The Apache HTTP Server's built in virtual hosting allows the server to provide different information based on which IP address, hostname, or port is being requested. A complete guide to using virtual hosts is available online at http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/vhosts/.
To create a name-based virtual host, it is best to use the virtual host container provided in httpd.conf as an example.
The virtual host example read as follows:
#NameVirtualHost *:80 # #<VirtualHost *:80> # ServerAdmin [email protected] # DocumentRoot /www/docs/dummy-host.example.com # ServerName dummy-host.example.com # ErrorLog logs/dummy-host.example.com-error_log # CustomLog logs/dummy-host.example.com-access_log common #</VirtualHost>
To activate name-based virtual hosting, uncomment the NameVirtualHost line by removing the hash mark (#) and replace the asterisk (*) with the IP address assigned to the machine.
Next, configure a virtual host by uncommenting and customizing the <VirtualHost> container.
On the <VirtualHost> line, change the asterisk (*) to the server's IP address. Change the ServerName to a valid DNS name assigned to the machine, and configure the other directives as necessary.
The <VirtualHost> container is highly customizable and accepts almost every directive available within the main server configuration.
If configuring a virtual host to listen on a non-default port, that port must be added to the Listen directive in the global settings section of /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file.
To activate a newly created virtual host, the Apache HTTP Server must be reloaded or restarted. Refer to Section 21.3, “Starting and Stopping httpd” for further instructions.
Comprehensive information about creating and configuring both name-based and IP address-based virtual hosts is provided online at http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/vhosts/.