[KLUG Members] WebDAV on Apache for Windoze file sharing problem.

[Bob Kanaley]

There is a flurry of network file sharing going on here at work. Instead of
beating on Samba services to try share files in ways it wasn't meant to, I
am trying a couple of different ways to give some workgroup server
functionality to my Windoze users: WebDAV on Apache to enable the M$ Publish
to Web wizard, phpGroupware, TeamScope and InsightServer with
InsightConnector from Bynari.

I guessed that the simplest and fastest way to achieve simple file sharing
via a web interface was to setup an Apache workgroup webserver, then add the
Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning HTTP extensions for Apache. Then I
just have to put a link to the workgroup web on our really old Apache
intranet web page. The windoze clients should then be able to use the
publish to web wizard to share files, calendars and tasks safely.

My first attempt was to do an rpm install of Apache 1.3.23 on my internal
DNS server. I got a whole bunch of unfulfilled library dependencies. I
started downloading libraries but I don't have a clue what I am doing and I
don't want to mess up my whole network by screwing up my internal DNS
server.

The internal DNS server is running RedHat 7.0 but when I first got it I
stripped it down and hardened it with Bastille because I had it in my DMZ as
the external DNS server. I am not confident enough that I can upgrade the
entire OS without screwing up my internal DNS server.

So instead of screwing around with a working server on an unproven idea, I
guessed that the simplest and fastest way to find out if this approach was
going to work was to install the  Apache binary for Win32 on my NT Server
then add the Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning HTTP extensions for
Apache on Win32. If this works, I can figure out how to satisfy the rpm
dependencies in the linux packages without taking my DNS server down. Then I
can move the workgroup website over to it and I just have one link to edit
on the internal web page.

The Apache 1.3.23 install on NT went smoothly and I can load the Apache
default web page in any browser.

Adding the WebDAV module for Win32 has proven to be more problematic.

I downloaded the mod_dav module (1.0.3-dev) for Apache 1.3.20 on Win32 and
followed the instructions to put the mod_dav.dll in the /modules directory
(I kept a copy in the server root just to be on the safe side). According to
the accompanying README:
Configuration could be as simple as:

LoadModule dav_module modules/mod_dav.dll
DavLockDB DavLock
<Location />
   Dav On
</Loction>

When I openned http.conf to add this block, I found all the rest of the
referrences in LoadModule were of type .o, not .dll.

LoadModule blah_module modules/mod_blah.o

I did as instructed and copied the above LoadModule statement to the end of
the LoadModule section of http.conf and copied the lock and location block
to the end of http.conf.

When I ran the Apache 'test configuration' program, I received an error
message saying invalid command DavLockDB perhaps mispelled or defined by a
module not included in the server configuration.

I went to the WedDAV documentation and found a second suggested
configuration:

DAVLockDB /temp/LockDB

<Location />
Dav On
AuthType basic
AuthName DAV
AuthUserFile user.passwd
  <LimitExcept GET HEAD OPTIONS>
    require user administrator
  </LimitExcept>
</Location>

I created directory <ServerRoot>/temp, commented out the Auth requirements
and re-tested the apache config. I got the same error message.

Does anyone have any clues what I am doing wrong here?

Bob (I am stuck in Windoze file sharing Hell) Kanaley