Starting and Stopping httpd

The the httpd RPM installs the /etc/rc.d/init.d/httpd Bourne script, which is accessed using the /sbin/service command.

To start your server, as root type:

/sbin/service httpd start

	Note
	If you are running the Apache HTTP Server as a secure server, you will be prompted to type your password.

To stop your server, type the command:

/sbin/service httpd stop

The command restart is a shorthand way of stopping and then starting your server. The restart command explicitly stops and then starts your server. You will be prompted for your password if you are running the Apache HTTP Server as a secure server. The restart command looks like the following:

/sbin/service httpd restart

If you just finished editing something in your httpd.conf file, you do not need to explicitly stop and start your server. Instead, you can use the reload command.

	Note
	If you are running the Apache HTTP Server as a secure server, you will not need to type your password when using the reload option as the password will remain cached across reloads.

The reload command looks like the following example:

/sbin/service httpd reload

By default, the httpd process will not start automatically when your machine boots. You will need to configure the httpd service to start up at boot time using an initscript utility, such as /sbin/chkconfig, /sbin/ntsysv, or the Services Configuration Tool program.

Please refer to the chapter titled Controlling Access to Services in Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide for more information regarding these tools.

	Note
	If you are running the Apache HTTP Server as a secure server, you will be prompted for the secure server's password after the machine boots, unless you generated a specific type of server key file. For information about setting up an Apache HTTP Secure Server see the chapter titled Apache HTTP Secure Server Configuration in the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide.