Apache: The Definitive Guide, 3rd Edition

Building Apache 1.3.X Under Unix

There are two methods for building Apache: the “Semimanual Method” and “Out of the Box”. They each involve the user in about the same amount of keyboard work: if you are happy with the defaults, you need do very little; if you want to do a custom build, you have to do more typing to specify what you want.

Both methods rely on a shell script that, when run, creates a Makefile. When you run make, this, in turn, builds the Apache executable with the side orders you asked for. Then you copy the executable to its home (Semimanual Method) or run make install (Out of the Box) and the various necessary files are moved to the appropriate places around the machine.

Between the two methods, there is not a tremendous amount to choose. We prefer the Semimanual Method because it is older^[11] and more reliable. It is also nearer to the reality of what is happening and generates its own record of what you did last time so you can do it again without having to perform feats of memory. Out of the Box is easier if you want a default build. If you want a custom build and you want to be able to repeat it later, you would do the build from a script that can get quite large. On the other hand, you can create several different scripts to trigger different builds if you need to.

^[11] New is a dirty four letter word in computing.