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--><title>Using Apache with Microsoft Windows - Apache HTTP Server</title><link href="/style/css/manual.css" rel="stylesheet" media="all" type="text/css" title="Main stylesheet" /><link href="/style/css/manual-loose-100pc.css" rel="alternate stylesheet" media="all" type="text/css" title="No Sidebar - Default font size" /><link href="/style/css/manual-print.css" rel="stylesheet" media="print" type="text/css" /><link href="/images/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon" /></head><body id="manual-page"><div id="page-header"><p class="menu"><a href="/mod/">Modules</a> | <a href="/mod/directives.html">Directives</a> | <a href="/faq/">FAQ</a> | <a href="/glossary.html">Glossary</a> | <a href="/sitemap.html">Sitemap</a></p><p class="apache">Apache HTTP Server Version 2.0</p><img alt="" src="/images/feather.gif" /></div><div class="up"><a href="./"><img title="<-" alt="<-" src="/images/left.gif" /></a></div><div id="path"><a href="http://www.apache.org/">Apache</a> > <a href="http://httpd.apache.org/">HTTP Server</a> > <a href="http://httpd.apache.org/docs-project/">Documentation</a> > <a href="../">Version 2.0</a></div><div id="page-content"><div id="preamble"><h1>Using Apache with Microsoft Windows</h1>
<p>This document explains how to install, configure and run
Apache 2.0 under Microsoft Windows. If you find any bugs, or
wish to contribute in other ways, please use our <a href="http://httpd.apache.org/bug_report.html">bug reporting page.</a></p>
<p>Most of this document assumes that you are installing
Windows from a binary distribution. If you want to compile
Apache yourself (possibly to help with development, or to track
down bugs), see <a href="win_compiling.html">Compiling Apache
for Microsoft Windows</a>.</p>
<p><strong>At this time, support for Windows 95, 98 and ME is
incomplete. Apache 2.0 is not expected to work on those
platforms at this time.</strong> If you are interested in
helping with that effort, please see the developer's site for
information on <a href="http://dev.apache.org/">how to get
involved</a>. Support will likely be provided at some point in
the future, and patches to allow Apache to work on 95, 98 and
ME are welcome!</p>
</div><div id="quickview"><ul id="toc"><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#req">Requirements</a></li><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#down">Downloading Apache for Windows</a></li><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#inst">Installing Apache for Windows</a></li><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#run">Running Apache for Windows</a></li><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#use">Configuring Apache for Windows</a></li><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#service">Running Apache for Windows as a Service</a></li><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#cmdline">Running Apache for Windows from the Command Line</a></li><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#signalsrv">Signalling Service Apache when running</a></li><li><img alt="" src="/images/down.gif" /> <a href="#signal">Signalling Console Apache when running</a></li></ul></div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="req" id="req">Requirements</a></h2>
<p>Apache 2.0 is designed to run on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
2000. The binary installer will only work with the x86 family
of processors, such as Intel's. Apache may also run on Windows
95, 98 and ME, but these are not tested, and are never
networking must be installed.</p>
<p>If running on Windows 95, the "Winsock2" upgrade MUST BE
INSTALLED. "Winsock2" for Windows 95 is available <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/">here</a>.</p>
<p>If running on NT 4.0, installing Service Pack 3 or 6 is
and WinSock integrity that were resolved in later Service
Packs.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="down" id="down">Downloading Apache for Windows</a></h2>
<p>Information on the latest version of Apache can be found on
This will list the current release, any more recent alpha or
beta-test releases, together with details of mirror web and
anonymous ftp sites.</p>
<p>You should download the version of Apache for Windows with
the <code>.msi</code> extension. This is a single Microsoft
Installer file containing Apache, ready to install and run.
There is a seperate <code>.zip</code> file containing <em>only</em>
the source code, to compile Apache yourself with the Microsoft
Visual C++ (Visual Studio) tools.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="inst" id="inst">Installing Apache for Windows</a></h2>
<p>Run the Apache <code>.msi</code> file you downloaded above.
