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One Apache, multiple SSL websites

One apache installation can easily host multiple domains using a couple different VirtualHost directives. Basically, a standard HTTP request includes the requested domain name, and Apache uses that to determine which pages to serve up.

From what I understand, SSL-encrypted sites are a wee bit trickier, because HTTPS requests are encrypted and the requested domain name isn’t available. So all you have to go by is the IP address…. and the port. So that’s the trick – you have to use a different port for each SSL-encrypted domain name you want to support.

Steps to make Apache listen for SSL requests for different domains on 443 and 8080:

Add “Listen 443” and “Listen 8080” directives at the top of your apache configuration.

Add a “VirtualHost myfirstsite.com:443” block for the first site, and a “VirtualHost mysecondsite.com:8080” for the second.

Make sure your firewall allows incoming traffic on both ports.

See? Easy. :> And since your website will typically redirect traffic to SSL pages (as opposed to expecting users to type them in), hopefully using a non-default port won’t be a problem.

Comments | Monday, December 13, 2004

Putty Proxy Pain

Setting up secure access to a cvs repository from Windows works great using these two awesome tools:

Putty

TortoiseCVS

The docs explain things pretty well. The only part that can snag is getting them working together through a proxy, which required replacement of Tortoise CVS’s no-terminal ssh connection utility (tortoiseplink.exe) with Putty’s version (plink.exe). Here are the steps:

Install putty and tortoise cvs

Set up your ssh keys, and configure pageant to serve up your private key, according to the docs (unless you’re willing to enter your linux user password a LOT)

Set up a putty session for plink as follows:

Connection: add your user to Auto-login username

Connection:Proxy set up your proxy

Connection:SSH check “don’t allocate a terminal” and “don’t run a command”

Name and save the session [e.g. yourplinksession]

Set up a plink.bat batch file: [plink.exe -load yourplinksession %1 %2 %3 %4]

Tortoise CVS preferences:Tools:SSH application set to plink.bat

Tortoise CVS preferences:Tools:SSH parameters set to [-l “%u” ]

Fire it up!

Comments | Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Mo Betta Linux-on-top-of-Windows

A hyper-quick CliffNotes summary of X for those new to linux: The X Window System is the foundation of the GUI of modern Unices. The best part: it allows you to escape the graphical prison of a M$ Windoze(TM) operating system by running an “X Server”. The X server can display your X windows from a remote linux machine on the local machine instead (even if it’s a Windoze(TM) box). With a smart Winblows(TM) SSH client like putty, you can tunnel your X packets through an SSH session, so you end up with both command line and graphical secure remote access to your boxxen, whoop!

There are literally TONS of X servers for Windumbs(TM). However, I think I just found the best. Cygwin is a super-groovy set of native libraries that provide a command shell under Winslows(TM) with a LOT of linux functionality. On top of that, they provide an X environment. On top of THAT, it comes with an X server. Just run the Cygwin setup program, and make sure you include the following components:

xorg-x11-base

x-startup-scripts

Then open your Cygwin shell and type “startxwin.sh”.

As a final note, I’m having a lot of luck with the newer X.org flavor of X. It’s running on my Gentoo box, my Fedora box, and the Cygwin on this laptop. All the goodies, none of the crankiness, of XFree86. :>

Life just doesn’t get any better under Windoesn’t(TM).

Comments | Friday, November 26, 2004

To fluxbox and beyond…

Corey and I are going to play with fluxbox. We have a particular extension in mind, we’ll post more info here when it’s worth it… we’re currently examining the code for both fluxbox (C++) and an extension to it called fluxspace (python)… tbc…

Comments | Sunday, August 15, 2004

CD ripping is fun!

I’m working on pulling the thousand or so CD’s out of the attic and ripping them. I haven’t done it yet because all that old crap is only marginally interesting (nostalgia has a strong saccharin aftertaste that doesn’t take long to kick in with me) and therefore wasn’t worth the huge effort. But linux makes all things easy, so what the heck.

Steps:

Get grip (already part of Fedora Core 2)

Get lame (yum install lame)

Set up grip to use lame/mp3, rip on insert and eject when done

Pop cd’s in all day long

Fedora Tracker pointed me towards grip, which rips cd to wav with the built-in cdparanoia ripper. Grip can also run a separate encoder that converts wav to mp3 (or ogg or whatever). FT once again led me to lame, an MP3 encoder. And that’s just about how easy it was.

Interesting mainly because this is the kind of stuff that makes linux rock. Attempting this basic task under Windows would require slumming through a whole lot of obnoxious product pitches. SOMEBODY (Gueedo Gates?) makes sure that there are no good free alternatives (I still can’t figure how this can be possible). You’d try selecting some inferior product because it claimed to be free, only to find out that was a lie. By the end you’d gladly dish out a wad of cash to make it all go away. Or be so pissed off at the process that you’re driven to spend two weeks finding a working cracked version that leaves you wondering if you’ll be the next RIAA target. All very unsatisfying.

TRY THE ALTERNATIVE! FREE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE PANE BEHIND! 😛