Getting Started with mod_perl in 30 Minutes Page 4

Configure Apache as you always do. Set Port,
User, Group, ErrorLog and other
directives in the httpd.conf file (remember I’ve asked you to
remember the location of this file at the end of the previous section?). Use
the defaults as suggested, customize only when you have to. Values that you
need to customize are ServerName, Port,
User, Group, ServerAdmin,
DocumentRoot and a few others. You will find helpful hints
preceding each directive. Follow them if in doubt.

When you have edited the configuration file, it’s time to start the server.
One of the ways to start and stop the server is to use the
apachectl utility. You start the server with:

  % /usr/local/apache/bin/apachectl start

And stop it with:

  % /usr/local/apache/bin/apachectl stop


 Note that you have to be root when starting the server if the server is

going to listen on port 80 or another privileged port (

 After you start the server, check in the error_log file

(/usr/local/apache/logs/error_log is the file's default location)

that the server has indeed started. Don't rely on the status

apachectl reports. You should see something like the following:

  [Thu Jun 22 17:14:07 2000] [notice] Apache/1.3.12 (Unix) 
  mod_perl/1.24 configured -- resuming normal operations


 Now point your browser to http://localhost/ or

http://your.server.name/ as configured with the

ServerName directive. If you have set a Port

directive with a value different from 80, apply this port number

at the end of the server name. If you have used port 8080, test the server with

http://localhost:8080/ or

http://your.server.name:8080/ . You should see the infamous

"It worked" page, which is an index.html file

that make install in the Apache source tree installs for you. If

you don't see this page, something went wrong and you should check the contents

of the error_log file. You will find the path of the error log

file by looking it up in the ErrorLog directive in

httpd.conf. 

 If everything works as expected, shut the server down, open

httpd.conf in your favorite editor, and scroll to the end of the

file where we will add the mod_perl configuration directives (of course you can

place them anywhere in the file). 

 Assuming that you put all scripts that should be executed by the mod_perl

enabled server in the /home/httpd/perl/ directory, add the

following configuration directives: 
  Alias /perl/ /home/httpd/perl/
  
  PerlModule Apache::Registry
  

    SetHandler perl-script
    PerlHandler Apache::Registry
    Options ExecCGI
    PerlSendHeader On
    allow from all
  


 Save the modified file. 

 This configuration causes every URI starting with /perl to be

handled by the Apache mod_perl module. It will use the handler from the Perl

module Apache::Registry. 
Preparing the Scripts

Directory

 Now create a /home/httpd/perl/ directory if it doesn't yet

exist. In order for you and Apache to be able to read, write and execute files

we have to set correct permissions. You could get away by simply doing: 
  % chmod 0777  /home/httpd/perl