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Hiawatha version: 7.5
Operating System: mac

Hi, I am struggling to set up a Wordpress Installation.

I have gone into the configuration file,and adjusted the settings as per Hugo's guide.

So my toolkit = wordpress

For My DEFAULT WEBSITE :

Hostname = my server IP (e.g 166.55.444.22)
website root = /var/www/eclecticmedia

I then create an index.html file with some text in.

But that shows up at my server IP, and not the website URL where it is supposed to.

What do I need to alter?

Cheers

Oh hang on, that is what is supposed to happen. Stupid me

That means that you've solved the problem?

I am just working it out Hugo.

I am trying to understand the architecture, & how hiawatha/enable-site and hiawatha/enable-sites work.

It seems I take my default domain, and turn into a blank site, with the index.html file

This is to lead automated sniffers into a brick wall?

So effectively I write that site off.

Then I set up my other sites under virtual hosts, is that correct?

I don't know what you mean with hiawatha/enable-site and hiawatha/enable-sites...

The idea is that you use the IP address of your machine as the default host (the host configuration NOT inside a 'virtualhost { }'. This is because scanners use the IP address of the machine they attack as the hostname in the HTTP request. Give that default a blank page and those scanners will find nothing.

Use hostnames for all other websites. So, you will be having something like this:

Hostname = <your ip-address>
WebsiteRoot = /path/to/blank/page
...

VirtualHost {
  Hostname = wordpress.your.domain
  WebsiteRoot = /path/to/wordpress
  ...
}

Oh I see.

the enable sites comes form Samiux's guide

Step 5c :

Add the following line at VIRTUAL HOSTS.

Include /etc/hiawatha/enable-sites/

*Make sure the make a directory enable-sites and disable-sites under /etc/hiawatha.

sudo mkdir /etc/hiawatha/enable-sites
sudo mkdir /etc/hiawatha/disable-sites

Ah oke. Now I understand. Yes, that is a possible way to configure it. The enabled and disabled directories is Apache-style, but it works fine.

What do you recommend though?

There is no point going down blind alleys

Hi Hugo, under the virtual hosts advice, you say:

VirtualHost {
Hostname = www.mywebsite.com
WebsiteRoot = /var/www/website1/wwwroot
}

Do you mean:

mywebsite = default website
website1 = another website.com
wwwroot = ?

what do we do when we have another website, do we use the same syntax, but with website 2 in the website root,
and add it to the virtual hosts config?

Cheers
Marcus

The 'default website' is the host configuration which is NOT placed between 'virtualhost {' and '}'. This website is being used when no matching hostname is found. That's why it's called 'default'.

So, 'mywebsite' is the domain name you've registered. 'website1' is part of the path where your website is stored. same goes for 'wwwroot'.

When adding a new website, you have to add a new virtualhost{} section, with in it a new Hostname and WebsiteRoot setting. The Hostname is set to the domainname of that new website and WebsiteRoot points to the location of that website on the disk. That can be anywhere you want.

oh ok Hugo.

I seem to be really struggling to understand simple things.

so <website1> and <wwwroot> are

literal or referential?

I don't understand what you mean with that (due to my limited knowledge of the English language). But website1 and wwwroot are part of a path that's just an example. You shouldn't see website1 and wwwroot as separate things. They're part of a path and the path as a whole is an example. You should replace the complete path with the path of where the website is located on your harddisk.

Ok, thanks Hugo.

I am slowly piecing it together.


I am just running a new install.

I got Hiawatha up, and then, as soon as I modified my confifg file, the server refused to start/restart...

Any ideas why that might be.


A couple of other totally unrelated things

1) If you create a homemade SSL certificate, will it be adequate for say a Facebook fanpage, (for when FB requires SSL certificates)
2) Have you considered modifying Hiawatha's name?
When I search Hiawatha, I get a load of stuff unrelated to the webserver.If you were

HiawathaX or some variant of Hiawatha, I think you would differentiate yourself in the search engines a bit better, and so have better branding/visibility.

That might help in the long run for you.

Cheers
Marcus

The server refuses to start... any error message? I can't do much with something like "it doesn't work".

1) No offense, but since this whole webserver thing is new for you, I advice to let something complex such as SSL certificates rest for a while.
2) After all those years, I'm definitely not going to change the name. Bit by bit, Hiawatha is becoming more known. Changing the name would destroy that.

Hi Hugo.

The server was ok..I managed to sort out that minor glitch.

Can you suggest a server manual that will help me?

Do the same dictates that apply to Apache apply with Hiawatha?

Cheers
marcus

What do you mean with 'dictates'?