Help File Library: Configuring kHTTPd NHF

NOTE: This Help File only applies to those running 2.4.x (or newer 2.3.x) kernels. Those with 2.2.x or older kernels must upgrade before continuing.
BE WARNED: kHTTPd is still experimental, so it's not my fault if something breaks. Blame it on...er...uh...Linus!

What is kHTTPd?

kHTTPd is a webserver that handles only static (file based, non-cgi/php) webpages, and passes all requests for non-static (dynamic) information to a regular userspace-webserver such as Apache or Zeus. This is benificial because it offloads the delivery of static webpages to the kernel, allowing the userspace-webserver program (such as apache) to do what it does best: deliver dynamic contenet (cgi-bin, php). In a nutshell, it makes your webserver work faster, which means you can serve up more pr0n err, useful files faster...yes...heh heh heh.

Getting it into the kernel:

You've got your shiny new 2.4.x kernel, and now you want to get kHTTPd working. There are two ways to compile kHTTPd into the kernel. Directly or as a module. I suggest compiling it in directly because modules cause overhead, but do as you wish. If you don't know how to compile a kernel, then you should take a look at the Kernel Compling Help File first.

The kHTTPd option can be found under:

Networking options ---> Kernel httpd acceleration 
(EXPERIMENTAL)

Getting it to work:

...ah, but you see, it's not that easy! Now we must configure it. This is where it gets pretty hard. Make sure nobody's downloading a big file off your webserver, 'cause you're going to kick them off soon. First, what we need to do is create a script so that this crazy thing will start and stop. Because of the different type of init scripts, this may not work exactly as I write it out, but I'll try to be kind to the distros that I've used in the past.

Create a new file in /etc/init.d (if you use Debian, /etc/rc.d/init.d if you use Red Hat or Mandrake(?), /etc/rc.d if you use Slackware) called khttpd. Replace the stuff in red with the appropriate configuration.

#!/bin/sh

case "$1" in
    start)
        echo -n "Starting kHTTPd webserver:"
        # Don't include the next line if you didn't compile it as a
module.
        modprobe khttpd

        echo -n " khttpd"
        
        echo port apache is running on (usually 8080
-- you'll see later) > /proc/sys/net/khttpd/clientport
        echo port kHTTPd should run on (usually
80) > /proc/sys/net/khttpd/serverport
        echo your document root (usually
/var/www) > /proc/sys/net/khttpd/documentroot
        echo suffixes that are dynamic (for example,
php3 shtml) > /proc/sys/net/khttpd/dynamic
        echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/khttpd/start
        
        echo "."
        ;;
    stop)
        echo -n "Stopping kHTTPd webserver:"
        
        echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/khttpd/unload
        
        echo -n " khttpd"
        
        # Don't include the next line if you didn't compile it as a
module.
        rmmod khttpd
        
        echo "."
        ;;
    reload)
        echo -n "Reloading kHTTPd webserver:"
        echo -n " khttpd"
        echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/khttpd/stop
        echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/khttpd/start
        echo "."
        ;;
    force-reload)
        $0 reload
        ;;
    restart)
        $0 stop
        $0 start
        ;;
    *)
        echo "Usage: /path/where/you/put/this/script/khttpd
{start|stop|reload|restart}"
        exit 1
        ;;
esac

exit 0

BE SURE TO chmod 755 khttpd BEFORE YOU CONTINUE
Then, you must configure Apache or whatever other webserver you are using to use port 8080, otherwise you'll have two programs trying to serve to port 80, and that's not good. For Apache, in httpd.conf, you must change:

Port 80

Port 8080

And now, we must add the appropriate symlinks. Again, this is different for the different distributions, so check the documentation for sysvinit on your system to see exactly how to do this. For Debian, you can use the handy-dandy update-rc.d tool by typing:

update-rc.d khttpd defaults

ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/khttpd /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/S20khttpd
ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/khttpd /etc/rc.d/rc5.d/S20khttpd
ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/khttpd /etc/rc.d/rc0.d/K20khttpd
ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/khttpd /etc/rc.d/rc1.d/K20khttpd
ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/khttpd /etc/rc.d/rc2.d/K20khttpd
ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/khttpd /etc/rc.d/rc6.d/K20khttpd

/etc/rc.d/khttpd start

Starting it up:

For Debian:
/etc/init.d/apache restart

For Red Hat:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/apache restart

For Slackware:
/var/lib/apache/sbin/apachectl restart

/path/where/you/put/this/script/khttpd
start