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      --><title>mpm_common - Apache HTTP Server</title><link href="../style/css/manual.css" rel="stylesheet" media="all" type="text/css" title="Main stylesheet" /><link href="../style/css/manual-loose-100pc.css" rel="alternate stylesheet" media="all" type="text/css" title="No Sidebar - Default font size" /><link href="../style/css/manual-print.css" rel="stylesheet" media="print" type="text/css" /><link href="../images/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon" /></head><body><div id="page-header"><p class="menu"><a href="../mod/">Modules</a> | <a href="../mod/directives.html">Directives</a> | <a href="../faq/">FAQ</a> | <a href="../glossary.html">Glossary</a> | <a href="../sitemap.html">Sitemap</a></p><p class="apache">Apache HTTP Server Version 2.0</p><img alt="" src="../images/feather.gif" /></div><div class="up"><a href="./"><img title="&lt;-" alt="&lt;-" src="../images/left.gif" /></a></div><div id="path"><a href="http://www.apache.org/">Apache</a> &gt; <a href="http://httpd.apache.org/">HTTP Server</a> &gt; <a href="http://httpd.apache.org/docs-project/">Documentation</a> &gt; <a href="../">Version 2.0</a> &gt; <a href="./">Modules</a></div><div id="page-content"><div id="preamble"><h1>Apache Module mpm_common</h1><table class="module"><tr><th><a href="module-dict.html#Description">Description:
                  </a></th><td>A collection of directives that are implemented by
more than one multi-processing module (MPM)</td></tr><tr><th><a href="module-dict.html#Status">Status:
                  </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr></table></div><div id="quickview"><h3 class="directives">Directives</h3><ul id="toc"><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#coredumpdirectory">CoreDumpDirectory</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#group">Group</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#listen">Listen</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#listenbacklog">ListenBackLog</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#lockfile">LockFile</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#maxclients">MaxClients</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#maxmemfree">MaxMemFree</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#maxrequestsperchild">MaxRequestsPerChild</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#maxsparethreads">MaxSpareThreads</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#maxthreadsperchild">MaxThreadsPerChild</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#minsparethreads">MinSpareThreads</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#numservers">NumServers</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#pidfile">PidFile</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#scoreboardfile">ScoreBoardFile</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#sendbuffersize">SendBufferSize</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#serverlimit">ServerLimit</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#startservers">StartServers</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#startthreads">StartThreads</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#threadlimit">ThreadLimit</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></li><li><img alt="" src="../images/down.gif" /> <a href="#user">User</a></li></ul></div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="CoreDumpDirectory" id="CoreDumpDirectory">CoreDumpDirectory</a> <a name="coredumpdirectory" id="coredumpdirectory">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Directory where Apache attempts to
switch before dumping core</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>CoreDumpDirectory <em>directory</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>See usage for the default setting</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code></td></tr></table>

    <p>This controls the directory to which Apache attempts to
    switch before dumping core. The default is in the 
    <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</a></code> directory, however
    since this should not be writable by the user the server runs
    as, core dumps won't normally get written. If you want a core
    dump for debugging, you can use this directive to place it in a
    different location.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="Group" id="Group">Group</a> <a name="group" id="group">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Group under which the server will answer
requests</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>Group <em>unix-group</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>Group #-1</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config, virtual host</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">Group</code> directive sets the group under
    which the server will answer requests. In order to use this
    directive, the stand-alone server must be run initially as root.
    <em>Unix-group</em> is one of:</p>

    <dl>
      <dt>A group name</dt>

      <dd>Refers to the given group by name.</dd>

      <dt># followed by a group number.</dt>

      <dd>Refers to a group by its number.</dd>
    </dl>
    <p>It is recommended that you set up a new group specifically for
    running the server. Some admins use user <code>nobody</code>,
    but this is not always possible or desirable.</p>

    <p>Note: if you start the server as a non-root user, it will
    fail to change to the specified group, and will instead
    continue to run as the group of the original user.</p>

