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<h1 align="CENTER">Running Apache for Windows as a Service</h1>
also some HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL support for similar behavior on
1.3.13).</p>
<p>Installing Apache as a service should only be done once you
can successfully run it in a console window. See <a
href="windows.html">Using Apache with Microsoft Windows</a>
before you attempt to install or run Apache as a service.
Changes to the httpd.conf file should always be followed by
starting Apache as a console window. If this succeeds, the
service should succeed.</p>
<p><strong>NOTE: Prior to version 1.3.13, the configuration was
<em>not tested</em> prior to performing the
installation</strong>, and a lack of service dependencies often
caused the console window to succeed, but the service would
still fail. See <a href="#service">below</a> if you are having
problems running a version of Apache prior to 1.3.13 to resolve
the issue. If you have this problem with version 1.3.13 or
greater, first try uninstalling (-u) and re-installing (-i) the
Apache service.</p>
<hr />
<p>To start Apache as a service, you first need to install it
as a service. Multiple Apache services can be installed, each
with a different name and configuration. To install the default
Apache service named "Apache", run the "Install Apache as
Service (NT only)" option from the Start menu. Once this is
done you can start the "Apache" service by opening the Services
window (in the Control Panel), selecting Apache, then clicking
on Start. Apache will now be running, hidden in the background.
You can later stop Apache by clicking on Stop. As an
alternative to using the Services window, you can start and
stop the "Apache" service from the command line with</p>
<pre>
NET START APACHE
NET STOP APACHE
</pre>
<p>See <a href="#signal">Controlling Apache as a Service</a>
for more information on installing and controlling Apache
services.</p>
logs any errors to its own error.log file in the logs folder
within the Apache server root folder. You will <em>not</em>
find Apache error details in the Windows NT Event
Log.</strong></p>
<p>After starting Apache as a service (or if you have trouble
starting it) you can test it using the same <a
href="windows.html#cmdline">procedure</a> as for running in a
console window. Remember to use the command:</p>
<pre>
apache -n "service name"
</pre>
<p>to assure you are using the service's configuration.</p>
<h2><a id="service" name="service">Running Apache for Windows
as a Service</a></h2>
<p><strong>Note: The -n option to specify a service name is
only available with Apache 1.3.7 and later.</strong> Earlier
versions of Apache only support the default service name
'Apache'.</p>
<p>You can install Apache as a Windows NT service as
follows:</p>
<pre>
apache -i -n "service name"
</pre>
<p>To install a service to use a particular configuration,
specify the configuration file when the service is
installed:</p>
<pre>
apache -i -n "service name" -f "\my server\conf\my.conf"
</pre>
<p>To remove an Apache service, use:</p>
<pre>
apache -u -n "service name"
</pre>
<p>The default "service name", if one is not specified, is
"Apache".</p>
<p>Once a service is installed, you can use the <samp>-n</samp>
option, in conjunction with other options, to refer to a
service's configuration file. For example:</p>
<p>To test a service's configuration file:</p>
<pre>
apache -n "service name" -t
</pre>
<p>To start a console Apache using a service's configuration
file:</p>
<pre>
apache -n "service name"
</pre>
<h2><a id="depends" name="depends">Important Note on service
dependencies:</a></h2>
<p>Prior to Apache release 1.3.13, the dependencies required to
successfully start an installed service were not configured.
After installing a service using earlier versions of Apache,
you must follow these steps:</p>
<pre>
Run regedt32
Select <u>W</u>indow - "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on Local Machine" from the menu
Double-click to open the SYSTEM, then the CurrentControlSet keys
Scroll down and click on the Apache servicename
Select <u>E</u>dit - Add <u>V</u>alue... from the menu
Fill in the Add Value dialog with
<u>V</u>alue Name: DependOnGroup
<u>D</u>ata Type: REG_MULTI_SZ
and click OK
Leave the Multi-String Editor dialog empty and click OK
Select <u>E</u>dit - Add <u>V</u>alue... from the menu
Fill in the Add Value dialog with
<u>V</u>alue Name: DependOnService
<u>D</u>ata Type: REG_MULTI_SZ
and click OK
Type the following list (one per line) in the Multi-String Editor dialog
Tcpip
Afd
and click OK
</pre>
<p>If you are using COM or DCOM components from a third party
module, ISAPI, or other add-in scripting technologies such as
ActiveState Perl, you may also need to add the entry Rpcss to
the DependOnService list. To avoid exposing the TCP port 135
when it is unnecessary, Apache does not create that entry upon
installation. Follow the directions above to find or create the
DependOnService value, double click that value if it already
exists, and add the Rpcss entry to the list.</p>
<p>When Apache is first installed as a service (e.g. with the
-i option) it will run as user "System" (the LocalSystem
account). There should be few issues if all resources for the
web server reside on the local system, but it has broad
security privilages to affect the local machine!</p>
<blockquote>
LocalSystem is a very privileged account locally, so you
shouldn't run any shareware applications there. However, it
has no network privileges and cannot leave the machine via
any NT-secured mechanism, including file system, named pipes,
DCOM, or secure RPC.
