newserver Prompts and Command Reference

The newserver command has a number of options and prompts, as described in the two tables that follow.

The newserver command format depends on your operating system:

The command-line options for the two flavors are exactly the same.

Table 6. Options of the newserver Command

OptionDescriptionRequired?
--server=servernameName of the new vFabric Web Server instance. The value of this option becomes the name of the directory that contains the instance configuration files, and by default is the name of the host.

The value of servername must be a valid DNS value and consist only of ASCII letters, digits or the dash character. Illegal characters include but are not limited to control characters below ASCII 32 as well as the following symbols: < > : " / \ | ? *.

If you want to use an internationalized (i18n) name for the instance directory, you must enter the correct Punycode domain name provided by the registrar for the actual hostname. Do this by either specifying the --set HostName=punycode-hostname option at the command-line or entering the value interactively when the newserver command prompts you for the hostname.

Yes.
--httpddir=httpddirDirectory that contains the Apache HTTP binaries.

The default value is rootdir/httpd-httpdver, such as /opt/vmware/vfabric-web-server/httpd-2.2.23.0-64.

No.
--httpdver=httpdverVersion of the Apache HTTP binaries you want your instance to use.

The default value is 2.2, which is a symbolic link to the actual installed version of the binaries, such as 2.2.23.0-64.

No.
--mpm=mpmSpecifies the type of multi-processing module (MPM) that the instance uses. Valid values are:

  • worker: Threaded MPM, ideal if you need a great deal of scalability. By using threads to serve requests, the instance can serve many requests with fewer system resources than a process-based server.

  • prefork: Non-threaded, pre-forking MPM if you require stability or compatibility with older software.

  • event: Less proven but higher-efficiency asynchronous connection-keepalive MPM. The event MPM offers little benefit for HTTPS connections, but is able to handle more simultaneous kept-alive and pending HTTP connections.

The default value is worker.

No.
--overlaySpecifies that, if serverdir exists, you want to overwrite the existing files with new ones.No.

If you do not specify this option, and serverdir exists, the newserver command returns an error and suggests you specify a unique name and directory location for the new instance.

--quietSpecifies that the newserver command should use default values for all prompts.No.

If you do not specify this option, newserver interactively prompts for all answers.

--rootdir=rootdirDirectory that contains the httpd-2.2.version directory, which in turn contains the Apache HTTP binaries.

The default value is the current directory.

No.
--serverdir=serverdirDirectory in which you want the new instance directory to be created.

The default value is rootdir.

No.
--set token=valueSpecifies one or more tokens for which you would like to specify a custom value. The tokens are variables in the templates used to create new vFabric Web Server instances and correspond to a directive, or part of a directive, in the new instance's configuration. Each available token has a default value (listed below) that is automatically configured if you do not override it using the --set option.

You can specify the following tokens; note that the token names are case-sensitive:

  • User: User that the vFabric Web Server processes run as. Corresponds to the User directive in conf/httpd.conf. Default value is vfhttpd.

  • Group: Group to which the user who runs the vFabric Web Server processes belongs. Corresponds to the Group directive in conf/httpd.conf. Default value is vfhttpd.

  • Port: HTTP port that the vFabric Web Server instance listens to. Corresponds to the port number in the Listen directive in conf/httpd.conf. Default value is 80.

  • SSLPort: HTTPS port that the vFabric Web Server instance listens to for secure communications. Corresponds to the port number in the Listen https directive in conf/extras/httpd-ssl.conf. Default value is 443.

  • HostName: Name of the host that the instance uses to identify itself. Corresponds to the hostname part of the ServerName directive in the conf/httpd.conf file. Default value is the value you specified for the required --server option.

  • ServerAdmin: Email address of the administration user who should get emails when there are problems with the instance. Corresponds to the ServerAdmin directive in the conf/httpd.conf file. Default value is webmaster@HostName..

The following example shows how to specify that the new vFabric Web Server instance run as the newhttpd user in the newhttpd group:

prompt# ./newserver --server=myserver --set User=newhttpd --set Group=newhttpd
No.
--sourcedir=sourcedirName of the directory that contains the template that newserver uses to create the new vFabric Web Server instance.

The default value is httpdir/_instance.

No.

Table 7. newserver Prompts

PromptDescription
Enable SSL and create a default key [y/n]?Enabling SSL provides secure communication between client and server by allowing mutual authentication; the use of digital signatures for integrity; and encryption for privacy. If you answer yes, you are later asked for information that will be used to create a certificate.
Server hostname (e.g. www.example.com) [myserver]?Name that the vFabric Web Server instance uses to identify itself. If your host does not have a registered DNS name, enter its IP address. The default value is the value you entered for the --server option.
Administrator email [webmaster@myserver]?Email address to which vFabric Web Server instances send problems. This address appears on some instance-generated pages, such as error documents.
Port for http:// traffic [80]?HTTP port to which the vFabric Web Server instance listens. Default value is 80 when running the newserver command as the root user on Unix, 8080 otherwise.
Port for https:// SSL traffic [443]?HTTPS port to which the vFabric Web Server instance listens. Default value is 443 when running the newserver command as the root user on Unix, 8443 otherwise.
If you previously specified that you want to enable SSL...The newserver command prompts you for information required to create the private key, such as the size of the SSL RSA key in bits and the PEM pass phrase you specify when you start the instance.

You also are prompted to enter information for your certificate. The information is mostly about your Distinguished Name, or DN, that will be incorporated into your certificate request. As indicated, some fields have default values. You can also leave some fields blank by entering a '.' (period.)

When newserver completes, it generates the following SSL files in the ssl subdirectory of the instance directory:

  • instancename.key: Unencrypted private key. The file has a permission code of 0600 for additional security.

  • instancename.pem: DES 3 encrypted private key.

  • instancename.csr: Certificate-signing request. Submit this file to the Certificate Authority.

  • instancename.crt: Self-signed certificate. Replace this certificate with a signed certificate by the CA.

Important Be sure to record the passphrase to decrypt the *.pem file and back up the file. Never transmit the .key file or cause it to be readable by others.