the original reason for the <Perl> section), and I'm using
*some* of the tricks you gave in the examples, but "inside out",
because I'm starting with a text string and working my way towards
httpd format, not a Perl variable.  This all could have been put
inside the <Perl> section in httpd.conf, but I want separate RCS
tracking for the two files. (I'm only a virtual webmaster, not the
site webmaster. :)

Anyway, for those of you that wanted Perl to do your configuration,
but couldn't quite grok the <Perl> sections, try this hybrid approach.
Just watch out for all $, @, and \ in your here-docs.

-- 
Name: Randal L. Schwartz / Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095
Keywords: Perl training, UNIX[tm] consulting, video production, skiing, flying
Email: <merlyn@stonehenge.com> Snail: (Call) PGP-Key: (finger merlyn@teleport.com)
Web: <A HREF="http://www.stonehenge.com/merlyn/">My Home Page!</A>
Quote: "I'm telling you, if I could have five lines in my .sig, I would!" -- me

From dougm@pobox.com Thu Sep  3 05:44:34 1998
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 11:41:25 +0000
From: Doug MacEachern <dougm@pobox.com>
To: Randal Schwartz <merlyn@stonehenge.com>,
    modperl@apache.org
Subject: Re: configuring my new mod_perl server with <Perl> sections

At 11:39 AM 8/27/98 -0700, Randal Schwartz wrote:
>
>Doug and Lincoln (and maybe Rob)... there's still some part of your
>brain that's never made it into the docs about <Perl> sections.  I
>tried to get www.stonehenge.com configured entirely in Perl, and kept
>stumbling on "do I need a variable, a hash element, a listref, a
>hashref, a list of hashrefs, or WHAT???" as I looked at each command.
>Then I got to "SSLEnable" and threw my hands up.  No parameters!  What
>do I do with THAT?

I think $SSLEnable = 1 would work.  I have a plan to document how to
represent all Apache configuration in Perl, will happen soonish.

>But, thank the maker for Apache->http_conf!  I can write stuff that
>looks a lot like my existing files, and then add a little Perl magic
>when needed.  In the main httpd.conf, I put:

Apache->httpd_conf (which just pushes into
@Apache::ReadConfig::PerlConfig), came to life during the early 1.3bx
stages, another area that needs better docs :-/

cool, thanks for sharing this.  I just committed a tweak to Apache->module
so you can test for .c modules too, so instead of this test:

 @{[$host eq "w3.stonehenge.com:443" && <<THIS]}

You can do this:
 @{[Apache->module("apache_ssl.c") || Apache->module("mod_ssl.c") && <<THIS]}
    SSLEnable
    SSLRequireSSL
    SSLLogFile logs/ssl_log
    THIS

Just like using the IfModule directive.

-Doug