IBM HTTP Server help: AdminRoot section

Administration Server Directives and Error Messages

  • Administration Server Directives

Administration Server directives

<AdminRoot> section

AdminAlias

TargetServerConfig

TargetResourceConfig

TargetAccessConfig

AdminAllowDir

Updates to Directories that configuration can access will generate an AdminAllowDir subdirective of AdminRoot. This is a directive that controls the directory access within the Administration Server GUI. The Administration Server will allow access to configuration data that is located in directories specified in the AdminAllowDir subdirective of AdminRoot.

Administration Server Error Messages

Request failed! Check log(s).

There was a runtime error while STARTING or RESTARTING the IBM HTTP Server.

  1. Check the Administration Server error log (admin_error.log) for possible causes.
  2. Go to Logs > View Logs. Check the IBM HTTP Server error log (error.log) for possible causes.
  3. Try starting IBM HTTP Server as a process (apache -f <configfile>). When Starting IBM HTTP Server as a service (net start) some runtime errors are supressed. You may only get an error that "Service could not be started", without any additional details.

Restart of target server failed.

Check the messages returned from the server. If the message indicates that a directive may be misspelled or a module not loaded, you may assume that the module that processes the directive is not loaded. Here is an approach to detecting which module needs to be loaded:

  1. Go to View Configuration > Directive Index, find the directive name, and select it; the task where that directive is set will be displayed.
  2. Check the return message (next to the bullhorn on top) to see if any modules needed for the page are not loaded.
  3. If there are unloaded modules listed in the return message, turn on 'help', and select entries on the page until the directive name appears in the help area at the bottom of the page.
  4. After the directive name, the name of the module that processes that directive will be listed.
  5. If this module is one of the modules listed in the return message, you can choose one of two options:
  6. Restart the server.

Configuration file has failed a syntax check.

Check the messages returned from the server. The name of the directive and the nature of the syntax error are described. To locate where the directive is set, and correct the error:

  1. Go to View Configuration > Directive Index, find the directive name, and select it; the task where that directive is set will be displayed.
  2. Turn on 'help', and select entries on the page until the directive name appears in the help area at the bottom of the page. Be aware that some directive settings span more than one entry field.
  3. You have located the entry field(s) where the direcitve is set. Make the necessary corrections.
  4. Restart the server.

Scope has invalid parent scope.

A scope is contained within an invalid parent scope. Scopes are organized as a hierarchical structure, and have the following valid hierarchical relationships:

Invalid directory path specified.

The directory path specified cannot be located or cannot be parsed as a directory path.

Error code received when attempting to open file.

The error may result because the file either does not exist or you do not have permission to access it. In addition to the access allowed within the Administration Server, your operating system may require directories and file permissions.  

The Administration Server's user settings do not permit access to file.

The file that you have attempted to access does not reside within a directory specified for access by the Administration Server. In Getting Started > Manage Servers, you can specify which directories in your file system can be accessed by the Administration Server. (Note: these settings are aside from any operating system access permissions that may be required.)

Error writing file. 'Write' access may not have been granted.

In addition to the access allowed within the Administration Server there may be directories and file permissions that are required.  

Incompatible task and scope combination.

The tasks are organized into associated directive settings that are valid within a defined scope or scopes. The following is a listing of all scopes that are valid for each task. (Tasks that are not constrained by scope are not listed.)

TASK NAME   VALID SCOPE(S)
Basic Settings
Core Settings:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Advanced Properties:   <Global>
Server Options:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Headers:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Cache Expiration:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Module Sequence:   <Global>
Additional Files:   <Global>
Machine Translation:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Meta Headers:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
 
Indexing
Options:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>, <Directory>, <Directory Match>
Files:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>, <Directory>, <Directory Match>
Icons:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>, <Directory>, <Directory Match>
File Descriptions:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>, <Directory>, <Directory Match>
Icon Descriptions:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>, <Directory>, <Directory Match>
 
Access Permissions
General Access:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Files>, <Files Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>, <Limit>
Individual Access:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Files>, <Files Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>, <Limit>
Group Access:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Files>, <Files Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>, <Limit>
Other Access:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Files>, <Files Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>, <Limit>
Anonymous Access:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Files>, <Files Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>, <Limit>
 
Security
Server Security:   <Global>
Host Authorization:   <Virtual Host>
Directory Authorization:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>
 
Logs
Main Logs:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Other Logs:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Directory Logging:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
View Logs:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
 
Mappings
Messages:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Aliases:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Redirects:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Username Directories:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
 
Scripts
Associate Actions:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Define Variables:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Unset Variables:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Conditional Variables:   <Global>
Browser Detection:   <Global>
 
Performance
Server Settings:   <Global>
Set Cache:   <Virtual Host>, <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>
SNMP:   <SNMP>
 
MIME
MIME Files:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
MIME Types:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
MIME Encodings:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Document Handlers:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Remove Handlers:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Files>, <Files Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>
Language Files:   all scopes except <Limit> and <SNMP>
Type Handling:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Files>, <Files Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>
 
Fast CGI
Internal Server:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Configuration:   <Global>
External Server:   <Global>
Access:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>
 
File Systems
Enable DAV:   <Directory>, <Directory Match>, <Files>, <Files Match>, <Location>, <Location Match>
DAV Settings:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
 
Proxy
Proxy Cache:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
Proxy Settings:   <Global>, <Virtual Host>
 
View Configuration
Edit Configuration:   all scopes

File browsing is not enabled for any directory.

No directory has been specified for access by the Administration Server. In Getting Started > Manage Servers, you can specify which directories in your file system can be accessed by the Administration Server. (Note: these settings are aside from any operating system access permissions that may be required.)