Sambar server as toolbox for Apache

[Steffen]

Just want to promote Sambar to the Apache world. I am running two servers Apache and the SambarServer. Sambar has some quite nice tools that I use with Apache:

CRON scheduler
FTP server
Search Engine
Rss Feedreader
Tagcloud builder
Clock Sync
much more..

Above utilities/tools you have in the free Sambar server. If you want even more goodies (eg.mailserver), then you have to buy a license.

I use Apache as mainserver and Reverse Proxy to sambar. In this way have the features from both worlds, Apache and sambar, and it is transparant for the end user.

If you want help with setting up Apache and use it integrated with Sambar, contact me.

Steffen

[valium]

I'm still trying to fathom the reasoning for running Apache over Sambar when Sambar has Proxy and reverse Proxy which i am still trying to figure out. Oh by the way Stefen I havent forgotten I am 2500 km from home 1. I still having problems trying to understand where Proxy service is suposed to work and Reverse Proxy is best suited for. Maybe you could shed some light on the subject.
kind regards
vlad

[Steffen]

For most of the Sambarians there is no reason at all to run Apache over Sambar. In fact they loosing features then (or you must run Sambar behind Apache).

A reason can be:

- Quite some (php)scripts are more and more relying on Apache features, for example Search Engine Friendly URL's, Image theft and other features based on Apache's mod_rewrite.
- PHP is under Apache more reliable. Sambar and IIS are using ISAPI and the php guys confirm that there are stability issues.
- If you want lighting fast Perl with mod_perl
- Advanced Security measures (see www.modsecurity.org )
- Advance Proxy features (like load balancing),
- Advanced authorization/authentication

But again, mostly not interesting for Sambar users.


Reverse proxy:

From wikipedia:

A reverse proxy is a proxy server that is installed within the neighborhood
of one or more servers. Typically, reverse proxies are utilized in front of
webservers. All connections coming from the Internet addressed to one of the
webservers are routed through the proxy server, which may either deal with
the request itself or pass the request wholly or partially to the main
webserver.

There are several reasons for installing reverse proxy servers:


Security: the proxy server is an additional layer of defense and therefore
protects the webservers further up the chain


Encryption / SSL acceleration: when secure websites are created, the SSL
encryption is sometimes not done by the webserver itself, but by a reverse
proxy that is equipped with SSL acceleration hardware.


Load distribution: the reverse proxy can distribute the load to several
servers, each server serving its own application area. In the case of
reverse proxying in the neighborhood of webservers, the reverse proxy may
need to have to rewrite the URL's in each webpage (translation from
externally known URLs to the internal locations)

Caching static content: A reverse proxy can offload the webservers by
caching static content, such as images. Proxy caching of this sort can often
satisfy a considerable amount of website requests, greatly reducing the load
on the central web server.

[peter]

Steffen
I have found myself in a situation where I may need your help on using sambar reverse proxy. I too need apache for the stability for use with php but I also prefer sambar for many of the features particularity throttling, user management.

Do you run apache and sambar on the same server (computer)? How do you setup the config? Can you show me an example from you vhost.ini?

Thanks

[gilbertv]

Peter,

Unfortunately there seems to be very little activity in these forums, especially after the changes at the sambar.com site, participation seems to have declinded dramatically to almost nothing.

I found a really REALLY good solution for Apache called XAMPP (controller). This is a nearly complete pre-packaged solution for anyone wanting to run an Apache Web server that also installs: PHP 4 & 5, PHPMyAdmin, MySQL, Perl, FTPzilla, Mercury Mail Server, etc etc.... and the entire setup was completed within 35 minutes, including setting up Security on MySQL and the XAMPP Control Panel.

This solution literally simplifies Apache other Add-ons such as MySQL and PHP which by them selves is time consuming.

BTW, these guys at XAMPP support their product very quickly via the Forums. There is a lot of participation there.

