Web Server with Apache 2, PHP 5, OpenSSL and Database Support (64-bit)
April 13, 2010

Operating System	Application(s)	Database(s)	Other
Platform

I. Abstract

This document describes the process of setting up an Apache 2 Web Server on Slackware Linux with PHP5, OpenSSL and support for either PostgreSQL and/or DB2 databases (native and PDO).

Test Platform:

• IBM eServer 325
• 2x AMD Opteron SledgeHammer 246 2Ghz CPUs
• Slackware Linux 13.0 (AMD64)

II. Setup the Operating Environment

I believe in an operating system configuration that is as minimal as possible. Because of this, I've created a set of "tagfiles" tailored specifically for this system's purpose. Download tagfiles.tar and extract the contents to a floppy or USB thumb drive... whichever your system can support. Now plug in the drive or insert the floppy into the target system.

After booting the installation media, you will be asked to login as root. After this, you need to mount the media that contains the tagfiles from that .tar file. If you're using a floppy, do this:

If you're using a USB drive, enter fdisk -l to find out the device name of your drive. For example, mine is /dev/sda1:

Don't forget to setup your hard drive(s) using fdisk. I won't go into those details, just make sure /usr and /var have a decent amount of space in each.

Now type setup and continue the normal installation process. When prompted for the PACKAGE SERIES SELECTION, choose the following:

When asked about the prompting mode, select tagpath and hist enter. Now enter the following path line:

/tagfiles

The automated installation should now begin. Go get a sandwich. When it finishes installing the file sets, pull the USB drive! I've noticed it messes up the LILO/MBR installation if left in for the rest of the installation.

When asked which services to run at startup, select only what you need (sshd and syslog). When finished, reboot and continue.

III. Get and Apply Security Updates / Configure NTP and fstab

We want to stay current, with a stable and secure operating environment. The newer releases of Slackware make this simple. First, edit the /etc/slackpkg/mirrors file by un-commenting a mirror close to you (be sure to edit the "Slackware64 13.0" section). Then, do the following:

This command will hunt down updates applicable to your environment. A dialog should pop-up prompting you to select the desired packages for update. Keep them all selected and hit enter (OK).

Time accuracy is very important for any system. I do this in a simple way, by just adding the following script to the /etc/cron.daily directory (so it updates the time once per day):

I use the NIST server because it is close and always works for me. I recommend you check out the NTP Pool Project for the one best for you.

Now that we are updated and the time settings are complete, you should reboot.

IV. Configure Database Client Support

V. Compile and Install Apache and PHP

Apache 2

Your configure flags may vary - this works for me:

PHP 5

There are all kinds of things you can do to configure PHP. These are all really just examples, starting points. Salt to taste. You can add or remove options for your specific needs. See the PHP 5 compile options for more detail (./configure --help).

The basic ./configure line I use is as follows (add/subtract as you need):

After running your entire ./configure routine, it is time to compile and install!:

VI. Configure Apache for PHP and SSL

Edit the Apache configuration file (httpd.conf):

To allow Apache to use index.php files for index pages, change the following line like so (bold type is the addition):

Tell Apache to parse the .php extension by adding this line in the AddType area (within the <IfModule mime_module> section):

For SSL to work, we need to un-comment the following Include directive like so (near the very end of the file):

Edit the Apache SSL configuration file (httpd-ssl.conf):

Edit the <VirtualHost _default_:443> section to match the environment you are using. This should be self explanatory. If you have trouble, check the help files or get a really good book on Apache.

Now, we need to create the SSL key / certificate pair!

Generate the SSL server key (keep this extra super secret private). You will have to enter a passphrase for this process, however if you do not wish to use one (for practical / unattended reboot purposes), don't enter the -aes256 flag:

Next, create a CSR certificate request:

Now, you can either send the certificate request (server.csr) to a Certificate Authority (CA) to be signed, or you can sign it yourself. CAs can be expensive, but it can be better to gain trust from customers - as the browser warning from a self-signed certificate can scare away some folks. The following process will create a self-signed certificate with a two year expiration:

VII. Test It!

Now we should test our Apache & PHP install. Create a file named info.php in the /usr/local/apache2/htdocs (or whichever area you configured as your www folder) directory. Place the following lines in that file:

Now start an instance of the httpd server as follows:

Go to any Web browser networked to this machine and enter its URL (http://name-or-ip/info.php). Review all the settings and make sure it is all correct. You should stop the Apache server process now by executing the same line as starting it, only with the stop parameter instead.

IIX. Errata

IX. Helpful Links

• Generating a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) using Apache Mod_SSL/OpenSSL (Instant SSL)
• Secure TCP/IP Connections for PostgreSQL with SSL