Making Apache to 'reload' its configuration

Hi,

I am having problems making Apache reload itself.

I have tried a PHP exec calling a bash shell script that does a KILL -HUP on
Apache to attempt to make it reload its configuration.

The signal in the shell script works fine from root but will not work when
called from PHP.

Is there anyway to make Apache reload itself from PHP without having to
doing a signal ?

I am trying to do a configuration reload without requiring root.

Many thanks in advance,

Aaron

re: Making Apache to 'reload' its configuration

Aaron Gray wrote:Your Apache user probably doesn't have the authority to do a kill. root
does (of course).

But you don't want to give the Apache user the kill authority, either.
It's a huge security risk.

Let's look at it another way. What problem are you trying to fix?

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Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
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re: Making Apache to 'reload' its configuration

Aaron Gray wrote:
As Jerry indicated, you are probably trying to fix the wrong problem. If
we knew *why* you were trying to do this, then we might be able to tell
you an alternative to reloading Apache in the first place.

That having been said, look at "sudo".

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Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact

re: Making Apache to 'reload' its configuration

"Toby Inkster" <usenet200701@tobyinkster.co.ukwrote in message
news:bs7484-dcj.ln1@ophelia.g5n.co.uk...Okay, I am working on putting to gether a server administration program
thats written in PHP and runs in Apache. It needs to reload the
configuration after adding, removing, or modifying the virtual web sites
Apache is serving.

The only simple way I can think of is to do a reload every 10 minutes or
every hour, as a cron job, or so.
No that requires a password to be entered.

Aaron

re: Making Apache to 'reload' its configuration

Aaron Gray wrote:You mean like WebMin?

You can change the user (although I don't recommend it). Check out
posix_setgid() and posix_getuid().

And if you do change the user/group id, I recommend you first spawn
another process to do it, rather than trying to change it for the Apache
server itself.

Or, rather than killing Apache, why not execute a batch job which
gracefully brings it down and restarts it?

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

re: Making Apache to 'reload' its configuration

Aaron Gray wrote:
You are writing a server administration program but you don't know how
permissions work. Am I the only one to feel a bit worried at this point?

You need to read up on privilege separation. Certainly use sudo - but there
are other ways. Try Google or read the relevant parts of the Rute.
Aaaaarrrgghhhhh!!!!!!

Read the sudo manual. Thouroughly, please.

C.

re: Making Apache to 'reload' its configuration

Aaron Gray wrote:You seem to be getting confused with "su". "sudo" can be set up for
regular users to run stuff as root *without* passwords. Indeed, that's
kind of the point of it.

--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact

re: Making Apache to 'reload' its configuration

Toby Inkster wrote:
But still... you do not want to give apache sudo rights. I would LOVE to add
a few PHP scripts of my own to that server. No, not really because I am a
good guy. :P

But maybe, if the server is totally dedicated to this job, and no others can
use that apache, it is doable. But not really recommended.
I would say: don't.

Regards,
Erwin Moller