This will ask for:</p>
<ul>
<li>the directory to install Apache into (the default is
<code>\Program Files\Apache Group\Apache</code> although you
can change this to any other directory)</li>
<li>the start menu name (default is "Apache Web Server")</li>
<li>the installation type. The "Typical" option installs
everything except the source code. The "Minimum" option does
not install the manuals or source code. Choose the "Custom"
install if you want to install the source code.</li>
</ul>
<p>During the installation, Apache will configure the files in
the <code>conf</code> directory for your chosen installation
directory. However if any of the files in this directory
already exist they will <em>not</em> be overwritten.
Instead the new copy of the corresponding file will be left
with the extension <code>.default</code>. So, for example, if
altered, but the version which would have been installed will
installation has finished you should manually check to see what is
in new in the <code>.default</code> file, and if necessary
update your existing configuration files.</p>
<p>Also, if you already have a file called
either). This should mean it a safe to install Apache over an
existing installation (but you will have to stop the existing
server running before doing the installation, then start the
new one after the installation is finished).</p>
<p>After installing Apache, you should edit the configuration
files in the <code>conf</code> directory as required. These
files will be configured during the install ready for Apache to
be run from the directory where it was installed, with the
documents served from the subdirectory <code>htdocs</code>.
There are lots of other options which should be set before you
start really using Apache. However to get started quickly the
files should work as installed.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="run" id="run">Running Apache for Windows</a></h2>
<p>There are two ways you can run Apache:</p>
<ul>
95, 98 or ME). This is the best option if you want Apache to
automatically start when you machine boots, and to keep
Apache running when you log-off.</p></li>
<li><p>From a <a href="#cmdline">console window</a>. This MUST
be used by any administrator to test before to attempting to
run as a service.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>To run Apache from a console window, select the "Start
Apache as console app" option from the Start menu (in Apache
1.3.4 and earlier, this option was called "Apache Server").
This will open a console window and start Apache running inside
it. The window will remain active until you stop Apache. To
stop Apache running, either select the "Shutdown Apache console
app" icon option from the Start menu (this is not available in
Apache 1.3.4 or earlier), or see <a href="#signal">Signalling
Console Apache when Running</a> for how to control Apache from
the command line.</p>
<p>If the Apache console window closes immediately (or
unexpectedly), run the "Command Prompt" from the Start Menu -
Programs list. Change to the folder to which you installed
Apache, type the command apache, and read the error message.
Then change to the <code>logs</code> folder, and review the
If you accepted the defaults when you installed Apache,
the commands would be:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
c: <br />
cd "\program files\apache group\apache" <br />
apache <br />
Wait for Apache to exit, or press Ctrl+C <br />
cd logs <br />
more <error.log
</code></p></div>
<p><strong>Complete the steps above before you proceed
service!</strong></p>
<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 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 control line with:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
NET START APACHE <br />
NET STOP APACHE
</code></p></div>
<p>See <a href="#signalsrv">Signalling Service Apache when
Running</a> for more information on installing and controlling
Apache services.</p>
<code>logs</code> folder within the Apache server root folder.
You will <em>not</em> find Apache error details in the Windows
NT Event Log.</strong></div>
<p>After starting Apache running (either in a console window or
as a service) it will be listening to port 80 (unless you
changed the <code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mpm_common.html#listen">Listen</a></code> directive in the configuration
files). To connect to the server and access the default page,
launch a browser and enter this URL:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
</code></p></div>
<p>This should respond with a welcome page, and a link to the
Apache manual. If nothing happens or you get an error, look in
the <code>error_log</code> file in the <code>logs</code>
directory. If your host isn't connected to the net, you may
have to use this URL:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
</code></p></div>
<p>Once your basic installation is working, you should
configure it properly by editing the files in the
<code>conf</code> directory. Again, if you change the
attempt to start it from the command line to assure that the
service starts with no errors.</p>
<p>Because Apache <em>CANNOT</em> share the same port with
another TCPIP application, you may need to stop or uninstall
certain services first. These include (but are not limited to)
other web servers, and firewall products such as BlackIce. If
you can only start Apache with these services disabled,
reconfigure either Apache or the other product so that they do
not listen on the same TCPIP ports.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="use" id="use">Configuring Apache for Windows</a></h2>
<p>Apache is configured by files in the <code>conf</code>
directory. These are the same as files used to configure the
Unix version, but there are a few different directives for