</blockquote>
<p><strong>NEVER grant network privilages to the SYSTEM
account!</strong> Create a new user account instead, grant the
appropriate privilages to that user, and use the the 'Log On
As:' option. Select the Start Menu -> Settings -> Control
Panel -> Services -> apache service ... and click the
"Startup" button to access this setting.</p>
<blockquote>
A service that runs in the context of the LocalSystem account
inherits the security context of the SCM. It is not
associated with any logged-on user account and does not have
credentials (domain name, user name, and password) to be used
for verification.
</blockquote>
<p>The SYSTEM account has no privilages to the network, so
shared pages or a shared installation of Apache is invisible to
the service. If you intend to use <em>any</em> network
resources, the following steps should help:</p>
<ul>
<li>Select Apache from the Control Panel's Service dialog and
click Startup.</li>
<li>Verify that the service account is correct. You may wish
to create an account for your Apache services.</li>
<li>Retype the password and password confirmation.</li>
<li>Go to User Manager for Domains.</li>
<li>Click on Policies from the title bar menu, and select
User Rights.</li>
<li>Select the option for Advanced User Rights.</li>
<li>
In the drop-down list, verify that the following rights
have been granted to the selected account:
<ul>
<li>Act as part of the operating system</li>
<li>Back up files and directories</li>
<li>Log on as a service</li>
<li>Restore files and directories</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Confirm that the selected account is a member of the
Users group.</li>
<li>Confirm the selected account has access to all document
and script directories (minimally read and browse
access).</li>
to the Apache logs directory!</li>
</ul>
<p>If you allow the account to log in as a user, then you can
log in yourself and test that the account has the privilages to
execute the scripts, read the web pages, and that you can start
Apache in a console window. If this works, and you have
followed the steps above, Apache should execute as a service
with no problems.</p>
<p><strong>Note: error code 2186</strong> is a good indication
that you need to review the 'Log On As' configuration, since
the server can't access a required network resource.</p>
<h2><a id="trouble" name="trouble">Troubleshooting Apache for
Windows as a Service</a></h2>
<p>When starting Apache as a service you may encounter an error
message from Windows service manager. For example if you try to
start Apache using the Services applet in Windows Control Panel
you may get the following message;</p>
<pre>
Could not start the apache service on \\COMPUTER
Error 1067; The process terminated unexpectedly.
</pre>
<p>You will get this error if there is any problem starting
Apache. In order to see what is causing the problem you should
follow the instructions for <a
href="windows.html#cmdline">Running Apache for Windows from the
Command Line</a>.</p>
<p>Also, Apache 1.3.13 now records startup errors in the
as a service. Run the Event Viewer and select <u>L</u>og ...
<u>A</u>pplication to see these events.</p>
<p><strong>Check the Application Event Log with the Event
Viewer in case of any problems, even if no error message pops
up to warn you that an error occured.</strong></p>
<h2><a id="cmdline" name="cmdline">Running Apache for Windows
from the Command Line</a></h2>
For details on controlling Apache service from the command
line, please refer to <a href="windows.html#cmdline">console
command line</a> section.
<h2><a id="signal" name="signal">Controlling Apache as a
Service</a></h2>
<p>Multiple instances of Apache can be installed and run as
services. Signal an installed Apache service to start, restart,
<pre>
apache -n "service name" -k start
apache -n "service name" -k restart
apache -n "service name" -k shutdown
apache -n "service name" -k stop
</pre>
<p>For the default "Apache" service, the -n Apache option is
still required, since the -k commands without the -n option are
directed at Apache running in a console window. The quotes are
only required if the service name contains spaces.</p>
<p><strong>Note: the -k stop alias for the -k shutdown command
was introduced in Apache version 1.3.13.</strong> Earlier
versions of Apache will only recognize the -k shutdown option.
Prior to 1.3.3, Apache did not recognize <em>any</em> -k
options at all!</p>
<p>In addition, you can use the native NT NET command to start
and stop Apache services as follows:</p>
<pre>
NET START "service name"
NET STOP "service name"
</pre>
<p>Again, quotes are only required if the service name contains
spaces.</p>
<h2><a id="win95svc" name="win95svc">HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL
<p><strong>Note: The service options for Windows 95 and 98 are
only available with Apache 1.3.13 and later.</strong> Earlier
versions of Apache only supported Apache in a console window
<em>highly experimental</em>, if it works (at all) the Apache
Sofware Foundation will not attest to its reliability or
future support. Proceed at your own risk!</p>
<p>Once you have confirmed that Apache runs correctly at the <a
href="windows.html#cmdline">Command Prompt</a> you can install,
control and uninstall it with the same commands as the Windows
<p>There are, however, significant differences that you should
note:</p>
<p>Apache will attempt to start and if successful it will run
in the background. If you run the command</p>
<pre>
Apache -n "service name" -k start
</pre>
<p>via a shortcut on your desktop, for example, then if the
service starts successfully a console window will flash up but
immediately disappears. If Apache detects any errors on startup
such as a incorrect entries in the httpd.conf file, then the
console window will remain visible. This will display an error
message which will be useful in tracking down the cause of the
problem.</p>
commands so you must use Apache's Service Control options at a
command prompt. You may wish to set up a shortcut for each of
these commands so that you can just choose it from the start
menu or desktop to perform the required action.</p>
Apache service as a specific user with network privilages. In
either. This is the simple reason that the Apache Software
httpd server. These facilities exist only to assist the user in
developing web content and learning the Apache server, and
perhaps as a intranet server on a secured, private network.</p>
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