Skip to the beginning of the images gallery

Apache Fundamentals Online Training Course

Apache consistently dominates over 50% of the market share for internet-facing web servers. Therefore, it's vital for systems administrators, IT specialists, managers, and developers to have a comprehensive understanding of how to install, configure, and fine tune an Apache web server.

This course gives you a deep understanding of how Apache operates and what it's capable of doing. You will learn how to build a secure, finely-tuned, and high-performance Apache installation and gain a deep understanding of what key Apache modules are available and how they are installed and configured to improve your websites. You will also learn about common dangerous web server attacks and how to protect against them.

This course also teaches you how to monitor your website through logging and monitoring tools.

Audience

This course is designed for systems administrators, consultants, IT specialists, and small business owners who need to set up web servers for customers. This course also benefits internet service providers that provide web hosting services.

This course will also help anybody who needs to set up an internet-facing web server, even if it's virtual.

Technical managers and web developers could also benefit by learning what Apache can do and how to configure web servers.

Prerequisites

Knowing how to run commands from the command line or terminal window would be helpful. No programming or shell-scripting knowledge is required for this course.

Note: After you have purchased your online training course, you will receive an email detailing the registration process. If you have any questions, please contact us at itraining@zend.com.

Product Benefits

This course gives you a deep understanding of how Apache operates and what it's capable of doing, giving you the knowledge to build a secure, finely-tuned, and high-performance Apache installation.

Objective

Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:

Build a secure, fully-functional, highly-tuned Apache installation
Select, install, and configure Apache modules
Set up Apache for load balancing and caching
Configure Apache to handle virtual hosts, header rewriting, and proxying for back-end services
Lock down the Apache installation using advanced security features and SSL certificates
Monitor and continue to fine tune your Apache installation

Class date and time

Check our upcoming online training schedule.

Class format

This online class provides instructor-led, two-hour long lectures coupled with practical examples and student exercises. For labs, this course provides a virtual machine, constructed using VirtualBox and Vagrant. Following the course, students are free to continue to use the virtual machine to revisit labs.

You will be given a participant course guide, to help you follow along with the lectures and exercises.

You will also be granted access to the recorded sessions for thirty days after your class ends, so that you have time to review the materials at your own pace.

This class can be also delivered by an instructor on site.

Class outline

1: Introduction to Apache
- A. Apache history, background, and overview
- B. What is the HTTP protocol?
- C. Apache Web Server architecture
- D. What's new in Apache 2.4
- E. Program and module enhancements
- F. MPM, prefork, worker, and event
2: Apache Setup and Configuration
- A. Host configuration, hints, and tips
- B. Startup mechanisms and ports
- C. Apache configuration directives
- D. RPM vs. SRC considerations
- E. Installing: Windows vs. Unix
- F. Starting and stopping Apache
3: Building Apache from Source
- A. Installing Apache from source (official, documented method)
- B. Common build issues
- C. Platform specifics
- D. Build dependencies
- E. Shared objects vs. dynamic
- F. Building against external dependencies
- G. Adding modules at build-time
- H. Using APXS
- I. Fine tuning your custom layout
4: Modules
- A. Apache review
- B. Core modules (sample)
- C. Provisioning: Many vs. least
- D. Recommended modules
- E. New modules in Apache 2.4
5: Apache Logging
- A. Logging overview
- B. Logging directives and fields
- C. Log rotation methods
- D. Other logging tools
- E. Forensic logging
- F. Custom log directives and module
6: Headers and Rewriting
- A. mod_headers
- B. Request and response headers
- C. Header directives
- D. Header arguments
- E. mod_rewrite
- F. Rewrite rules, conditions, and variables
- G. Comparisons
- H. mod_alias
- I. Alias directives
7: Multi-instance Apache
- A. Overview of why multiple instances are required
- B. Vhosts
- C. Name-based
- D. IP-based
- E. Same binary vs. different binaries
- F. Multi-instance
8: Apache, HTTP vs. HTTPS
- A. HTTP vs. HTTPS
- B. Port modifications
- C. SSL and TLS
- D. Known SSL vulnerabilities
- E. SSL vs. hardware accelerator
- F. mod_ssl
9: Web Architecture
- A. Apache deployment considerations
- B. Network overview of Apache implementations
- C. Timeouts and lingering close
- D. Optimizing Apache for high traffic
- E. Changes to your ISP's back-end
- F. What is high availability (HA)?
- G. Failovers, fault tolerance, load balancing, session management
- H. Clustering HA bundle
10: Apache as a Proxy
- A. Apache fronting an application
- B. Proxy and reverse proxy
- C. mod_proxy
- D. mod_proxy_* connect, fcgi, ftp, http, ajp, wstunnel, proxy, jk, cluster
- E. Apache and Tomcat
11: Apache as a Load Balancer
- A. Using load balancing
- B. How to use the load tools
- C. mod_proxy, mod_proxy_balancer, mod_cluster
- D. Apache vs. third-party caching (Squid, Varnish, etc.)
12: Monitoring Tools
- A. Monitoring overview
- B. What and how to monitor
- C. Using the tools
- D. Zabbix, Nagios, and Cacti
13: Apache Security and Best Practices
- A. Securing Apache overview
- B. OS, firewall, and networking considerations
- C. Hardening security configuration
- D. mod_security
14: Apache in the Enterprise
- A. Sessions
- B. mod_session, mod_session_crypto, mod_session_dbd
- C. Setup and configuration of Apache, Tomcat, mod_jk, and JBoss
15: Caching
- A. mod_cache, mod_expires
- B. Thundering herd problem
- C. Cache filtering, status, and logging
- D. Cache directives
- E. Disk vs. memory
- F. M15Ex1: Configuring Apache for caching
16: Performance Tuning
- A. Why tune?
- B. Cluster vs. tune: When to do which one?
- C. Detailed dive into tuning
- D. Tuning for various types of traffic
- E. Streaming vs. hosting
- F. Users accessing site and resources
- G. Incorporating storage
- H. How to measure tuning process
- I. Stickyness

Summary