Apache on Windows. See the <a href="../">Apache
documentation</a> for all the available directives.</p>
<p>The main differences in Apache for Windows are:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Because Apache for Windows is multithreaded, it does not
use a separate process for each request, as Apache does
with Unix. Instead there are usually only two Apache
processes running: a parent process, and a child which
handles the requests. Within the child each request is
handled by a separate thread.</p>
<p>So the "process"-management directives are
different:</p>
<p><code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mpm_common.html#maxrequestsperchild">MaxRequestsPerChild</a></code>
- Like the Unix directive, this controls how many requests
a process will serve before exiting. However, unlike Unix,
a process serves all the requests at once, not just one, so
if this is set, it is recommended that a very high number
is used. The recommended default, <code>MaxRequestsPerChild
0</code>, does not cause the process to ever exit.</p>
<div class="warning"><strong>Warning: The server configuration
file is reread when the new child process is started. If you
start or you may receive unexpected results.</strong></div>
<p><code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mpm_common.html#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code>
- This directive is new, and tells the server how many
threads it should use. This is the maximum number of
connections the server can handle at once; be sure and set
this number high enough for your site if you get a lot of
hits. The recommended default is <code>ThreadsPerChild
50</code>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The directives that accept filenames as arguments now
must use Windows filenames instead of Unix ones. However,
because Apache uses Unix-style names internally, you must
use forward slashes, not backslashes. Drive letters can be
used; if omitted, the drive with the Apache executable will
be assumed.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Apache for Windows contains the ability to load modules
at runtime, without recompiling the server. If Apache is
compiled normally, it will install a number of optional
modules in the <code>\Apache\modules</code> directory. To
activate these, or other modules, the new <code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mod_so.html#loadmodule">LoadModule</a></code>
directive must be used. For example, to active the status
module, use the following (in addition to the
status-activating directives in
<div class="example"><p><code>
LoadModule status_module modules/mod_status.so
</code></p></div>
modules</a> is also available.</p>
</li>
<li>
Internet Server Applications), such as those used by
Microsoft's IIS, and other Windows servers. <a href="/mod/mod_isapi.html">More information is
available.</a> Note that Apache <em>CANNOT</em> load ISAPI
Filters.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>When running CGI scripts, the method Apache uses to find
the interpreter for the script is configurable using the
<code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mod_core.html#scriptinterpretersource">ScriptInterpreterSource</a></code>
directive.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Since it is often difficult to manage files with names
like <code>.htaccess</code> under windows, you may find it
useful to change the name of this configuration file using
directive.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="service" id="service">Running Apache for Windows as a Service</a></h2>
<div class="note"><strong>The <code>-n</code> option to specify a service name
is only available with Apache 1.3.7 and later. Earlier versions of
Apache only support the default service name
"Apache".</strong></div>
<p>You can install Apache as a Windows NT service as
follows:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -k install -n "service name"
</code></p></div>
<p>To install a service to use a particular configuration,
specify the configuration file when the service is
installed:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -k install -n "service name" -f "\my server\conf\my.conf"
</code></p></div>
<p>To remove an Apache service, use</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -k uninstall -n "service name"
</code></p></div>
<p>The default "service name", if one is not specified, is
"Apache".</p>
<p>Once a service is installed, you can use the <code>-n</code>
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>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -n "service name" -t
</code></p></div>
<p>To start a console Apache using a service's configuration
file:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -n "service name"
</code></p></div>
<p><strong>Important Note on service dependencies:</strong></p>
<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>
<div class="example"><p><code>
Run regedt32 <br />
Select Window - "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE on Local Machine" from the menu <br />
Double-click to open the SYSTEM, then the CurrentControlSet keys <br />
Scroll down and click on the Apache servicename <br />
Select Edit - Add Value... from the menu <br />
Fill in the Add Value dialog with <br />
����Value Name: DependOnGroup <br />
����Data Type: REG_MULTI_SZ <br />
����and click OK <br />
Leave the Multi-String Editor dialog empty and click OK <br />
Select Edit - Add Value... from the menu <br />
Fill in the Add Value dialog with <br />
����Value Name: DependOnService <br />
����Data Type: REG_MULTI_SZ <br />
����and click OK <br />
Type the following list (one per line) in the Multi-String Editor dialog <br />
����Tcpip <br />
����Afd <br />
����and click OK
</code></p></div>
