Given the pros and cons of the three methods, I recommend the tarball download if all you want to do is test-drive the latest and greatest. If you want to do a test-drive on a regular basis, I think the rsync mechanism is best. But if you have local customisations, or are considering submitting fixes or features to the developers, you can't beat anonymous CVS.

If you want to stay on the bleeding edge of Apache developments, it's quite easy and even encouraged. Almost all of the tools you need are already included in most of the Linux distributions (if not automatically installed), so all you need is an Internet connexion, some patience, and some fortitude and you're ready to go. Remember that if you decide to do this, you're working from a snapshot of the actual master code, and it's possible that the latest one you downloaded was created midway through a problem (such as a compilation failure) being detected and solved by the developers. That's where the fortitude comes in: wait until your snapshot source refreshes, and then try again.

If you do decide to play keep-up with the Apache project's ongoing development, any feedback you can provide about problems you encounter would be welcomed by the developers--particularly if your report included a fix as well.

Going Further
You can also find some documentation at the following URLs:

• <URL:http://www.cyclic.com/>
• <URL:http://dev.apache.org/>
  (Be aware: this is documentation. The developers are off doing development, not documentation, so this may not be completely up-to-date.)
• <URL:http://dev.apache.org/anoncvs.txt>

Acknowledgements
A security-expert acquaintance from my distant past, Colin Rous, contacted me after the publication of the Apache security article and pointed out that my definitions and uses of "mandatory" and "discretionary" vary significantly--and confusingly--from those used in government and other circles. As a consequence, I'm coming up with different and non-conflicting terms for those things I called MAC and DAC in the article. Stay tuned.

Got a Topic You Want Covered?
If you have a particular Apache-related topic that you'd like covered in a future article in this column, please let me know; drop me an email at <coar@Apache.Org>. I do read and answer my email, usually within a few hours (although a few days may pass if I'm travelling or my mail volume is 'way up). If I don't respond within what seems to be a reasonable amount of time, feel free to ping me again.

About the Author
Ken Coar is a member of the Apache Group and a director and vice president of the Apache Software Foundation. He is also a core member of the Jikes open-source Java compiler project, a contributor to the PHP project, the author of Apache Server for Dummies, and one of the lead authors of Apache Server Unleashed. He can be reached via email at <coar@apache.org>.

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