huanix » LAMP

mod_rewrite for Apache2 in Ubuntu Linux Gutsy Gibbon 7.10

huanix — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:30:40 +0000

mod_rewrite is a module for the Apache webserver that allows apache to dynamically change the url of a site using php (or other scripting languages). It seems like a difficult/confusing task at first, but it actually only takes 2 steps in Ubuntu. I initially wrote this quick tutorial for Feisty Fawn 7.04, and I just checked, and it works great in Gutsy Gibbon, 7.10 also. This should also work well for Edgy 6.10 and Dapper 6.06 without any issues. Any code snippets should be typed into a terminal. “sudo” commands require a password, that’s a given.

Enable mod_rewrite in Apache
sudo a2enmod rewrite
Edit the configuration file.
1. sudo gedit /etc/apache2/sites-available/default
2. line 12 says “AllowOverride none” ;
3. change it to “AllowOverride all”
4. save and close
Okay… one last step — you have to manually restart Apache (or restart your computer!)

sudo apache2 -k restart

All done! now Apache and php can create URL’s on the fly – pretty neato!

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Slow nslookup and slow dns hosting?

huanix — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 03:44:34 +0000

I’m running my server on a “static” dhcp address on my home server, and I’m using the domain name server lookup provided by freedns.org. I am more than appreciative for the FREE service provided by the fellow at freedns, but I’ve noticed that the biggest problem with any of the sites on my server is SLOW name server lookup.

Here’s the deal: I want to improve my nslookup time (not the time derived from my local cache, but my “fresh look” time) and I just can’t seem to figure it out. Turns out most folks who run their own server rely on local-server based dns, but I figure that would be AT LEAST as slow as freedns. I wish I could find some ranking of domain name servers so I could make a more informed choice, but I just don’t know how to attack it.

Oh.. and one more thing.. I don’t pay.. for anything. That is, I don’t pay for anything I can use ingenuity to get for free. That’s why RMS and Linus are my heroes! I’d love to hear your suggestions.

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Problems at Rainy River

huanix — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:48:47 +0000

I live near Nashville, Tennessee, where Central Time reigns. I had never considered this an issue while installing Unbuntu, or any other Linux distro that allowed me to choose my locale – i long ago discovered that the Rainy River locale in Canada served my Central Standard Time needs, and it had a cool sounding name. This had never caused a problem until I had a locale problem on one of my servers, and changed the locale to a US area – boy did my life change! I had been downloading updates from a “ca” (Canadian) server at ~34k/sec, and just thought it was par for the open source course – i suddenly realized (tonight!) that i can get 10 or even 20 times the download speed when i choose Indiana/Vincennes! It’s quite an eye opening experience to realize that something that seems like personal customization can have such a heavy bearing on system performance. Rainy River doesn’t sound like such a cool place anymore! (Okay, i love Canadians – i also love fast transfers!)

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Configuring the x345 server with Xubuntu Linux

huanix — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 23:22:07 +0000

I have been a big fan of the Ubuntu project ever since I started with Hoary Hedgehog (5.04) a while back. I have always been a firm believer that Linux should be FULL of tools that anyone from beginner’s to pro’s can use, and Ubuntu really enables that. I am setting this server up with a stock installation of Xubuntu 6.10, and I will probably do most of the management using the XDMCP client. XDMCP (X Display Manager Control Protocol) is an X-forwarding tool, sort of like VNC that lets you log into a remote system as if you were sitting in front of it – it’s an entire x display.

Tonight I’m just doing the install and updating, and then I’ll check to make sure it boots well, and I’ll let it run for awhile to see if it gives any errors. Tomorrow I’ll look at setting up LAMP and other tools.

Some time next week I’ll begin migrating data over from the old server (a junked desktop) onto this one. I’m sure most of it will go fine, but I’m running a MediaWiki that i’ve grown very fond of.. I’m not sure how i’ll transfer it yet, i will probably try a mysqldump and cross my fingers.

Exploit? Viewing unparsed PHP code on a remote server

huanix — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 16:49:26 +0000

I don’t know how well documented this hack is, but I dreamed it up while I was laying in bed last night, and tried it out this morning and it works. The hack requires that the target php file has been edited locally in the web directory of a linux server. Linux makes a hidden backup copy of the file by appending a tilde (~) to the file name, and leaves it in the directory as a hidden file. If you access a website with this file and append a ~ to the filename, i.e. “index.php~” you will be able to view the uninterpreted php code. This seems so trivial that I’m sure it has to be documented somewhere else, though I couldn’t find it – part of it has to do with the difficulty associated with searching for special characters, and the alternate use of the ~ (home directory).

I have three ideas to prevent the exploit:
1. Edit the Apache config file to allow php to parse “php~” files.
2. Write a cron job to remove temporary backup files from the web directory.
3. Manually delete ~ files from the web directory, or don’t edit files on the server.

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New Lamp Group – The CLAMPP

huanix — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 13:22:31 +0000

Good news everyone! There’s a new Linux – type group in Clarksville, Tennessee. Check out the Clarksville Linux Apache MySQL PHP Perl group –CLAMPP

I just wanted to test php highlighting in geshi