Apache SSLCipherSuite settings

Got the error below in your apache error log when trying to start the Apache server?

[Mon Jan 19 20:19:24 2015] [error] Unable to configure permitted SSL ciphers

Then you have permitted ciphers in your apache.conf  (at /etc/apache2 ) that are not compatible with your openssl configuration (probably version 1.01, check with openssl version). To solve this problem remove the +TLSv1.1:+TLSv1.2 from the line starting with SSLCipherSuite.

Restart your apache server; it should be running now….

Want to get rid of the Apache2 message “Could not reliably determine the server’s fully qualified domain name, using 127.0.0.1 for ServerName”?

Edit your /etc/hosts  file and add the FQDN to the line that contains
127.0.0.1    localhost

With help of a .htaccess file we can deny or allow access from a specific ip address or range of ip addresses.

Deny access from all IP addresses in the range 192.168.2.*:

<Limit GET HEAD POST>
order allow,deny
allow from all
deny from 192.168.19.
</Limit>

The line order allow,deny means that Apache should first evaluate the allow entries (which states that everyone is allowed access) and then the deny entries (which states that the range 192.168.19.* is denied access). Effectively this means that the range 192.168.19.* is denied access.

Order of evaluation is allow, deny; so this means:
allow access from all
deny access from 192.168.19.

Allow only access from the IP range 192.168.19.*:

<Limit GET HEAD POST>
order deny,allow
allow from 192.168.19.
deny from all
</Limit>

Order of evaluation is deny, allow; so this means:
deny access from all
allow from 192.168.19.

Perform a clean Apache install:

sudo apt-get install apache2

After that copy original configuration files:

cp /etc/apache2/apach2.conf /etc/apache2/apache2.conf.org
cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/default /etc/apache2/sites-available/default.org
cp /etc/apache2/sites-available/default-ssl /etc/apache2/sites-available/default-ssl.org

To prevent users from getting a directory listing add the next line to the bottom of your apache2.conf:
Options -Indexes

A fresh apache install has the following modules installed

apachectl -t -D DUMP_MODULES

Loaded Modules:
core_module (static)
log_config_module (static)
logio_module (static)
version_module (static)
mpm_prefork_module (static)
http_module (static)
so_module (static)
alias_module (shared)
auth_basic_module (shared)
authn_file_module (shared)
authz_default_module (shared)
authz_groupfile_module (shared)
authz_host_module (shared)
authz_user_module (shared)
autoindex_module (shared)
cgi_module (shared)
deflate_module (shared)
dir_module (shared)
env_module (shared)
mime_module (shared)
negotiation_module (shared)
php5_module (shared)
reqtimeout_module (shared)
setenvif_module (shared)
status_module (shared)
Syntax OK

As you can see the rewrite module is missing from this list. You can simple active this module by executing:

a2enmod rewrite