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 <H1 ALIGN="CENTER">Starting Apache</H1>


 <ul>
 <li><a href="#windows">Starting Apache on Windows</a></li>
 <li><a href="#unix">Starting Apache on Unix</a>
 <ul>
 <li><a href="#errors">Errors During Start-up</a></li>
 <li><a href="#boot">Starting at Boot-Time</a></li>
 <li><a href="#info">Additional Information</a></li>
 </ul>
 </li>
 </ul>

 <hr>

 <h2><a name="windows">Starting Apache On Windows</a></h2>

 <p>On Windows, Apache is normally run as a service on Windows NT, or
 as a console application on Windows 95. For details, see <A
 HREF="platform/windows.html#run">running Apache for Windows</A>.</p>

 <h2><a name="unix">Starting Apache on Unix</a></h2>

 <p>On Unix, the <a href="programs/httpd.html">httpd</a> program is run
 as a daemon which executes continuously in the background to handle
 requests.</p>

 <p>If the <a href="mod/core.html#port">Port</a> specified in the
 configuration file is the default of 80 (or any other port below
 1024), then it is necessary to have root privileges in order to start
 apache, so that it can bind to this privileged port.  Once the server
 has started and performed a few preliminary activities such as opening
 its log files, it will launch several <em>child</em> processes which
 do the work of listening for and answering requests from clients.  The
 main <code>httpd</code> process continues to run as the root user, but
 the child processes run as a less privileged user.  This is controlled
 by the selected <a href="mpm.html">Multi-Processing Module</a>.</p>

 <p>The first thing that <code>httpd</code> does when it is invoked is
 to locate and read the <a href="configuring.html">configuration
 file</a> <code>httpd.conf</code>.  The location of this file is set at
 compile-time, but it is possible to specify its location at run time
 using the <code>-f</code> command-line option as in</p>
 <blockquote><code> /usr/local/apache/bin/httpd -f
 /usr/local/apache/conf/httpd.conf </code></blockquote>

 <p>As an alternative to invoking the <code>httpd</code> binary
 directly, a shell script called <a
 href="programs/apachectl.html">apachectl</a> is provided which can be
 used to control the daemon process with simple commands such as
 <code>apachectl start</code> and <code>apachectl stop</code>.</p>

 <p>If all goes well during startup, the server will detach from the
 terminal and the command prompt will return almost immediately.
 This indicates that the server is up and running.  You can then
 use your browser to connect to the server and view the test
 page in the <a href="mod/core.html#documentroot">DocumentRoot</a>
 directory and the local copy of the documentation linked from
 that page.</p>

 <h3><a name="errors">Errors During Start-up</a></h3>

 <p>If Apache suffers a fatal problem during startup, it will write a
 message describing the problem either to the console or to the <a
 href="mod/core.html#errorlog">ErrorLog</a> before exiting.  One of the
 most common error messages is "<code>Unable to bind to Port
 ...</code>".  This message is usually caused by either:</p>
 <ul>
 <li>Trying to start the server on a privileged port when not
 logged in as the root user; or</li>
 <li>Trying to start the server when there is another instance
 of Apache or some other web server already bound to the same Port.</li>
 </ul>
 <p>For further trouble-shooting instructions, consult the Apache <a
 href="misc/FAQ.html">FAQ</a>.</p>

 <h3><a name="boot">Starting at Boot-Time</a></h3>

 <p>If you want your server to continue running after a system reboot,
 you should add a call to <code>httpd</code> or <code>apachectl</code>
 to your system startup files (typically <code>rc.local</code> or a
 file in an <code>rc.N</code> directory). This will start Apache as
 root. Before doing this ensure that your server is properly configured
 for security and access restrictions.  The <code>apachectl</code>
 script is designed so that it can often be linked directly as an init
 script, but be sure to check the exact requirements of your system.</p>

 <h3><a name="info">Additional Information</a></h3>

 <p>Additional information about the command-line options of <a
 href="programs/httpd.html">httpd</a> and <a
 href="programs/apachectl.html">apachectl</a> as well as other support
 programs included with the server is available on the <a
 href="programs/">Server and Supporting Programs</a> page.  There is
 also documentation on all the <a href="mod/">modules</a> included with
 the Apache distribution and the <a
 href="mod/directives.html">directives</a> that they provide.</p>


 <!--#include virtual="footer.html" -->
 </BODY>
 </HTML>
	<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
	<HTML>
	<HEAD>
	<TITLE>Starting Apache</TITLE>
	</HEAD>

