Apache Week issue 309

                                APACHE WEEK

The essential weekly guide for users of the world's most popular Web server.
                       Issue 309: 20th September 2002

                                 In this issue

     * Under development
     * In the news
     * Featured articles
     * Apache Week <giveaway/>

                               Under development

     During  testing of the code tagged for the 2.0.41 release a problem
     was  found  in the mod_dav module which meant that the server would
     segfault  under certain circumstances when DAV was enabled. After a
     fix  had  been checked in, a 2.0.42 tarball was created for testing
     purposes.

     The  question  of  binary module compatibility was under discussion
     this  week;  the  Apache  2.0  interface is still undergoing steady
     change,  with the result that a module compiled against 2.0.40, for
     instance,  will  not  load  in  2.0.42  without  being re-compiled.
     Opinions were divided on whether it is desirable to attain a stable
     module  interface  for  Apache; the majority appeared to favour the
     current  approach  that the interface must continue to change as it
     is improved.

     In  other news, the rewrite of the authentication modules mentioned
     in  a [1]previous issue has now been checked in, and a few teething
     problems  were  quickly ironed out. The documentation team continue
     to  make  large  strides  forward with the new XML-based Apache 2.0
     documentation,  this  week adding a [2]quick reference page for all
     the configuration directives available.

                                  In the news

ApacheCon registration open

     [3]Registration for the 2002 ApacheCon conference opened this week,
     and  is already proving to be popular. This year ApacheCon is being
     held  in  Las  Vegas, USA from the 19th-21th November 2002, with an
     optional  day  of tutorials available on November 18th. Sign up for
     the conference before the end of September and you'll save a couple
     of hundred dollars on the registration fee - perfect spending money
     for  a  night  out  at  one  of the many casinos or nightclubs this
     unique city has to offer.

     Apache  Week  will  be  on hand to report on the event, we wouldn't
     want  to  miss  it. Find out more at the [4]conference web site, or
     read our account of [5]ApacheCon 2001 Santa Clara.

                               Featured articles

     In  this  section we highlight some of the articles on the web that
     are of interest to Apache users.

     [6]Last  week  we covered the worm that exploits the recent OpenSSL
     security  issues.  It  is  now  known as 'Slapper' and is currently
     being  [7]tracked  by  Internet  Storm  Center.  Here's  a  list of
     articles about the worm:
     * [8]"Analysis of Apache/mod_ssl Worm" by Internet Storm Center.
     * [9]"Global Slapper Worm Information Center" at F-Secure.
     * [10]"Slapper  worm  spanks  Apache  servers" by John Leyden at The
       Register.
     * [11]"Linux  worm  creating  P2P attack network" by Robert Lemos at
       CNET.
     * [12]"P2P  worm  targets Linux Apache Web servers" by Ellen Messmer
       at Network World Fusion.
     * [13]"Transatlantic worm targets Linux" by Iain Thomson at Personal
       Computer World.

     [14]"Generate  dynamic content with Tomcat and MySQL" shows you how
     to  create  rotating  banner  advertisements  using  Apache Tomcat,
     MySQL,  and the MM MySQL JDBC driver. It is a step-by-step guide on
     how  to  set up Tomcat and MySQL, install the MM MySQL JDBC driver,
     and get Tomcat to communicate with MySQL using a Java servlet .

     UnixReview.com  provides  a [15]review of the book "Web Programming
     in  Python:  Techniques  for Integrating Linux, Apache, and MySQL".
     Its  conclusion  is  that  if  you  are interested in using Python,
     Apache,  MySQL,  and  Linux to set up your e-commerce web site then
     this is the book for you.

                            Apache Week <giveaway/>

     There are lots of books about PHP and there are lots of books about
     XML,  but  there  are  very few books about PHP and XML. Wrox Press
     have  attempted to fill this niche in the market with "Professional
     PHP4  XML"  and  we've two copies to give away. We also kept a copy
     for ourselves and have written a [16]comprehensive review of it.

     Weighing in at very nearly a thousand pages this is not a book that
     you'll  lose  down  the side of the sofa, but the sheer size of its
     subject  area  means that the priority is breadth rather than depth
     of  coverage.  And that's no bad thing: after absorbing the core of
     the  book  you'll  be in a fine position to choose the correct tool
     for  the job in hand. You'll also have a head start in locating and
     understanding  more in-depth information on the techniques that you
     decide to use.

     This book is targeted at people with some PHP experience and no XML
     knowledge  and  it  is  well paced for its target audience; readers
     with  no  PHP  or  XML experience will probably find it hard going.
     Although  the  book  is  written like a tutorial it has a number of
     useful  appendices  which  will  ensure  that  it  remains a useful
     reference  long  after  you finish reading it. If you enjoyed other
     books  in Wrox's "Programmer to Programmer" series then you'll have
     no problems with this one.

     For  a  chance  to  get  your hands a copy of the book, answer this
     simple question:

     What does the M in XML stand for?
     A) Markup , B) Microsoft , or C) eMbedded

     Send  your  answer  to  [17][email protected]  to reach us no
     later than September 26th 2002. Your email address will not be used
     for  anything  other  than  to let you know if you won. Two winners
     will  be  drawn at random from all correct entries submitted, books
     will  be  dispatched direct by Wrox Press. One entry per person, no
     cash alternative, editors' decision is final, so there.
       ______________________________________________________________

     This issue brought to you by: Mark J Cox, Joe Orton, Min Min Tsan
     Comments or criticisms? Please email us at
     [18][email protected].

     [19]Apache Week is copyright 1996-2002 by [20]Red Hat, Inc.

References

   1. http://www.apacheweek.com/issues/02-09-06#dev
   2. http://httpd.apache.org/docs-2.0/mod/quickreference.html
   3. http://www.apachecon.com/
   4. http://www.apachecon.com/
   5. http://www.apacheweek.com/features/apachecon2001
   6. http://www.apacheweek.com/issues/02-09-13#security
   7. http://isc.incidents.org/
   8. http://isc.incidents.org/analysis.html?id=167
   9. http://www.f-secure.com/slapper/
  10. http://www.theregus.com/content/55/26319.html
  11. http://http//msn-cnet.com.com/2100-1001-957988.html
  12. http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2002/0913p2pworm.html
  13. http://www.pcw.co.uk/News/1135068
  14. http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-banner/?dwzone=java
  15. http://www.unixreview.com/documents/s=7460/uni1031085776057/ur0209c.htm
  16. http://www.apacheweek.com/features/book-prophp4xml
  17. mailto:[email protected]
  18. mailto:[email protected]
  19. http://www.apacheweek.com/
  20. http://www.redhat.com/

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