mrtg/apache config question

[Jim Cornette]

Don wrote:
> I installed FC 1, and mrtg...
> I created a separate userid (mrtg) where I keep the mrtg config file, 
> and an html directory where mrtg puts the files it creates.
> So I have /home/mrtg/html directory with permissions 755 so everybody 
> can read it.
> mrtg runs as a daemon as user mrtg... and that works fine, I see the 
> files get updated every few minutes...
>  
> Apache serves pages from /var/www/html
> so I created a symbolic link called mrtg --> /home/mrtg/html
>  
> The idea being that if I go to http://localhost/mrtg then it will show 
> me the files.... but I get a 403 Forbidden error
>  
> Apache is configured to "follow symlinks", and in fact I created another 
> link in /var/www/html:
>     ln -s ../mrtg mrtghelp
>  
> And when I go to http://localhost/mrtghelp I get the mrtg doc files 
> displayed properly... so "follow links" works
>  
> I thought it may have been because there's no index.html file in 
> /home/mrtg/html and things weren't set up to allow a directory 
> listing.... so I tried looking at a specific file... same error; then I 
> created the index.html file ... same error.
>  
> What I can't figure out is where is this 403 error coming from?
>  
>  From root I also changed permission of /home/mrtg to 755 ... nope, 
> still get the 403 error
>  
> The documentation for mrtg just says the files have to be in a directory 
> "visible to apache".... but it doesn't discuss how that's done ....
>  
> Any suggestions?
>  
> Thanks,
> 
> Don 
> 
>         \|/
>        (. .)
>  ___ooO-(_)-Ooo___
> 
>   


When I tried out mrtg for a trial. It made a directory under 
/var/www/html/mrtg . I could see the directory. (maybe I'm thinking 
about htdig, but same idea)

Also, I am under the understanding that your root directory for apache 
is /var/www/html. It cannot see any directories further back into the 
system path. (I believe it is chrooted this way for security reasons.)

If you need a home directory for your mrtg user, try to make the home 
somewhere further forward from /var/www/html/

Just my novice experience with httpd,

Jim