	<!-- Background white, links blue (unvisited), navy (visited), red (active) -->
	<BODY
	BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"
	TEXT="#000000"
	LINK="#0000FF"
	VLINK="#000080"
	ALINK="#FF0000"
	>
	<!--#include virtual="header.html" -->
	<H1 ALIGN="CENTER">Starting Apache</H1>


	<ul>
	<li><a href="#windows">Starting Apache on Windows</a></li>
	<li><a href="#unix">Starting Apache on Unix</a>
	<ul>
	<li><a href="#errors">Errors During Start-up</a></li>
	<li><a href="#boot">Starting at Boot-Time</a></li>
	<li><a href="#info">Additional Information</a></li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	</ul>

	<hr>

	<h2><a name="windows">Starting Apache On Windows</a></h2>

	<p>On Windows, Apache is normally run as a service on Windows NT, or
	as a console application on Windows 95. For details, see <A
	HREF="platform/windows.html#run">running Apache for Windows</A>.</p>

	<h2><a name="unix">Starting Apache on Unix</a></h2>

	<p>On Unix, the <a href="programs/httpd.html">httpd</a> program is run
	as a daemon which executes continuously in the background to handle
	requests.</p>

	<p>If the <a href="mod/core.html#port">Port</a> specified in the
	configuration file is the default of 80 (or any other port below
	1024), then it is necessary to have root privileges in order to start
	apache, so that it can bind to this privileged port. Once the server
	has started and performed a few preliminary activities such as opening
	its log files, it will launch several <em>child</em> processes which
	do the work of listening for and answering requests from clients. The
	main <code>httpd</code> process continues to run as the root user, but
	the child processes run as a less privileged user. This is controlled
	by the selected <a href="mpm.html">Multi-Processing Module</a>.</p>

	<p>The first thing that <code>httpd</code> does when it is invoked is
	to locate and read the <a href="configuring.html">configuration
	file</a> <code>httpd.conf</code>. The location of this file is set at
	compile-time, but it is possible to specify its location at run time
	using the <code>-f</code> command-line option as in</p>
	<blockquote><code> /usr/local/apache/bin/httpd -f
	/usr/local/apache/conf/httpd.conf </code></blockquote>

	<p>As an alternative to invoking the <code>httpd</code> binary
	directly, a shell script called <a
	href="programs/apachectl.html">apachectl</a> is provided which can be
	used to control the daemon process with simple commands such as
	<code>apachectl start</code> and <code>apachectl stop</code>.</p>

	<p>If all goes well during startup, the server will detach from the
	terminal and the command prompt will return almost immediately.
	This indicates that the server is up and running. You can then
	use your browser to connect to the server and view the test
	page in the <a href="mod/core.html#documentroot">DocumentRoot</a>
	directory and the local copy of the documentation linked from
	that page.</p>

	<h3><a name="errors">Errors During Start-up</a></h3>

	<p>If Apache suffers a fatal problem during startup, it will write a
	message describing the problem either to the console or to the <a
	href="mod/core.html#errorlog">ErrorLog</a> before exiting. One of the
	most common error messages is "<code>Unable to bind to Port
	...</code>". This message is usually caused by either:</p>
	<ul>
	<li>Trying to start the server on a privileged port when not
	logged in as the root user; or</li>
	<li>Trying to start the server when there is another instance
	of Apache or some other web server already bound to the same Port.</li>
	</ul>
	<p>For further trouble-shooting instructions, consult the Apache <a
	href="misc/FAQ.html">FAQ</a>.</p>

	<h3><a name="boot">Starting at Boot-Time</a></h3>

	<p>If you want your server to continue running after a system reboot,
	you should add a call to <code>httpd</code> or <code>apachectl</code>
	to your system startup files (typically <code>rc.local</code> or a
	file in an <code>rc.N</code> directory). This will start Apache as
	root. Before doing this ensure that your server is properly configured
	for security and access restrictions. The <code>apachectl</code>
	script is designed so that it can often be linked directly as an init
	script, but be sure to check the exact requirements of your system.</p>

	<h3><a name="info">Additional Information</a></h3>

	<p>Additional information about the command-line options of <a
	href="programs/httpd.html">httpd</a> and <a
	href="programs/apachectl.html">apachectl</a> as well as other support
	programs included with the server is available on the <a
	href="programs/">Server and Supporting Programs</a> page. There is
	also documentation on all the <a href="mod/">modules</a> included with
	the Apache distribution and the <a
	href="mod/directives.html">directives</a> that they provide.</p>


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