Go to: http://www.apachefriends.org
-----------------------------------


GV

[peter]

Admittedly I have little use for support but I was interested in the setup of the reverse proxy.

Cheers

[jduffy]

[Spikecity]

Basically traffic here has been slow since the release of the 6.x series.
Most paying users have their sambar setup and running and as written elsewhere, there is no mail to Tod remaining unanswered to me (as a paying customer and bug hunter) on any questions/problems I might have with newer versions.

I think the whole market of server products is flooded with similar free or on the other end more expensive products so to each his/her choice to use sambar or not.

The main reason I stick with sambar as a company server product has nothing to do with the price (as 100$ is virtually nothing compared to other commercial products), but has to do with the all-in-one functionality (so only needing one dedicated XP machine for it) and the overall stability and performance compared to other products. (getting 100K+ SMTP hits daily on our main server)

As said, I do not have any problems getting support from Tod, but then again I'm a very experienced sambar user (since 5.1) who is only bothering him with real problems I might find (mainly on SMTP /spam fighting issues).

Last but not least.... I'm not getting paid for endorsing sambar in any way

[PaulnOZ]

Forum dead?.....No.
Dieing.......was, but I think it's bottomed out now, only way from here is up.

Like Steffen, I too have installed a couple of Apache servers to load balance and enable some modern needed features.

I'm new to Apache and quite like it, but it's nothing like the love I have for Sambar.

I do have a problem with proxying though. Hopefully Steffen still drops by once in a while or perhaps any of you other lurkers could help.

I have my old (celeron 333) Sambar box now located as a backend server and ProxyPass via Apache to it. So of course the client IP is now hidden by my proxy. There seem to be work arounds like using X-Forwarded-For in PHP (which works) however, I never used PHP on the Sambar box as the internal (and non portable) .stm scripting was faster and much easier to use. I also have a LOT of .stm files which I don't really feel like rewriting to php.

I don't think using the ajp proxy protocol on Apache would help here either (unless I'm wrong which is often

Does anyone know how I can past the client IP (and other variables) from Apache proxy to Sambar such that all the RCE variables continue to work?

[Steffen]

I am also still running Sambar and have the same., IP is the one proxied to. I doubt that Sambar handles X-Forwarded-For to pick the right IP.

Before Apache 2.4 it was the same, now in 2.4 there is a new mod_remoteip, see http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mod/mod_remoteip.html

Steffen

[PaulnOZ]

Awesome, and I'm astounded by your response speed. Steffen you are truely a legend.

Heel veel bedankt (guessing the spelling).

Now I just have to wait for a windows version of 2.4 or try to compile one myself, or move to linux, but Spikecity hasn't exactly motivated me especially when he mentioned his DOS experience, I also thought it might help with linux as I remember it well. DOS-version-"n" = "10n" MB partition limit...lol

But as an old dutch saying goes, if you want to piss against the wind, count on your pants getting wet. And as the wind appears to be open source LAMP I guess I'm just going to have to jump into linux sooner or later. It might even extent the life of my old 333mhz machines

[Steffen]

Apache Windows 2.4 can you download at http://www.apachelounge.com/ .

Steffen

[PaulnOZ]

Thanks Steffen,

However, I've done some investigating (opened a cgi env dump file in Sambar) and noticed......

HTTP_X_FORWARDED_HOST: www.mydomainname.com
HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR: clientIPnumber

So then in Sambar script tried...
RCEHTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR

and it WORKED!

So if X_FORWARDED_FOR doesn't work try HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR

Not sure about php on Sambar, because I don't use it, but worth a try if you're having trouble I guess.

[PaulnOZ]

HTTP_X_FORWARDED_SERVER was in there too

SSI on apache also sees HTTP_X_FORWARDED... rather than simply X_FORWARDED_.....

[Steffen]

Sambar is still suprising me how complete it was/is, a pity that Tod stopped.


Steffen