<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>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="cmdline" id="cmdline">Running Apache for Windows from the Command Line</a></h2>
<p>The Start menu icons and the NT Service manager can provide
a simple interface for administering Apache. But in some cases
it is easier to work from the command line.</p>
<p>When working with Apache it is important to know how it will
find the configuration files. You can specify a configuration
file on the command line in two ways:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>-f</code> specifies a path to a particular
configuration file</li>
</ul>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -f "c:\my server\conf\my.conf" <br />
apache -f test\test.conf
</code></p></div>
<ul>
<li><code>-n</code> specifies the configuration file of
an installed Apache service (Apache 1.3.7 and later)</li>
</ul>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -n "service name"
</code></p></div>
<p>In these cases, the proper <code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mod_core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</a></code> should be set in the configuration file.</p>
<p>If you don't specify a configuration file name with <code>-f</code> or
<code>-n</code>, Apache will use the file name compiled into the server,
<code>-V</code> switch will display this value labeled as
<code>SERVER_CONFIG_FILE</code>. Apache
will then determine its <code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mod_core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</a></code> by trying the following, in
this order:</p>
<ul>
<li>A <code>ServerRoot</code> directive via a
<code>-C</code> switch.</li>
<li>The <code>-d</code> switch on the command line.</li>
<li>Current working directory</li>
<li>A registry entry, created if you did a binary
install.</li>
<li>The server root compiled into the server.</li>
</ul>
<p>The server root compiled into the server is usually
"<code>/apache</code>". invoking apache with the <code>-V</code> switch
will display this value labeled as <code>HTTPD_ROOT</code>.</p>
<p>When invoked from the start menu, Apache is usually passed
no arguments, so using the registry entry is the preferred
technique for console Apache.</p>
<p>During a binary installation, a version-specific registry
key is created in the Windows registry:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Apache Group\Apache\1.3.7 <br />
<br />
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Apache Group\Apache\2.0a3
</code></p></div>
<p>This key is compiled into the server and can enable you to
test new versions without affecting the current version. Of
course you must take care not to install the new version on top
of the old version in the file system.</p>
<p>If you did not do a binary install then Apache will in some
scenarios complain that about the missing registry key. This
warning can be ignored if it otherwise was able to find its
configuration files.</p>
<p>The value of this key is the <code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mod_core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</a></code> directory, containing the <code>conf</code>
file from this directory. If this file contains a
<code class="directive"><a href="/mod/mod_core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</a></code> directive which
is different from the directory obtained from the registry key above,
Apache will forget the registry key and use the directory from the
configuration file. If you copy the Apache directory or configuration
files to a new location it is vital that you update the
<p>To run Apache from the command line as a console
application, use the following command:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache
</code></p></div>
<p>Apache will execute, and will remain running until it is
stopped by pressing control-C.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="signalsrv" id="signalsrv">Signalling Service Apache when running</a></h2>
<p>On Windows NT, multiple instances of Apache can be run as
services. Signal an Apache service to start, restart, or
shutdown as follows:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -n "service name" -k start <br />
apache -n "service name" -k restart <br />
apache -n "service name" -k shutdown
</code></p></div>
<p>In addition, you can use the native NT <code>NET</code> command
to start and stop Apache services as follows:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
NET START "service name" <br />
NET STOP "service name"
</code></p></div>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="/images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="section"><h2><a name="signal" id="signal">Signalling Console Apache when running</a></h2>
<p>On Windows 95, Apache runs as a console application. You can
tell a running Apache to stop by opening another console window
and typing:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -k shutdown
</code></p></div>
<p>This should be used instead of pressing Control-C in the
running Apache console window, because it lets Apache end any
current transactions and cleanup gracefully.</p>
<p>You can also tell Apache to restart. This makes it re-read
the configuration files. Any transactions in progress are
allowed to complete without interruption. To restart Apache,
run</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
apache -k restart
</code></p></div>
<div class="note">Note for people familiar with the Unix version of Apache:
these commands provide a Windows equivalent to <code>kill -TERM
<em>pid</em></code> and <code>kill -USR1 <em>pid</em></code>.
The command line option used, <code>-k</code>, was chosen as a
reminder of the "<code>kill</code>" command used on Unix.</div>
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