22.2 Configuring the Server

Or so the theory is. Much of this behavior depends on the server configuration:

• The server might use a port other than port 80. One reason to do so is if there are multiple servers running on the same host, or to avoid needing root access to start and maintain the server.

• The staff directory might be mapped elsewhere in the file system. An administrator might set this up so different departments can manage their Web sites independently, without requiring access to the server configuration directory.

• The staff directory might be configured with password or host security.

• The server might be configured not to return an index.html file, or it might be configured to use a different default document (e.g., default.html).

• Instead of an HTML file, the document in question might be a CGI program. The server determines this either by the directory in which it resides, or by its suffix, depending on how the server is configured. If it is a CGI program, the server does not return it directly to the client but executes it as described in Chapter 9, CGI Overview. The data returned by the program is sent back to the client.

Chapter 23, Apache and NCSA Server Configuration through Chapter 26, WebSite Server Configuration cover the directives that control these issues, and many more.