# Using Apache With Microsoft Windows

This document explains how to compile, install, configure and run Apache 1.3a1 (or later) under Microsoft Windows. Please note that at this time, Windows support is entirely experimental, and is recommended only for experienced users. The Apache Group does not guarantee that this software will work as documented, or even at all. If you find any bugs, or wish to contribute in other ways, please use our bug reporting page.

- Requirements
- Downloading Apache for Windows
- Compiling Apache for Windows
- Installing Apache for Windows
- Using Apache for Windows

## Requirements

Apache 1.3a1 requires the following:

- Microsoft Windows NT 4.0*, or Windows 95.
- An Intel-based PC-compatible capable of running above OS (exact requirements unknown) with a connection to a TCP/IP network.
- Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0 or later.

* Apache may run with Windows NT 3.5.1, but has not been tested.

Apache 1.3a1 is available only in source form. Future releases will contain prebuilt binaries for use by those without compilers (which we understand are the vast majority of Windows users), however the current release requires Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0 or later. The Apache Group is releasing 1.3a1 only as source to limit the alpha release to those who have the tools and knowledge to assist with the development processes.

This documentation assumes good working knowledge of Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Visual C++, and the Apache web server (for Unix).

## Downloading Apache for Windows

Information on the latest version of Apache can be found on the Apache web server at http://www.apache.org/. This will list the current release, any more recent alpha or beta-test release, together with details of mirror web and anonymous ftp sites.

You will be able to download Apache 1.3a1 or a later release in several forms, including a WinZip (`.zip`) archive. Although this contains the same files as the others (likely `.tar.gz` and `.tar.Z`), it is recommended for Windows use, as all the files contained therein will contain Windows line breaks. The other archives may contain files with Unix line breaks, which will not function on Windows (although they may).

## Compiling Apache for Windows

Compiling Apache requires Microsoft Visual C++ 5.0 to be properly installed. It is easiest to compile with the command-line tools (nmake, etc...). Consult the VC++ manual to determine how to install them.

First, unpack the Apache distribution into an appropriate directory. Open a command-line prompt, and change to the `src` subdirectory of the Apache distribution.

The master Apache makefile instructions are contained in the `Makefile.nt` file. To compile Apache, simply use one of the following commands:

- `nmake /f Makefile.nt release`
- `nmake /f Makefile.nt debug`

These will both compile Apache. The latter will include debugging information in the resulting files, making it easier to find bugs and track down problems.

Apache can also be compiled using VC++'s Visual Studio development environment. Although compiling Apache in this manner is not as simple, it makes it possible to easily modify the Apache source, or to compile Apache if the command-line tools are not installed.

Project files (`.DSP`) are included for each of the portions of Apache. The two projects that are necessary for Apache to run are `Apache.dsp` and `ApacheCore.dsp`. The `src\nt` subdirectory also contains project files for the optional modules (see below).

## Installing Apache for Windows

Once Apache has been compiled, it needs to be installed in its server root directory. The hard-coded default is the `\Apache` directory, on the current hard drive. Another directory may be used, but the files will need to be installed manually.

To install the files into the \Apache directory automatically, use one the following nmake commands (see above):

- `nmake /f Makefile.nt installr` (for release build)
- `nmake /f Makefile.nt installd` (for debug build)

This will install the following:

- `\Apache\Apache.exe` - Apache executable
- `\Apache\ApacheCore.dll` - Main Apache shared library
- `\Apache\modules\ApacheModule*.dll` - Optional Apache modules (7 files)
- `\Apache\conf` - Empty configuration directory
- `\Apache\logs` - Empty logging directory

If you do not have nmake, or wish to install in a different directory, be sure to use a similar naming scheme.

## Using Apache for Windows

The first step is to set up Apache's configuration files. Default configuration files for Windows are located in the `conf` subdirectory in the Apache distribution, and are named `httpd.conf-dist-win`, `access.conf-dist-win` and `srm.conf-dist-win`. Move these into `\Apache\conf`, and rename them `httpd.conf`, `access.conf` and `srm.conf`, respectively.

Configuring Apache is nearly identical to the Unix version of Apache, so most of the standard Apache documentation is applicable. A few things are, however, different:

- Because Apache for Windows is multithreaded, it does not use a separate process for each request, as Apache does with Unix. Therefore, the "process"-management directives are different:

  StartServers - This tells the server how many processes to use. Unlike Unix, there will never be more than this number, and only one will be used at a time (the others will be held in reserve in case the main processes crashes or otherwise dies). The recommended default is `StartServers 3`.

  MaxRequestsPerChild - 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, `MaxRequestsPerChild 0`, does not cause the process to ever exit.

  ThreadsPerChild - 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 `ThreadsPerChild 20`.

- 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.

- 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 `\Apache\modules` directory. To activate these, or other modules, the new LoadModule directive must be used. For example, to active the status module, use the following (in addition to the status-activating directives in `access.conf`):

          LoadModule status_module modules/ApacheModuleStatus.dll

  Information on creating module DLLs is also available.

Once Apache is configured correctly, it is nearly ready to be run. However, we recommend you copy the `icons` and `htdocs` subdirectories from the Apache distribution to `\Apache`. The latter is especially important, as it contains the document root (what the server actually serves).

Apache can be executed in one of two ways, directly from the command line, or as a Windows NT service. To run it from the command line, use the following command:

        C:\Apache> apache -s

Apache will then execute, and will remain running until it is exited. To use Apache as a Windows NT service, use the following:

        C:\Apache> apache -i

Then open the Services control panel, and start the Apache service.

If you installed Apache in a server root other than `\Apache`, you must use the `-f` command-line option to specify the httpd.conf file, or the `-d` option to specify the server root.