In this issue

Apache 1.3.3 has been released today. This version is a minor upgrade to Apache 1.3.2, but fixes one quite important problem. Users of Apache 1.3.2 should upgrade to 1.3.3.

The important problem in 1.3.2 is that various error responses, such as "404 Not Found" will display the full path to the missing file. Other problems fixed include the spelling module which in 1.3.2 does not return the list of possible matches when more than one file is similar to the requested URL, and a problem where missing .htaccess files could result in a "Forbidden" response.

This latest version also fixes some problems on Windows. These include the bug which caused CGI child processes to become unkillable "zombies" in some circumstances, and the bug which printed the warning at startup about overwriting the PID file.

The Apache Week Guide to 1.3.3 lists all the changes between Apache 1.2 and the Apache 1.3.X series.

Apache Site: www.apache.org
Release: 1.3.3 (Released 9^th October 1998) (local download sites)
Beta: None

Apache 1.3.3 is the current stable release. Users of Apache 1.2.6 and earlier should look at upgrading to this version. Read Guide to 1.3.3 for information about changes between 1.2 and 1.3.3.

Most bugs listed below include a link to the entry in the Apache bug database where the problem is being tracked. These entries are called "PR"s (Problem Reports). Some bugs do not correspond to problem reports if they are found by developers.

These bugs have been found in 1.3.2 and are fixed in 1.3.3

Because of the major differences between Windows and Unix, these are separated into bugs which affect Windows systems only, and other bugs (which may affect Windows as well). Unix users can ignore the bugs listed in the Windows section.

Windows-specific Bugs

• Apache on Windows did not delete the httpd.pid file when exiting, so the next time it started it would warn about this file being overwritten. In addition, it would output this warning when run with the -i, -u or -S options. PR#3053.

Patches for bugs in Apache 1.3.3 will be made available in the apply_to_1.3.3 subdirectory of the patches directory on the Apache site. Some new features and other unofficial patches are available in the 1.3 patches directory. For details of all previously reported bugs, see the Apache bug database and known bugs pages. Many common configuration questions are answered in the Apache FAQ.

On Windows 95, Apache runs as a "console application". This means that it starts in a DOS window. In the current release the only way to stop Apache running is to press Control-C in the console window. This terminates any transactions in progress, and exits without giving Apache or its modules any chance to cleanup. From version 1.3.3, Apache can be stopped by opening another DOS window and typing

  apache -k shutdown

This does a "graceful" shutdown, where Apache allows any transactions currently in process to continue to completion, before exiting. In addition, doing

  apache -k restart

performs are "graceful" restart, where Apache re-reads the configuration files while allowing transactions in progress to complete.

Support has been added for new response codes defined by the latest versions of various HTTP related specifications. The codes added are for HTTP/1.1 rev 5 (307, 416, 417); Extensions for Distributed Authoring on the World Wide Web -- WEBDAV (102, 207, 422, 423); and HTTP Extension Framework (510). Each of these codes can now be used by Apache modules, and Apache will return an appropriate error response body.

Also the way that Apache handles the "100 Continue" response header has been updated to be consistent with HTTP/1.1 rev 5, which adds a new request header, Expect: 100-continue.

ApacheCon '98 starts next Wednesday. Apache Week will be there, and technology permitting next Friday's issue will be a short special report from the conference.

There is still time to register for the conference. The special rate of $995 now applies to all advance registrations until Monday 12th. To see the agenda or register, visit http://www.apachecon.com/. You will also be able to register at the venue, at the full price of $1295.

Apache is in the first ServerWatch Hall of Fame, which lists the most popular servers accessed via the ServerWatch site.