Website Alias bug?

[ElgertS]

I have configured Mac OS X Server 10.3 with around 20 websites. I set the sites up in the format of: domain.com. I then created an alias for each of http://www.domain.com. Some domains also had additional alternate names. I chose the top “alias” option and did not specify a path. I can’t find documentation on the website alias features and options to verify if this is the correct procedure or not.

After configuring and saving the sites work for perhaps 15 seconds and then Apache shuts down. It does not come on again unless I either disable the alias module of Apache or turn off the sites that have aliases.

With the alias module off, if you type in http://www.domain.com, it will direct you to the top-most domain configured in the Server Admin application.

[ElgertS]

Actually, my problem is not just alias files apparently. Even the other websites will jump before my eyes. They will state the correct information and then suddenly leap to something completely different.

[ElgertS]

I found that most if not all domains were changing suddenly to a particular one so I deleted this and recreated it. Since then things are working better. The problem started with aliasing and I still have to have that off. I had to create separate website entries for domain.com and http://www.domain.com. For those sites that also had names like domain.net I had to make two more entries. This is how I had to do it in Mac OS X 10.2. 10.3 should not have this requirement and I hope to find a resolution before moving all the rest of my domains later.

[Anonymous]

Yah,.. I had the exact same problem and used the same fix you did,. does anyone know how to get the aliases to work?

[ElgertS]

I have not tried using the standard alias feature in 10.3.2 to see if it is working now. What I did was turn off the apache module for virtual hosts. I then make each site as example.com and then I go into the site conf file using pico and at as the second field:

ServerAlias http://www.example.com

Add more entries for each additional alias you need.

[Anonymous]

Same problem, with aliases and CNAMES (virtual hosts). OSXS 10.3.9.

When I set up folder aliases in ServerAdmin, e.g.,
/stuff/ /Library/WebServer/Documents/someotherfolder/
ServerAdmin automatically adds other directives such as RedirectMatch to the .conf file ( in /etc/httpd/sites/ ) and web service dies and will not restart.

I could only get Aliases to work (and web service to restart) by adding Aliases by hand to the conf file.

Then, virtual hosts:
B.me.com –> me.com/B
C.me.com –> me.com/C etc.

When I did this in ServerAdmin, the web service quit and would not restart, and, strangest of all, RedirectMatch directives had once again been added to the conf file. I mean the directives I set up for the folder Aliases, which have nothing to do with the virtual hosts.

I’m wondering (again) if I should ditch the Server version. I have to work at the command line a lot anyway because ServerAdmin either doesn’t address a feature or seems broken.

[dtauvdiodr]

I’m having issues with Aliases and Virtual Hosts as well, even though it looks like it’s set up correctly from an Apache standpoint. I’m on server 10.3.8.

As a general rule, I don’t use Server Admin to administer either Mail or Apache configuration. Neither is fully functional, and like you said, will break how Apache is supposed to work.

Can someone post an example .conf file with the corrections you made for Alias to work?

[Author]

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