Apache HTTP Server Bind by MAC Address

apache-2.2socket

I have 2 ethernet ports on my machine, both receiving their IP addresses via DHCP.

I would like to run essentially two web servers on the machine. Technically, I would like to run Apache on one address/port combination, and Node.js listening on port 80 on the other ethernet port.

All Apache documentation I've found mentions using the Listen directive for specifying which address/port Apache should listen on. The only problem is that my IP addresses are dynamic, and I don't want to bother changing the config every time my IP changes.

Is there anyway to tell Apache to bind to a specific MAC address?

I'm pretty sure the answer is no, considering the socket bind function appears to require an IP address, unless it's smart enough to take a MAC or port name, and lookup the associated IP.

Best Answer

Servers are just not meant to run on dynamic IPs. I don't believe you can get apache to listen on a MAC address, but I can suggest two possible work arounds:

have the two web services run on different ports rather than different IPs - EASY
hack the apache startup script so that it detects the IP addresses on the two cards, and then edits the config file before actually starting the server - MESSY HACK

Related Solutions

How to prevent another process from listening on the same port as Apache

Listeners don't really just bind to a port--they bind to an address and a port. It could be that apache is binding to 0.0.0.0:8080 (sometimes written *:8080), while tomcat is binding to port 8080 on a specific interface. In that case, both binds could coexist, and the interface-specific bind would take precedence over the wildcard bind. That may be what's happening to you.

The simplest fix would be to have apache do an interface-specific bind rather than (or in addition to) doing a wildcard bind.

In short, look for the Listen lines in your apache configuration. If you see a line like:

Listen 8080

Listen 0.0.0.0:8080

Add another line like:

Listen 1.2.3.4:8080

where 1.2.3.4 is the host's IP address.

Windows – Apache config: “no listening sockets available”

Probably your apache process will run with an effective user different than the user starting it. Make sure, that the user starting it has the permission to create listening sockets (for ports <1024 this should only be root). Also make sure, that the port you want to use is not already taken (with netstat -an ).

It don't have a clue about the difference of the error messages.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

How to prevent another process from listening on the same port as Apache

Windows – Apache config: “no listening sockets available”

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