Vision for Apache: Put on a Happy Face

By: Jim Jagielski
Thursday, February 17, 2000 09:19:40 AM EST
URL: http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reviews/1513/1/

New Product from Focus Array Provides a Java-Based GUI

The Apache Web server currently powers more than 58 percent of all the Web sites surveyed by Netcraft, with a significant portion of those installations occurring on Linux and BSD-based systems. It's an incredibly popular and powerful server, used by more Webmasters that all others combined. But there is one perceived weakness in Apache, which greatly limits its use and acceptance in corporate headquarters: an administrative front-end graphical interface (GUI).

This missing link--at least according to reviews in various Wintel magazines--makes Microsoft IIS the server of choice in the corporation, no matter how popular or robust Apache is.

Well, I certainly wouldn't agree with all that. I'm certainly comfortable with the current configuration setup for Apache, which is based on editing text files, and I don't think that I'm alone in that regard.

On the other hand, however, I can see how some sort of GUI front-end to Apache would be worthwhile. Heck, there's even an official Apache GUI site that's set up to be a focal point for GUI development. So it's not a new idea, nor one that people aren't aware of. There are some Apache GUIs out there; and this small but worthy field just saw its ranks increase by one with Vision or Apache, by Focus Array.

Vision for Apache is a pure Java-based front-end to Apache. The choice of Java is interesting, and maybe confusing for some people. Focus Array is definitely aware of that and right up front that some people may disagree with their choice, but for various reasons, including Java's networking capabilities and its graphical interfacing components, the company decided Java was it. Vision for Apache is also a bit more than a simple GUI front end, since it also includes a basic performance benchmarking tool, based on Apache's own ab application.

Setting up Vision for Apache

Interestingly, Vision for Apache is defined by Focus Array as a "Closed-Source/Open-Design" project. This means that you don't get the source, but "everyone" has input to the design of the product. I'm not exactly sure what that means. This is a commercial product, make no bones about it.

It's free for noncommercial use, but if you use it under commercial activities, Focus expects you to register it for 99 pounds (around US$159). But that also includes 12 months of service as well, so you can consider it a service fee. Focus is based in Great Britain, which may effect how useful this service is to you. Also, purchasing the license provides you with some updates that non-license holders don't get, or don't get as quickly as you do.

I downloaded Vision for Apache right from the Focus Array Web site to give it a good going over. I tested it on a shrink-wrapped version of Red Hat 6.1, which was my prime testbed. I also tried it on a PII-300 running Windows 98, just to see how well it worked there. I ran into no troubles during my limited testing on Windows. I even tried it on an Apple Imac running MacOS 8.6, but with no luck at all. The reason is pretty weird: Vision for Apache uses filenames that have more than the Mac's 31 character limit.

Why Vision for Apache needs more than 31 characters for a filename is beyond me, but it's a shame that Mac users are, once again, given such short consideration. I hear that Focus will support the Mac in later versions. Finally, I also used the Java implementation provided on the Vision for Apache Web site, since most people will most probably do that. Vision for Apache requires the JFC/Swing JavaBeans in Java 2.

Downloading and installing Vision for Apache presented no problems whatsoever. Before you can actually run Vision for Apache, you must merge all your Apache configuration files (httpd.conf, srm.conf, and access.conf) to a single httpd.conf file. That's not necessarily a big deal; most people have done that anyway and the later versions of Apache ship that way as well.

If, however, you prefer keeping the three configuration files, Vision for Apache is not for you as it requires this merging. It also requires that this merged file abide by some commenting rules as well, so even if you have a single httpd.conf file, you will still most likely need to hand-edit your file.

( A short note: if you do need to merge your files, be sure to add:

ResourceConfig /dev/null
AccessConfig /dev/null

to your new httpd.conf file. This isn't mentioned in the Vision for Apache docs, but it's required to allow Apache to start without the other two files.)

How Effective is the Graphical Interface?

Once you've merged and edited your httpd.conf file and told Vision for Apache where some files and directories are located, the main Vision for Apache window appears. The layout of various tabs is pretty good, and it flows in a very logical way. Even novice Apache administrators would be able to find their way around.

The user interface is fairly intuitive but requires that the user have at least a minimal understanding of Apache, so that, for example, they understand the concept of Apache "sections" (Apache directives such as VirtualHost that wrap other Apache directives). I found it very easy and straightforward to add and configure VirtualHosts or adjust other Apache settings.

There is a nice Help window providing a nugget-sized description of the directives as you use them, a very useful feature. Vision for Apache also takes advantage of Apache's DSO capability (if compiled in) and allows you to enable modules on the fly. Of particular note, creating .htaccess and .htpasswd files (for access control) was very easy and intuitive.

Vision for Apache has a vast knowledge of Apache directives. I didn't test to see if it would "forget" the newer directives in 1.3.9 if I downgraded to Apache 1.3.6, for example. Of course, as newer versions of Apache are released, Vision for Apache must be updated to become aware of the new directives.

Once you've made your changes, Vision for Apache goes ahead and rebuilds your httpd.conf as required. It uses comment formatting rules to allow for various entries to be disabled (for example, disabling one particular vhost) without losing those settings, so you can easily reenable them later. There is a basic syntax checker as well, so obvious mistakes in httpd.conf are flagged. After that, you restart Apache to have the changes take effect.

I thought this was a nice, professional package. Because it's written in Java, I found it a bit slow, but certainly not slow enough to be unusable or even bothersome. Of course, the speed of your machine will be a factor here. It provides a clean and logical front end, as well as some useful tools to assist the administrator. While it won't change the minds of those of us who prefer using a text editor to make changes, it might be just the ticket for those who get queasy just thinking about vi or emacs.

That initial merging and editing of the httpd.conf is a black mark in the whole process, however. I can envision that turning off some people, but this only affects those who already have a running setup. For first-time users, Vision for Apache could ship with a pre-edited httpd.conf for that initial setup. Focus Array should seriously consider providing that option.

In the end, Vision for Apache goes a long way towards supplying an Apache GUI that meets the requirements of many people.