Editing httpd.conf to add KeepAliveTimeout

[Lohbauer]

Happy Sunday All,

AllI want to do is edit the httpd.conf to increase the KeepAliveTimeout. My question is: do I bring all of Windchill down before editing the file or just stop windchill?, just stop Apache? or can I do it live? This shouldn't be a hard answer to track down, but after looking in the Sys Admin guide, business admin guideand the performance tuning guide I can't find a recommendation from PTC on the process to edit the file. They just say: 'Edit the httpd.conf to add the KeepAliveTimeout 15'. I mean I could just shut it all down and edit the file and crank things back up, but the eager rookie admin that I am, I want to know what is considered best practice.

Thanks All, I'm going to watch the Sox/Yankees game while the combined intellectual might of this group ponders this easy grounder.

TIA, yet again

Bob Lohbauer

[jessh]

Changing Apache configuration requires only restarting Apache, but does
require that.

Recent versions of Windchill /almost /allow this to be set totally via
the config.xml Ant script. Wherever possible this (or webAppConfig.xml)
is the preferred approach -- lettting these scripts record parameter
values, etc, to properties and XML files and rewriting all appropriate
conf files based on these inputs. When this does not work, I'd suggest
placing the configuration in a new, site-specific conf file using the
Include directive to include it from additions.conf -- rather than
manually editing existing files.

Recent releases of Windchill contain direct warnings in many Apache conf
files -- as the scripts and automatic installer invocation thereof will
overwrite manual edits in many files. In X-20 and higher even
xconfmanager can invoke these scripts.

On a related note, when installing a new Apache it is best *not* to
select "preserve existing configuration" as this will preserve the
existing configuration files verbatim -- bugs/issues/limitations and
all. Of course not selecting this option will cause any manual edits
(i.e. those not done via config.xml or webAppConfig.xml) to existing
conf files and workers.properties to be lost -- so once again manual
edits to such files should be avoided.

In the case in question I say "almost" in that config.xml rewrites
conf/extra/httpd-default.conf, but it doesn't uncomment the Include line
that references this file from httpd.conf -- which also needs to be done.

--
Jess Holle

[JIMVANDRAGT]

I believe you can use the command "apachectl -k restart" to just restart Apache, which will re-read the config files.

Jim Van Dragt
PLM Architect
Information Technology

hermanmiller.com
616 654 5285 OFFICE
616 836 8394 MOBILE

HermanMiller

[Lohbauer]

Thanks to Jess Holle for coming back with a presentation-worthy explanation on how best to execute a change to the httpd.conf.Use the Config.xmlAnt, or webAppConfig.xml script. That and some other good Admin-related recommendations.

One troubling thing is: when asked, PTC Tech support responded by saying go ahead and manually edit the httpd.conf file and restart Apache. Being a noob admin, and a suspicious one of manually editing .conf files,my gut says go withJess on this one.

Also Thanks to Jim Van Dragt for a great tip onrestarting Apache after the edit is complete.

This thread came about from a user who kept getting cut off from the Windchill serverin the Pro/E embedded brwoser. PTC had recommended increasing the KeepAliveTimeout value in the httpd.conf file in Apache. (see TAN 141707)I know there are current threads going that have a similar problem.

Thanks, to all who responded.

Bob Lohbauer

[jessh]

On 7/16/2012 10:26 AM, Robert Lohbauer wrote:
>
> Thanks to Jess Holle for coming back with a presentation-worthy
> explanation on how best to execute a change to the httpd.conf. Use
> the Config.xml Ant, or webAppConfig.xml script. That and some other
> good Admin-related recommendations.
>
> One troubling thing is: when asked, PTC Tech support responded by
> saying go ahead and manually edit the httpd.conf file and restart
> Apache. Being a noob admin, and a suspicious one of manually editing
> .conf files,my gut says go with Jess on this one.
>
> Also Thanks to Jim Van Dragt for a great tip on restarting Apache
> after the edit is complete.
>
> This thread came about from a user who kept getting cut off from the
> Windchill server in the Pro/E embedded brwoser. PTC had recommended
> increasing the KeepAliveTimeout value in the httpd.conf file in
> Apache. (see TAN 141707) I know there are current threads going that
> have a similar problem.
>
There is a bug in Internet Explorer which can require that this timeout
be set as high as 60 to completely avoid this issue.

Unfortunately, that also increases the number of connections for a given
user load in Apache -- by an unpredictable factor.

--
Jess Holle