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Sun Java System Web Server 6.1 SP10 Installation and Migration Guide

Other Technical Requirements

Once you have the proper hardware and software necessary to install Sun Java System Web Server, you should make sure that you meet the following requirements:

Creating a DNS Alias for the Server

If your server will run on one machine among many in a network, you or your system administrator should set up a DNS CNAME record or an alias that points to the actual server machine. Later, you can change the actual hostname or IP address of the server machine without having to change all URLs that point to the server machine.

For example, you might call the server my_server.my_company.com and then use an alias like www.my_company.com. So the URLs to documents on your server would always use the www alias instead of my_server.

UNIX and Linux User Accounts for the Server

When the Sun Java System Web Server starts, it runs with a UNIX or Linux user account that you specify during installation. Any child processes of the server are created with this account as the owner. It is best to create a UNIX or Linux account for the server that has restricted access to your system resources. The account needs read permissions for the configuration files and write permissions for the logs directory.

On Solaris OE, by default, a user and group account named webservd is created for Sun Java System Web Server if it does not already exist.

On non-Solaris UNIX platforms (where the webservd user/group cannot be reserved outright), if you do not create a dedicated user account for Sun Java System Web Server, you can use the account with the name nobody. You might not however want to give the user nobody permissions for running the Sun Java System Web Server. Sometimes the user nobody does not work on some systems if a negative uid/gid is assigned during installation. Check the /etc/passwd file to see if the uid for nobody exists, and make sure it is greater than 0.

Note –

It is strongly recommended that you use a dedicated account for the server.

The Administration Server can also run with a user account that has write permissions to the configuration files for all installed servers. However, it is much easier to run the Administration Server as root because then the Administration Server user can start and stop servers with port numbers less than 1024. (Port numbers greater than 1024 can be started by any user).

The user you use to run the Sun Java System Web Server (often nobody) should be in the same group as the user you use to run the Administration Server (often root).

Note –

When changing the server user, remove any /tmp/lock.* files created in the /tmp directory.

Windows User Accounts for the Server

You should create a Windows user account for your Sun Java System Web Server. It should have restricted access to your system resources and run under a nonprivileged system user account (one that has a limited set of system permissions to your system). When the server starts, it runs with this user account. Any server extension modules the server uses are created with this user account as the owner.

During installation, the server uses the LocalSystem account, not the user account you created. Once you start and run the server, you should use the user account you created. You can change the user account for the server after the installation process. You can configure that user account so that it has permissions to get files on another computer, so that your server can serve files that are mounted from another computer.

In addition, the user account you create for the server should belong to a group that contains the server users for all Sun Java System servers so that multiple servers can have access to shared files.

Note –

It is strongly recommended that you use a dedicated account for the server.

Choosing Unique Port Numbers

You need multiple port numbers: one for the Administration Server and one for each instance of Sun Java System Web Server. The Administration Server is a special instance of the Sun Java System Web Server that you use to manage your Sun Java System Web Server.

The standard web server port number is 80 and the standard SSL-enabled web server port number is 443, but you can install Sun Java System Web Server to use any port. If you use a port other than the default port (port 80), the URL used to gain access to your home page changes. For example, if your computer is called www.siroe.com and you choose port 9753, the URL of your server will be http://www.siroe.com:9753/.

You should choose a random number for the Administration Server to make it harder for anyone to breach your server. When you configure your server, you use port number of the Administration Server. For example, for server mozilla.com, the server’s URL could be http://www.mozilla.com:2634/.

Make sure the port you choose is not already in use. On UNIX and Linux systems, you can check the file /etc/services on the server machine to make sure you do not assign a port number that is reserved for another service. If you choose a port that is currently being used by another service, the installation program prompts you for another port.

Note –

If you use UNIX or Linux, and you choose a server port number lower than 1024, you must be logged in as root to start the server. After the server binds to the port, the server changes from the root user account to the user account you specify. If you choose a port number higher than 1024, you do not have to be the root user to start the server.