    <p>Special note: Use of this directive in &lt;VirtualHost&gt; is
    no longer supported. To implement the <a href="../suexec.html">suEXEC wrapper</a> with Apache 2.0, use the
    <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_suexec.html#suexecusergroup">SuexecUserGroup</a></code>
    directive. SECURITY: See <code class="directive"><a href="#user">User</a></code> for a discussion of the
    security considerations.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="Listen" id="Listen">Listen</a> <a name="listen" id="listen">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>IP addresses and ports that the server
listens to</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>Listen [<em>IP-address</em>:]<em>portnumber</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">Listen</code> directive instructs Apache to
    listen to only specific IP addresses or ports; by default it
    responds to requests on all IP interfaces. The Listen directive is
    now a required directive. If it is not in the config file, the
    server will fail to start. This is a change from previous versions
    of Apache.</p>

    <p>The Listen directive tells the server to accept incoming
    requests on the specified port or address-and-port combination.
    If only a port number is specified, the server listens to the
    given port on all interfaces. If an IP address is given as well 
    as a port, the server will listen on the given port and
    interface.</p>

    <p>Multiple Listen directives may be used to specify a number
    of addresses and ports to listen to. The server will respond to
    requests from any of the listed addresses and ports.</p>

    <p>For example, to make the server accept connections on both
    port 80 and port 8000, use:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
   Listen 80<br />
   Listen 8000
</code></p></div>
    <p>To make the server accept connections on two specified
    interfaces and port numbers, use </p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
   Listen 192.170.2.1:80<br />
   Listen 192.170.2.5:8000
</code></p></div>
    <p>IPv6 addresses must be surrounded in square brackets, as in the
    following example:</p>
<div class="example"><p><code>
   Listen [fe80::a00:20ff:fea7:ccea]:80
</code></p></div>
<h3>See also</h3><ul><li><a href="../dns-caveats.html">DNS Issues</a></li><li><a href="../bind.html">Setting
    which addresses and ports Apache uses</a></li></ul></div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="ListenBackLog" id="ListenBackLog">ListenBackLog</a> <a name="listenbacklog" id="listenbacklog">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Maximum length of the queue of pending connections</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>ListenBacklog <em>backlog</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>ListenBacklog 511</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The maximum length of the queue of pending connections.
    Generally no tuning is needed or desired, however on some
    systems it is desirable to increase this when under a TCP SYN
    flood attack. See the backlog parameter to the
    <code>listen(2)</code> system call.</p>

    <p>This will often be limited to a smaller number by the
    operating system. This varies from OS to OS. Also note that
    many OSes do not use exactly what is specified as the backlog,
    but use a number based on (but normally larger than) what is
    set.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="LockFile" id="LockFile">LockFile</a> <a name="lockfile" id="lockfile">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Location of the accept serialization lock file</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>LockFile <em>filename</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>LockFile logs/accept.lock</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">LockFile</code> directive sets the path to
    the lockfile used when Apache is compiled with either
    USE_FCNTL_SERIALIZED_ACCEPT or USE_FLOCK_SERIALIZED_ACCEPT. This
    directive should normally be left at its default value. The main
    reason for changing it is if the <code>logs</code> directory is
    NFS mounted, since <strong>the lockfile must be stored on a local
    disk</strong>.  The PID of the main server process is
    automatically appended to the filename.</p>

    <p><strong>SECURITY:</strong> It is best to avoid putting this
    file in a world writable directory such as
    <code>/var/tmp</code> because someone could create a denial of
    service attack and prevent the server from starting by creating
    a lockfile with the same name as the one the server will try to
    create.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="MaxClients" id="MaxClients">MaxClients</a> <a name="maxclients" id="maxclients">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Maximum number of child processes that will be created
to serve requests</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>MaxClients <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">MaxClients</code> directive sets the limit
    on the number of simultaneous requests that will be served.  Any
    connection attempts over the <code class="directive">MaxClients</code>
    limit will normally be queued, up to a number based on the
    <code class="directive"><a href="#listenbacklog">ListenBacklog</a></code>
    directive. Once a child process is freed at the end of a different
    request, the connection will then be serviced.</p>

