mirror of
https://github.com/apache/httpd.git
synced 2025-10-30 08:05:39 +03:00
a8857a3d7a
browsing with SSIs but more easily posted on USENET. git-svn-id: https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/httpd/httpd/trunk@83378 13f79535-47bb-0310-9956-ffa450edef68
372 lines
14 KiB
HTML
372 lines
14 KiB
HTML
<!--#if expr="$FAQMASTER" -->
|
|
<!--#set var="STANDALONE" value="" -->
|
|
<!--#set var="INCLUDED" value="YES" -->
|
|
<!--#if expr="$QUERY_STRING = TOC" -->
|
|
<!--#set var="TOC" value="YES" -->
|
|
<!--#set var="CONTENT" value="" -->
|
|
<!--#else -->
|
|
<!--#set var="TOC" value="" -->
|
|
<!--#set var="CONTENT" value="YES" -->
|
|
<!--#endif -->
|
|
<!--#else -->
|
|
<!--#set var="STANDALONE" value="YES" -->
|
|
<!--#set var="INCLUDED" value="" -->
|
|
<!--#set var="TOC" value="" -->
|
|
<!--#set var="CONTENT" value="" -->
|
|
<!--#endif -->
|
|
<!--#if expr="$STANDALONE" -->
|
|
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN">
|
|
<HTML>
|
|
<HEAD>
|
|
<TITLE>Apache Server Frequently Asked Questions</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">Apache Server Frequently Asked Questions</H1>
|
|
<P>
|
|
$Revision: 1.1 $ ($Date: 1999/06/24 15:02:52 $)
|
|
</P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
The latest version of this FAQ is always available from the main
|
|
Apache web site, at
|
|
<<A
|
|
HREF="http://www.apache.org/docs/misc/FAQ.html"
|
|
REL="Help"
|
|
><SAMP>http://www.apache.org/docs/misc/FAQ.html</SAMP></A>>.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<!-- Notes about changes: -->
|
|
<!-- - If adding a relative link to another part of the -->
|
|
<!-- documentation, *do* include the ".html" portion. There's a -->
|
|
<!-- good chance that the user will be reading the documentation -->
|
|
<!-- on his own system, which may not be configured for -->
|
|
<!-- multiviews. -->
|
|
<!-- - When adding items, make sure they're put in the right place -->
|
|
<!-- - verify that the numbering matches up. -->
|
|
<!-- - *Don't* use <PRE></PRE> blocks - they don't appear -->
|
|
<!-- correctly in a reliable way when this is converted to text -->
|
|
<!-- with Lynx. Use <DL><DD><CODE>xxx<BR>xx</CODE></DD></DL> -->
|
|
<!-- blocks inside a <P></P> instead. This is necessary to get -->
|
|
<!-- the horizontal and vertical indenting right. -->
|
|
<!-- - Don't forget to include an HR tag after the last /P tag -->
|
|
<!-- but before the /LI in an item. -->
|
|
<P>
|
|
If you are reading a text-only version of this FAQ, you may find numbers
|
|
enclosed in brackets (such as "[12]"). These refer to the list of
|
|
reference URLs to be found at the end of the document. These references
|
|
do not appear, and are not needed, for the hypertext version.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<H2>The Questions</H2>
|
|
<OL TYPE="A">
|
|
<!--#endif -->
|
|
<!--#if expr="$TOC || $STANDALONE" -->
|
|
<LI VALUE="7"><STRONG>Authentication and Access Restrictions</STRONG>
|
|
<OL>
|
|
<LI><A HREF="#dnsauth">Why isn't restricting access by host or domain name
|
|
working correctly?</A>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><A HREF="#user-authentication">How do I set up Apache to require
|
|
a username and password to access certain documents?</A>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><A HREF="#remote-auth-only">How do I set up Apache to allow access
|
|
to certain documents only if a site is either a local site
|
|
<EM>or</EM> the user supplies a password and username?</A>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><A HREF="#authauthoritative">Why does my authentication give
|
|
me a server error?</A>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><A HREF="#auth-on-same-machine">Do I have to keep the (mSQL)
|
|
authentication information on the same machine?</A>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><A HREF="#msql-slow">Why is my mSQL authentication terribly slow?</A>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><A HREF="#passwdauth">Can I use my <SAMP>/etc/passwd</SAMP> file
