DO NOT REPLY [Bug 52302] New: Better documentation of how server name is determined if ServerName directive is not given

[bu...@apache.org]

https://issues.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=52302

             Bug #: 52302
           Summary: Better documentation of how server name is determined
                    if ServerName directive is not given
           Product: Apache httpd-2
           Version: 2.2.17
          Platform: PC
        OS/Version: Linux
            Status: NEW
          Severity: enhancement
          Priority: P2
         Component: mod_ssl
        AssignedTo: bugs@httpd.apache.org
        ReportedBy: worley@alum.mit.edu
    Classification: Unclassified


Our configuration does not provide a ServerName directive.  This is not the
best practice, but it appears to be allowed and supported.  In certain
situations, the server name that Apache guesses is not correct, leading to the
problems described in bug report 52301.

We would be better able to avoid problems if the algorithm used by Apache to
determine the server name were clearly specified.  However, the description is
quite vague.  In http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/mod/core.html#servername
(modified Mon 03 Jan 2011 08:02:54 AM EST):

"If no ServerName is specified, then the server attempts to deduce the hostname
by performing a reverse lookup on the IP address."

However, the phrase "the IP address" is ambiguous (as the host almost certainly
has both a loopback IP address and a network interface IP address, and may have
many IP addresses), as is the description "a reverse lookup" (evidence suggests
that Apache looks in /etc/hosts before querying for DNS PTR records, but it
could easily have been done in the reverse order).

If this sentence was expanded to give an accurate, unambiguous description of
the method Apache uses to determine the "default" server name, it would be
quite helpful.

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