    <p>For non-threaded servers (i.e., <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code>),
    <code class="directive">MaxClients</code> translates into the maximum
    number of child processes that will be launched to serve requests.
    The default value is 256; to increase it, you must also raise
    <code class="directive"><a href="#serverlimit">ServerLimit</a></code>.</p>

    <p>For threaded servers (i.e., <code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>),
    <code class="directive">MaxClients</code> restricts the total
    number of threads that will be available to serve clients.
    The default value is 16 multiplied by the value of
    <code class="directive"><a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code>.
    To increase <code class="directive">MaxClients</code> to a value
    that requires more than 16 processes, you must also
    raise <code class="directive"><a href="#serverlimit">ServerLimit</a></code>.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="MaxMemFree" id="MaxMemFree">MaxMemFree</a> <a name="maxmemfree" id="maxmemfree">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Maximum amount of memory that the main allocator is allowed
to hold without calling free()</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>MaxMemFree <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_netware.html">mpm_netware</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">MaxMemFree</code> directive sets the 
    maximum number of free Kbytes that the main allocator is allowed
    to hold without calling free().  When not set, or when set to
    zero, the threshold will be set to unlimited.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="MaxRequestsPerChild" id="MaxRequestsPerChild">MaxRequestsPerChild</a> <a name="maxrequestsperchild" id="maxrequestsperchild">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Limit on the number of requests that an individual child server
will handle during its life</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>MaxRequestsPerChild <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>MaxRequestsPerChild 10000</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">MaxRequestsPerChild</code> directive sets
    the limit on the number of requests that an individual child
    server process will handle. After
    <code class="directive">MaxRequestsPerChild</code> requests, the child
    process will die. If <code class="directive">MaxRequestsPerChild</code> is
    0, then the process will never expire.</p>

    <p>Setting <code class="directive">MaxRequestsPerChild</code> to a
    non-zero limit has two beneficial effects:</p>

    <ul>
      <li>it limits the amount of memory that process can consume
      by (accidental) memory leakage;</li>

      <li>by giving processes a finite lifetime, it helps reduce
      the number of processes when the server load reduces.</li>
    </ul>

    <p><strong>NOTE:</strong> For <em>KeepAlive</em> requests, only
    the first request is counted towards this limit. In effect, it
    changes the behavior to limit the number of
    <em>connections</em> per child.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="MaxSpareThreads" id="MaxSpareThreads">MaxSpareThreads</a> <a name="maxsparethreads" id="maxsparethreads">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Maximum number of idle threads</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>MaxSpareThreads <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_netware.html">mpm_netware</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>Maximum number of idle threads. Different MPMs deal with this
    directive differently.</p>

    <p>For <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code> the default is
    <code>MaxSpareThreads 10</code>.  This MPM monitors the number of
    idle threads on a per-child basis. If there are too many idle
    threads in that child, the server will begin to kill threads
    within that child.</p>

    <p>For <code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code> the default is
    <code>MaxSpareThreads 500</code>.  This MPM deals with idle threads
    on a server-wide basis. If there are too many idle threads in the
    server then child processes are killed until the number of idle
    threads is less than this number.</p>

    <p>For <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_netware.html">mpm_netware</a></code> the default is
    <code>MaxSpareThreads 100</code>.  Since this MPM runs a
    single-process, the spare thread count is also server-wide.</p>

<h3>See also</h3><ul><li><code class="directive"><a href="#minsparethreads">MinSpareThreads</a></code></li><li><code class="directive"><a href="#startservers">StartServers</a></code></li></ul></div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="MaxThreadsPerChild" id="MaxThreadsPerChild">MaxThreadsPerChild</a> <a name="maxthreadsperchild" id="maxthreadsperchild">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Maximum number of threads per child process</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>MaxThreadsPerChild <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>MaxThreadsPerChild 64</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>Maximum number of threads per child. For MPMs with a
    variable number of threads per child, this directive sets the
    maximum number of threads that will be created in each child
    process. To increase this value beyond its default, it is
    necessary to change the value of the compile-time define
    <code>HARD_THREAD_LIMIT</code> and recompile the server.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="MinSpareThreads" id="MinSpareThreads">MinSpareThreads</a> <a name="minsparethreads" id="minsparethreads">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Minimum number of idle threads available to handle request
spikes</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>MinSpareServers <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_netware.html">mpm_netware</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>Minimum number of idle threads to handle request spikes.
    Different MPMs deal with this directive
    differently.</p>

