Bug 208700 – fresh install of apache-2.2.6-r7 doesn't have apache2-builtin-mods from which to generate APACHE2_MODULES

• Product: Gentoo Linux
• Status: VERIFIED INVALID

[Description Steve Yohanan 2008-02-03 07:20:33 UTC]

a clean (non-upgrade) install of apache-2.2.6-r7 gave the following error on startup...

* Apache2 has detected a syntax error in your configuration files:
Syntax error on line 17 of /etc/apache2/modules.d/70_mod_php5.conf:
Invalid command 'AddDirectoryIndex', perhaps misspelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration

this was the result of a minimal set of APACHE2_MODULES from which to work.  (cf. Additional Information)

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. fresh os install from 2007.0
2. update portage
3. update (or install) apache (2.2.6-r7)
4. unable to start because no real features are enabled

(this is merely a rough sketch of my procedure).




[i originally started a thread related to this on the forums http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-655415.html]

i had an x86 gentoo server that i recently upgraded the hardware to an amd64 machine.  for the gentoo upgrade, i did a clean base install from the 2007.0, then fully upgraded to the latest portage once i got the base system installed.  i may or may not have installed apache and php before i did the portage update.  nonetheless, when i tried to start apache i got the error noted in the bug description.  along the way while doing the os installation, i reverted my system configuration files back from a backup of my original server.  i believe i had no APACHE2_MODULES setting originally when i did the upgrade of apache from the fresh build.

after the error, i looked around the web and noted the Gentoo Upgrading Apache Guide http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/apache-upgrading.xml so i followed the appropriate steps.  as referenced in Code Listing 1.1, i did not have a  /etc/apache2/apache2-builtin-mods to work with (since this was a fresh install).  as a result, i decided on an extremely minimal set of APACHE2_MODULES with which to begin, which is why i originally had the startup issue.

to workaround this, once i knew i needed many more settings, i pulled a backup copy of apache2-builtin-mods from my previous server and used that.  seems as if the base version of apache that is installed from a fresh install should have a decent minimal set of APACHE2_MODULES, or at least the documentation should provide some.  as it is, if you don't have an apache2-builtin-mods to work with, you don't have any way of generating it.

[Comment 1 Jakub Moc (RETIRED) 2008-02-03 08:04:03 UTC]

(In reply to comment #0)

1/ We are not using apache2-builtin-mods for this any more
2/ If you stick USE="-*" into your make.conf, you get to pick up the pieces, we have sane APACHE2_MODULES defaults in profiles.

[Comment 2 Steve Yohanan 2008-02-03 08:39:32 UTC]

your RESOLUTION is proper.  i do use '-*'.  i didn't know this was what caused the problem.  sorry for the bother.

[Comment 3 Jakub Moc (RETIRED) 2008-02-03 08:43:20 UTC]

(In reply to comment #2)
> your RESOLUTION is proper.  i do use '-*'.  i didn't know this was what caused
> the problem.  sorry for the bother.

You should also reinstall bunch of other stuff after fixing the above - like, media-libs/alsa-lib ;) 

Be careful with this -* stuff, it _really_ wipes the default use flags clean, thoroughly.

[Comment 4 Steve Yohanan 2008-02-03 09:01:20 UTC]

by the way, where in the default profiles are the APACHE2_MODULES defined?  i am looking in make.defaults of /usr/portage/profiles/default-linux/amd64/2007.0/ but see nothing.  even in the lower-depth server and desktop profiles i don't see anything and the USE flags are minimal.

aside: i manage ~8 independent gentoo installations that all are on varying hardware and have different needs.  i had a ton of trouble managing the various USE flags by selectively turning things on/off on each machine, so i moved to using -* then explicitly turning on/off each item listed in use.desc.  i then know what new USE flags there are by diff'ing against my current setup.  i also can manage each machine reasonably well this way since i already have most flags explicitly set.  likely not ideal but it has worked for me for sometime now.

[Comment 5 Jakub Moc (RETIRED) 2008-02-03 09:07:26 UTC]

(In reply to comment #4)
> by the way, where in the default profiles are the APACHE2_MODULES defined? 

profiles/base/make.defaults

Generally, I'd recomment using the server profiles with lot less bloated flags and adding to them as needed, rather than using the desktop ones and killing the defaults in a drastic way like -*