|
|
for Web page authentication?</A>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
</OL>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<!--#endif -->
|
|
<!--#if expr="$STANDALONE" -->
|
|
</OL>
|
|
|
|
<HR>
|
|
|
|
<H2>The Answers</H2>
|
|
<!--#endif -->
|
|
<!--#if expr="! $TOC" -->
|
|
<H3>G. Authentication and Access Restrictions</H3>
|
|
<OL>
|
|
|
|
<LI><A NAME="dnsauth">
|
|
<STRONG>Why isn't restricting access by host or domain name
|
|
working correctly?</STRONG>
|
|
</A>
|
|
<P>
|
|
Two of the most common causes of this are:
|
|
</P>
|
|
<OL>
|
|
<LI><STRONG>An error, inconsistency, or unexpected mapping in the DNS
|
|
registration</STRONG>
|
|
<BR>
|
|
This happens frequently: your configuration restricts access to
|
|
<SAMP>Host.FooBar.Com</SAMP>, but you can't get in from that host.
|
|
The usual reason for this is that <SAMP>Host.FooBar.Com</SAMP> is
|
|
actually an alias for another name, and when Apache performs the
|
|
address-to-name lookup it's getting the <EM>real</EM> name, not
|
|
<SAMP>Host.FooBar.Com</SAMP>. You can verify this by checking the
|
|
reverse lookup yourself. The easiest way to work around it is to
|
|
specify the correct host name in your configuration.
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><STRONG>Inadequate checking and verification in your
|
|
configuration of Apache</STRONG>
|
|
<BR>
|
|
If you intend to perform access checking and restriction based upon
|
|
the client's host or domain name, you really need to configure
|
|
Apache to double-check the origin information it's supplied. You do
|
|
this by adding the <SAMP>-DMAXIMUM_DNS</SAMP> clause to the
|
|
<SAMP>EXTRA_CFLAGS</SAMP> definition in your
|
|
<SAMP>Configuration</SAMP> file. For example:
|
|
<P>
|
|
<DL>
|
|
<DD><CODE>EXTRA_CFLAGS=-DMAXIMUM_DNS</CODE>
|
|
</DD>
|
|
</DL>
|
|
<P></P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
This will cause Apache to be very paranoid about making sure a
|
|
particular host address is <EM>really</EM> assigned to the name it
|
|
claims to be. Note that this <EM>can</EM> incur a significant
|
|
performance penalty, however, because of all the name resolution
|
|
requests being sent to a nameserver.
|
|
</P>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
</OL>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
|
|
<LI><A NAME="user-authentication">
|
|
<STRONG>How do I set up Apache to require a username and
|
|
password to access certain documents?</STRONG>
|
|
</A>
|
|
<P>
|
|
There are several ways to do this; some of the more popular
|
|
ones are to use the <A HREF="../mod/mod_auth.html">mod_auth</A>,
|
|
<A HREF="../mod/mod_auth_db.html">mod_auth_db</A>, or
|
|
<A HREF="../mod/mod_auth_dbm.html">mod_auth_dbm</A> modules.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
For an explanation on how to implement these restrictions, see
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.apacheweek.com/"><CITE>Apache Week</CITE></A>'s
|
|
articles on
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.apacheweek.com/features/userauth"
|
|
><CITE>Using User Authentication</CITE></A>
|
|
or
|
|
<A HREF="http://www.apacheweek.com/features/dbmauth"
|
|
><CITE>DBM User Authentication</CITE></A>.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
|
|
<LI><A NAME="remote-auth-only">
|
|
<STRONG>How do I set up Apache to allow access to certain
|
|
documents only if a site is either a local site <EM>or</EM>
|
|
the user supplies a password and username?</STRONG>
|
|
</A>
|
|
<P>
|
|
Use the <A HREF="../mod/core.html#satisfy">Satisfy</A> directive,
|
|
in particular the <CODE>Satisfy Any</CODE> directive, to require
|
|
that only one of the access restrictions be met. For example,
|
|
adding the following configuration to a <SAMP>.htaccess</SAMP>
|
|
or server configuration file would restrict access to people who
|
|