    <p><code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code> uses a default of
    <code>MinSpareThreads 5</code> and monitors the number of idle
    threads on a per-child basis. If there aren't enough idle threads
    in that child, the server will begin to create new threads within
    that child.</p>

    <p><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code> uses a default of <code>MinSpareThreads
    250</code> and deals with idle threads on a server-wide basis. If
    there aren't enough idle threads in the server then child
    processes are created until the number of idle threads is greater
    than number.</p>

    <p><code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_netware.html">mpm_netware</a></code> uses a default of
    <code>MinSpareThreads 10</code> and, since it is a single-process
    MPM, tracks this on a server-wide bases.</p>

<h3>See also</h3><ul><li><code class="directive"><a href="#maxsparethreads">MaxSpareThreads</a></code></li><li><code class="directive"><a href="#startservers">StartServers</a></code></li></ul></div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="NumServers" id="NumServers">NumServers</a> <a name="numservers" id="numservers">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Total number of children alive at the same time</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>NumServers <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>NumServers 2</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>Number of children alive at the same time. MPMs that use
    this directive do not dynamically create new child processes so
    this number should be large enough to handle the requests for
    the entire site.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="PidFile" id="PidFile">PidFile</a> <a name="pidfile" id="pidfile">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>File where the server records the process ID
of the daemon</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>PidFile <em>filename</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>PidFile logs/httpd.pid</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">PidFile</code> directive sets the file to
    which the server records the process id of the daemon. If the
    filename does not begin with a slash (/) then it is assumed to be
    relative to the <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/core.html#serverroot">ServerRoot</a></code>.</p>

    <div class="example"><h3>Example</h3><p><code>
    PidFile /var/run/apache.pid
    </code></p></div>

    <p>It is often useful to be able to send the server a signal,
    so that it closes and then reopens its <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/core.html#errorlog">ErrorLog</a></code> and TransferLog, and
    re-reads its configuration files. This is done by sending a
    SIGHUP (kill -1) signal to the process id listed in the
    PidFile.</p>

    <p>The PidFile is subject to the same warnings about log file
    placement and <a href="../misc/security_tips.html#serverroot">security</a>.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="ScoreBoardFile" id="ScoreBoardFile">ScoreBoardFile</a> <a name="scoreboardfile" id="scoreboardfile">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Location of the file used to store coordination data for
the child processes</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>ScoreBoardFile <em>file-path</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>ScoreBoardFile logs/apache_status</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>Apache uses a scoreboard to communicate between its parent
    and child processes.  Some architectures require a file to facilitate
    this communication. If the file is left unspecified, Apache first
    attempts to create the scoreboard entirely in memory (using anonymous
    shared memory) and, failing that, will attempt to create the file on
    disk (using file-based shared memory). Specifying this directive causes
    Apache to always create the file on the disk.</p>

    <div class="example"><h3>Example</h3><p><code>
    ScoreBoardFile /var/run/apache_status
    </code></p></div>

    <p>File-based shared memory is useful for third-party applications
    that require direct access to the scoreboard.</p>

