In this issue

Apache Site: www.apache.org
Release: 1.3.6 (Released 25^th March 1999) (local download sites)
Beta: None

Apache 1.3.6 is the current stable release. Users of Apache 1.3.4 and earlier on Unix systems should upgrade to this version. Read the Guide to 1.3.6 for information about changes between 1.3.4 and 1.3.6 and between 1.2 and 1.3.6.

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 1.3.6 and will be fixed in the next release.

• A minor memory leak would occur each time Apache was restarted because the module counts were not being handled correctly
• Apache will now flush its output immediately after sending an error message or redirect response. This will enable clients to quickly abort the connection if they wish.

Patches for bugs in Apache 1.3.6 will be made available in the apply_to_1.3.6 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.

In July, Apache Week mentioned that a new version of the digest authentication module was being developed. Digest authentication uses a MD5 hash mechanism to provide more security for passwords when sent over unsecured HTTP connections. This new module, called mod_auth_digest, will be included in the next release of Apache but marked as experimental. The old module, mod_digest will still be included even though it is not compatible with most browsers.

There's only one week left until the Apache Conference at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention, August 21-24, in Monterey, California. The two days each of tutorials and conference are a chance for Apache developers, site administrators, and technical managers involved in running Web sites to learn about the latest in Apache development and gain skills to optimise Apache's power and versatility. Sessions have a practical focus, with real-world examples and case studies.

Tutorials feature beginners' and advanced workshops in JServ, PHP, and mod_perl, as well as sessions on security and SSL. Participants can choose between conferences in two concurrent tracks:

• Track I: Managing Apache offers sessions on such management issues as load balance, using mod_perl to automate and customise Apache, and using Apache in an international environment.
• Track II: Extending Apache covers tools such as the Comanche GUI, WebDAV, the Locomotive, and FastCGI, using Embperl and DBIx::Recordset for database content of Web sites, and component-based applications.

Registration at the O'Reilly Apache Conference gives full access to concurrent conferences in Linux, Perl, Python, sendmail, and Tcl/Tk. Participants can stay within the Apache conference or attend the presentations that benefit them the most from the other conferences.

Guy Kawasaki and Bill Joy will be keynote speakers, and such Open Source luminaries as Larry Wall and Eric Raymond will also give talks. Evening events provide further opportunities for exchanging ideas across disciplines and networking with other Open Source developers. And of course there'll be beer and pizza.

Program chair for the Apache Conference is Doug MacEachern, lead developer of the mod_perl Apache module, software engineer at Critical Path, and coauthor of "Writing Apache Modules with Perl and C". Apache presenters include core PHP developer Rasmus Lerdorf, core Apache developer Ken Coar, and Perl experts Andreas Koenig and Mark-Jason Dominus.