Linux Networking Cookbook

14.4. Configuring Your HTTP Service for MRTG

Problem

You installed Lighttpd to serve up your MRTG pages. What do you have to do to prepare it for MRTG?

Solution

There is hardly anything to this, because MRTG comes with a script to create its own root web directory. So, all you need to do is configure the Lighttpd startup files. The Debian installer creates startup files, and starts up the HTTP daemon for you. On Fedora, you need to do this yourself:

	# /etc/init.d/lighttpd start

To have it start automatically at boot, use chkconfig, and confirm that it worked:

	# chkconfig lighttpd on
	# chkconfig --list lighttpd
	lighttpd 0:off 1:off 2:on 3:on 4:on 5:on 6:off

Then, check by opening a web browser to http://localhost/. This should display the default HTTP server page, like Figure 14-1 shows.

Figure 14-1. The default Lighttpd page

lighttpd is controlled on Fedora via the usual startup script commands:

	# /etc/init.d/lighttpd {start|stop|status|restart|condrestart|reload}

Debian's are little bit different:

	# /etc/init.d/lighttpd {start|stop|restart|reload|force-reload}

Discussion

This works for any HTTP server; just substitute the correct name in the commands.

See Also

• Lighttpd: http://www.lighttpd.net/