    <p>If you use a <code class="directive">ScoreBoardFile</code> then
    you may see improved speed by placing it on a RAM disk. But be
    careful that you heed the same warnings about log file placement
    and <a href="../misc/security_tips.html">security</a>.</p>
<h3>See also</h3><ul><li><a href="../stopping.html">Stopping and Restarting Apache</a></li></ul></div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="SendBufferSize" id="SendBufferSize">SendBufferSize</a> <a name="sendbuffersize" id="sendbuffersize">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>TCP buffer size</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>SendBufferSize <em>bytes</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The server will set the TCP buffer size to the number of bytes
    specified. Very useful to increase past standard OS defaults on
    high speed high latency (<em>i.e.</em>, 100ms or so, such as
    transcontinental fast pipes).</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="ServerLimit" id="ServerLimit">ServerLimit</a> <a name="serverlimit" id="serverlimit">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Upper limit on configurable number of processes</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>ServerLimit <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>ServerLimit 256 (prefork), ServerLimit 16 (worker)</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>For the <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code> MPM, this directive sets the
    maximum configured value for <code class="directive"><a href="#maxclients">MaxClients</a></code> for the lifetime of the
    Apache process.  For the worker MPM, this directive in combination
    with <code class="directive"><a href="#threadlimit">ThreadLimit</a></code> sets
    the maximum configured value for <code class="directive"><a href="#maxclients">MaxClients</a></code> for the lifetime of the
    Apache process.  Any attempts to change this directive during a
    restart will be ignored, but <code class="directive"><a href="#maxclients">MaxClients</a></code> can be modified during
    a restart.</p>

    <p>Special care must be taken when using this directive.  If
    <code class="directive">ServerLimit</code> is set to a value much higher
    than necessary, extra, unused shared memory will be allocated.  If
    both <code class="directive">ServerLimit</code> and <code class="directive"><a href="#maxclients">MaxClients</a></code> are set to values
    higher than the system can handle, Apache may not start or the
    system may become unstable.</p>

    <p>With the <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code> MPM, use this directive only
    if you need to set <code class="directive"><a href="#maxclients">MaxClients</a></code> higher than 256.
    Do not set the value of this directive any higher than what you
    might want to set <code class="directive"><a href="#maxclients">MaxClients</a></code> to.</p>

    <p>With the <code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code> MPM, use this directive only
    if your <code class="directive"><a href="#maxclients">MaxClients</a></code> and
    <code class="directive"><a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code>
    settings require more than 16 server processes.  Do not set the
    value of this directive any higher than the number of server
    processes required by what you may want for <code class="directive"><a href="#maxclients ">MaxClients </a></code> and <code class="directive"><a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code>.</p>
</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="StartServers" id="StartServers">StartServers</a> <a name="startservers" id="startservers">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Number of child server processes created at startup</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>StartServers <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>StartServers 5</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">StartServers</code> directive sets the
    number of child server processes created on startup. As the number
    of processes is dynamically controlled depending on the load,
    there is usually little reason to adjust this parameter.</p>
<h3>See also</h3><ul><li><code class="directive"><a href="#minsparethreads">MinSpareThreads</a></code></li><li><code class="directive"><a href="#maxsparethreads">MaxSpareThreads</a></code></li></ul></div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="StartThreads" id="StartThreads">StartThreads</a> <a name="startthreads" id="startthreads">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Nubmer of threads created on startup</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>StartThreads <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_netware.html">mpm_netware</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>Number of threads created on startup. As the
    number of threads is dynamically controlled depending on the
    load, there is usually little reason to adjust this
    parameter.</p>

    <p>For <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code> the default is <code>StartThreads
    5</code> and this directive tracks the number of threads per
    process at startup.</p>

    <p>For <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_netware.html">mpm_netware</a></code> the default is
    <code>StartThreads 50</code> and, since there is only a single
    process, this is the total number of threads created at startup to
    serve requests.</p>

</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="ThreadLimit" id="ThreadLimit">ThreadLimit</a> <a name="threadlimit" id="threadlimit">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Sets the upper limit on the configurable number of threads
per child process</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>ThreadLimit <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>This directive sets the maximum configured value for <code class="directive"><a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code> for the lifetime
    of the Apache process.  Any attempts to change this directive
    during a restart will be ignored, but <code class="directive"><a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code> can be modified
    during a restart up to the value of this directive.</p>