either are accessing the site from a host under domain.com or
|
|
who can supply a valid username and password:
|
|
</P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
<DL>
|
|
<DD><CODE>deny from all
|
|
<BR>
|
|
allow from .domain.com
|
|
<BR>
|
|
AuthType Basic
|
|
<BR>
|
|
AuthUserFile /usr/local/apache/conf/htpasswd.users
|
|
<BR>
|
|
AuthName "special directory"
|
|
<BR>
|
|
require valid-user
|
|
<BR>
|
|
satisfy any</CODE>
|
|
</DD>
|
|
</DL>
|
|
<P></P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
See the <A HREF="#user-authentication">user authentication</A>
|
|
question and the <A HREF="../mod/mod_access.html">mod_access</A>
|
|
module for details on how the above directives work.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
|
|
<LI><A NAME="authauthoritative">
|
|
<STRONG>Why does my authentication give me a server error?</STRONG>
|
|
</A>
|
|
<P>
|
|
Under normal circumstances, the Apache access control modules will
|
|
pass unrecognized user IDs on to the next access control module in
|
|
line. Only if the user ID is recognized and the password is validated
|
|
(or not) will it give the usual success or "authentication
|
|
failed" messages.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
However, if the last access module in line 'declines' the validation
|
|
request (because it has never heard of the user ID or because it is not
|
|
configured), the <SAMP>http_request</SAMP> handler will give one of
|
|
the following, confusing, errors:
|
|
</P>
|
|
<UL>
|
|
<LI><SAMP>check access</SAMP>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><SAMP>check user. No user file?</SAMP>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI><SAMP>check access. No groups file?</SAMP>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
</UL>
|
|
<P>
|
|
This does <EM>not</EM> mean that you have to add an
|
|
'<SAMP>AuthUserFile /dev/null</SAMP>' line as some magazines suggest!
|
|
</P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
The solution is to ensure that at least the last module is authoritative
|
|
and <STRONG>CONFIGURED</STRONG>. By default, <SAMP>mod_auth</SAMP> is
|
|
authoritative and will give an OK/Denied, but only if it is configured
|
|
with the proper <SAMP>AuthUserFile</SAMP>. Likewise, if a valid group
|
|
is required. (Remember that the modules are processed in the reverse
|
|
order from that in which they appear in your compile-time
|
|
<SAMP>Configuration</SAMP> file.)
|
|
</P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
A typical situation for this error is when you are using the
|
|
<SAMP>mod_auth_dbm</SAMP>, <SAMP>mod_auth_msql</SAMP>,
|
|
<SAMP>mod_auth_mysql</SAMP>, <SAMP>mod_auth_anon</SAMP> or
|
|
<SAMP>mod_auth_cookie</SAMP> modules on their own. These are by
|
|
default <STRONG>not</STRONG> authoritative, and this will pass the
|
|
buck on to the (non-existent) next authentication module when the
|
|
user ID is not in their respective database. Just add the appropriate
|
|
'<SAMP><EM>XXX</EM>Authoritative yes</SAMP>' line to the configuration.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
In general it is a good idea (though not terribly efficient) to have the
|
|
file-based <SAMP>mod_auth</SAMP> a module of last resort. This allows
|
|
you to access the web server with a few special passwords even if the
|
|
databases are down or corrupted. This does cost a
|
|
file open/seek/close for each request in a protected area.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
|
|
<LI><A NAME="auth-on-same-machine">
|
|
<STRONG>Do I have to keep the (mSQL) authentication information
|
|
on the same machine?</STRONG>
|
|
</A>
|
|
<P>
|
|
Some organizations feel very strongly about keeping the authentication
|
|
information on a different machine than the webserver. With the
|
|
<SAMP>mod_auth_msql</SAMP>, <SAMP>mod_auth_mysql</SAMP>, and other SQL
|
|
modules connecting to (R)DBMses this is quite possible. Just configure
|
|
