Apache is controlled by a series of configuration files: httpd.conf, access.conf. and srm.conf (there's actually also a mime.types file, but you have to deal with that only when you're adding or removing MIME types from your server, which shouldn't be too often). The files contain instructions, called directives, that tell Apache how to run. Several companies offer GUI-based Apache front-ends, but it's easier to edit the configuration files by hand.

Remember to make back-up copies of all your Apache configuration files, in case one of the changes you make while experimenting renders the Web server inoperable.

Also, remember that configuration changes you make don't take effect until you restart Apache. If you've configured Apache to run as an inetd server, then you don't need to worry about restarting, since inetd will do that for you.

The typical Apache user has to maintain three different configuration files--httpd.conf, access.conf, and srm.conf. These files contain the directives to control Apache's behavior.

The tips in this story keep the configuration files separate, since it's a handy way to compartmentalize the different directives. But Apache itself doesn't care--if you have a simple enough configuration or you just want the convenience of editing a single file, then you can place all the configuration directives in one file. That one file should be httpd.conf, since it is the first configuration file that Apache interprets. You'll have to include the following directives in httpd.conf:

That way, Apache won't cough up an error message about the missing access.conf and srm.conf files. Of course, you'll also need to copy the directives from srm.conf and access.conf into your new httpd.conf file.