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Feature: Previewing Apache 2.0

November 6, 2000
By Raj Rajagopal

Since the introduction of version 1.0 in 1995, the Apache Web server has been very well-received. And since that time, its use grown steadily. According to the popular Netcraft Web server survey, Apache runs on about 60 percent of the Web servers (though there are some questions on the use of the Netcraft survey to determine market share). The next major release of Apache is version 2.0, which is expected to ship later this year.

In this article we'll take a close look at the latest alpha release of Apache, version 2.0a5. (Note, after this article was written, Apache released a newer version, 2.0a7.) Along the way, we'll explore whether the latest functional enhancements to the server can help Apache maintain its innovative lead. Also, we'll address the issues and benefits of Apache from the perspective of a Unix IT manager. Finally, we'll compare Apache with its primary competitors‹IIS from Microsoft and iPlanet from Netscape.

Although Apache sounds American Indian, the name comes from "a patchy server" since the initial code was a series of patches to NCSA¹s httpd server. Apache distribution and enhancements are controlled by the Apache Software Foundation (ASF), a not-for-profit corporation formed by eight core authors of the original code. Apache runs on most Unix systems and variants, including Linux and BSD derivatives. Apache also runs on Windows. For users desiring a stable, working platform, the ASF recommends 1.3.12 version, which is available from ASF as a binary.

Web Server Functionality Continues to Grow

Although Web servers were originally created as a collection of static Web pages for one-way information dissemination, they have begun to fully support transaction processing. They have further evolved to transform enterprises from department-oriented islands of processes to a centralized site that provides customized portals to handle complete life-cycle transactions spanning multiple departments. This evolution is shown in the figure below.

Most organizations are between Stages II and III. As can be seen from the above figure, ability for continued evolution is critical for a Web server. Apache is well-positioned in this regard, both with its proven track record and with the performance improvements slated for release in version 2. What¹s New in Apache 2.0?

The Web server evolution has imposed significant reliability, security and performance demands on the Web server, which acts as the gateway for users to an organization¹s online functionality. In response, Web servers have evolved to satisfy these demands. And Apache 2.0 is no exception, continuing its drive to become a more robust Web server. Apache 2.0's new functionality includes:

  • Support for multithreading. This is intended to give Apache a performance boost. This support is implemented through MPMs (Multiple-Processing Modules). Users can select one of five MPMs.
  • Support for the new WebDAV collaboration standard from the W3C
  • Enhancements to the Windows distribution to bring it on par with Unix, including:
    • Replacement of the POSIX interfaces with native interfaces to improve performance.
    • Addition of a nonblocking interface to its CGI.
    • Utilities to encrypt passwords and manage password files.
  • Support for APR (Apache Portable Run-Time). APR was designed to make porting of the Web server to non-Unix platforms easier. APR aims to provide future ports to platforms with varying APIs, such as NetWare. APR is an abstraction layer that masks the call differences of different systems.
  • Enhancements in the Apache module API to provide more flexibility in handling callback routines and data structures. Enhancements include the ability to register in 2.0 (instead of being defined in a static table as in 1.3, which caused problems). One consequence of this enhancement is that modules written for version 1.3 will not work with 2.0. This is not a cause for concern, however, since all modules included in the core Apache distribution have already undergone the necessary modifications.

Raj Rajagopal is with The MITRE Corporation. Send your comments on this article to him at rajagop@mitre.org.

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