an explicit host to contact.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<P>
|
|
Be aware that with mSQL and Oracle, opening and closing these database
|
|
connections is very expensive and time consuming. You might want to
|
|
look at the code in the <SAMP>auth_*</SAMP> modules and play with the
|
|
compile time flags to alleviate this somewhat, if your RDBMS licences
|
|
allow for it.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
|
|
<LI><A NAME="msql-slow">
|
|
<STRONG>Why is my mSQL authentication terribly slow?</STRONG>
|
|
</A>
|
|
<P>
|
|
You have probably configured the Host by specifying a FQHN,
|
|
and thus the <SAMP>libmsql</SAMP> will use a full blown TCP/IP socket
|
|
to talk to the database, rather than a fast internal device. The
|
|
<SAMP>libmsql</SAMP>, the mSQL FAQ, and the <SAMP>mod_auth_msql</SAMP>
|
|
documentation warn you about this. If you have to use different
|
|
hosts, check out the <SAMP>mod_auth_msql</SAMP> code for
|
|
some compile time flags which might - or might not - suit you.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
|
|
<LI><A NAME="passwdauth">
|
|
<STRONG>Can I use my <SAMP>/etc/passwd</SAMP> file
|
|
for Web page authentication?</STRONG>
|
|
</A>
|
|
<P>
|
|
Yes, you can - but it's a <STRONG>very bad idea</STRONG>. Here are
|
|
some of the reasons:
|
|
</P>
|
|
<UL>
|
|
<LI>The Web technology provides no governors on how often or how
|
|
rapidly password (authentication failure) retries can be made. That
|
|
means that someone can hammer away at your system's
|
|
<SAMP>root</SAMP> password using the Web, using a dictionary or
|
|
similar mass attack, just as fast as the wire and your server can
|
|
handle the requests. Most operating systems these days include
|
|
attack detection (such as <EM>n</EM> failed passwords for the same
|
|
account within <EM>m</EM> seconds) and evasion (breaking the
|
|
connection, disabling the account under attack, disabling
|
|
<EM>all</EM> logins from that source, <EM>et cetera</EM>), but the
|
|
Web does not.
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI>An account under attack isn't notified (unless the server is
|
|
heavily modified); there's no "You have 19483 login
|
|
failures" message when the legitimate owner logs in.
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI>Without an exhaustive and error-prone examination of the server
|
|
logs, you can't tell whether an account has been compromised.
|
|
Detecting that an attack has occurred, or is in progress, is fairly
|
|
obvious, though - <EM>if</EM> you look at the logs.
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI>Web authentication passwords (at least for Basic authentication)
|
|
generally fly across the wire, and through intermediate proxy
|
|
systems, in what amounts to plain text. "O'er the net we
|
|
go/Caching all the way;/O what fun it is to surf/Giving my password
|
|
away!"
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI>Since HTTP is stateless, information about the authentication is
|
|
transmitted <EM>each and every time</EM> a request is made to the
|
|
server. Essentially, the client caches it after the first
|
|
successful access, and transmits it without asking for all
|
|
subsequent requests to the same server.
|
|
</LI>
|
|
<LI>It's relatively trivial for someone on your system to put up a
|
|
page that will steal the cached password from a client's cache
|
|
without them knowing. Can you say "password grabber"?
|
|
</LI>
|
|
</UL>
|
|
<P>
|
|
If you still want to do this in light of the above disadvantages, the
|
|
method is left as an exercise for the reader. It'll void your Apache
|
|
warranty, though, and you'll lose all accumulated UNIX guru points.
|
|
</P>
|
|
<HR>
|
|
</LI>
|
|
</OL>
|
|
<!--#endif -->
|
|
<!--#if expr="$STANDALONE" -->
|
|
<!-- Don't forget to add HR tags at the end of each list item.. -->
|
|
|
|
<!--#include virtual="footer.html" -->
|
|
</BODY>
|
|
</HTML>
|
|
<!--#endif -->
|