    <p>Special care must be taken when using this directive.  If
    <code class="directive">ThreadLimit</code> is set to a value much higher
    than <code class="directive"><a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code>,
    extra unused shared memory will be allocated.  If both
    <code class="directive">ThreadLimit</code> and <code class="directive"><a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code> are set to values
    higher than the system can handle, Apache may not start or the
    system may become unstable. Do not set the value of this directive
    any higher than your greatest predicted setting of <code class="directive"><a href="#threadsperchild">ThreadsPerChild</a></code> for the
    current run of Apache.</p>

    <p>The default value for <code class="directive">ThreadLimit</code> is
    64 when used with <code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code> and 1920 when used
    with <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code>.</p>

</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="ThreadsPerChild" id="ThreadsPerChild">ThreadsPerChild</a> <a name="threadsperchild" id="threadsperchild">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>Number of threads created by each child process</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>ThreadsPerChild <em>number</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>This directive sets the number of threads created by each
    child process. The child creates these threads at startup and
    never creates more. If using an MPM like mpmt_winnt, where
    there is only one child process, this number should be high
    enough to handle the entire load of the server. If using an MPM
    like worker, where there are multiple child processes, the
    total number of threads should be high enough to handle the
    common load on the server.</p>

    <p>The default value for this directive is 25 when used with
    <code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code> and 64 when used with
    <code class="module"><a href="../mod/mpm_winnt.html">mpm_winnt</a></code>.</p>

</div><div class="top"><a href="#page-header"><img alt="top" src="../images/up.gif" /></a></div><div class="directive-section"><h2><a name="User" id="User">User</a> <a name="user" id="user">Directive</a></h2><table class="directive"><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Description">Description: 
              </a></th><td>The userid under which the server will answer
requests</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Syntax">Syntax:
              </a></th><td>User <em>unix-userid</em></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Default">Default: 
              </a></th><td><code>User #-1</code></td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Context">Context:
              </a></th><td>server config, virtual host</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Status">Status:
              </a></th><td>MPM</td></tr><tr><th><a href="directive-dict.html#Module">Module:
              </a></th><td><code class="module"><a href="../mod/worker.html">worker</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/perchild.html">perchild</a></code>, <code class="module"><a href="../mod/prefork.html">prefork</a></code></td></tr></table>
    <p>The <code class="directive">User</code> directive sets the userid as
    which the server will answer requests. In order to use this
    directive, the standalone server must be run initially as
    root. <em>Unix-userid</em> is one of:</p>

    <dl>
      <dt>A username</dt>

      <dd>Refers to the given user by name.</dd>

      <dt># followed by a user number.</dt>

      <dd>Refers to a user by their number.</dd>
    </dl>

    <p>The user should have no privileges that result in it being
    able to access files that are not intended to be visible to the
    outside world, and similarly, the user should not be able to
    execute code that is not meant for httpd requests. It is
    recommended that you set up a new user and group specifically for
    running the server. Some admins use user <code>nobody</code>, but
    this is not always desirable, since the <code>nobody</code> user
    can have other uses on the system.</p>

    <p>Notes: If you start the server as a non-root user, it will
    fail to change to the lesser privileged user, and will instead
    continue to run as that original user. If you do start the
    server as root, then it is normal for the parent process to
    remain running as root.</p>

    <p>Special note: Use of this directive in <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/core.html#virtualhost">&lt;VirtualHost&gt;</a></code> is no longer supported. To
    configure your server for <a href="mod_suexec.html">suexec</a> use
    <code class="directive"><a href="../mod/mod_suexec.html#suexecusergroup">SuexecUserGroup</a></code>.</p>

<div class="note"><h3>Security</h3> <p>Don't set <code class="directive">User</code>
(or <code class="directive"><a href="#group">Group</a></code>) to
<code>root</code> unless you know exactly what you are doing, and what
the dangers are.</p></div>
</div></div><div id="footer"><p class="apache">Maintained by the <a href="http://httpd.apache.org/docs-project/">Apache HTTP Server Documentation Project</a></p><p class="menu"><a href="../mod/">Modules</a> | <a href="../mod/directives.html">Directives</a> | <a href="../faq/">FAQ</a> | <a href="../glossary.html">Glossary</a> | <a href="../sitemap.html">Sitemap</a></p></div></body></html>