PerlSetEnv scoping (again)

[Roman Maeder <ma...@mathconsult.ch>]

back in 1998 and 99 there was a longer discussion about scoping problems
with PerlSetEnv (inside httpd.conf and .htaccess files), which ended
with fixes applied to mod_perl-1.20, which is the version I have been
using (along with apache-1.3.6 and perl 5.00404)

Now I am setting up a brand new machine to replace my aging web server
and compiled Perl 5.6.1, apache_1.3.20, and mod_perl-1.25 (Solaris 8)
and the old problem is back, only worse. This is so severe I can't
imagine it happening in all configurations out there, but here is
what I found.

Summary:

1 a variable defined with PerlSetEnv in the main server (outside any
  virtual hosts) cannot be changed inside a virtual host section (the
  change is ignored)

2 a variable defined inside a virtual host section is visible to all
  *other* virtual hosts and the main server

3 a variable defined in httpd.conf cannot be changed inside a .htaccess
  file (the change is ignored)


I set up my Apache with a minimal httpd.conf and two IP-based
virtual hosts (besides the main server), configured like this
(plus the necessary "AllowOverride All", etc.; see attached file)

    # main server
    
    DocumentRoot "/www/test/root"
    
    PerlSetEnv VarA Global
    PerlSetEnv VarB Global
    
    
    # virthost 1
    
    <VirtualHost IP1>
    DocumentRoot "/www/test/root1"
    
    PerlSetEnv VarA VirtHost1
    PerlSetEnv VarC VirtHost1
    
    </VirtualHost>
    
    
    # virthost 2
    
    <VirtualHost IP2>
    DocumentRoot "/www/test/root2"
    
    PerlSetEnv VarA VirtHost2
    
    </VirtualHost>


additionally, /www/test/root2 contains this .htaccess file

    PerlSetEnv VarB root2
    PerlSetEnv VarD root2


Using a Apache::Registry script to print the enviroment in all three
servers (main and the two virtual hosts), I get these values

Var	main		virthost1	virthost2

VarA	Global		Global*		Global*
VarB	Global		Global		Global*
VarC	VirtHost1*	VirtHost1	VirtHost1*
VarD	-		-		root2

the entries with the * are wrong, I think.

Has anyone seen something like this before?


Regards,

Roman Maeder

Re: PerlSetEnv scoping (again)

[Doug MacEachern <do...@covalent.net>]

i will add this to the ToDo to look at before 1.26.  in the meantime, if
you don't need to access these variables before the fixup stage and don't
need %ENV to be inherited by a forked program, try changing PerlSetEnv to
SetEnv.

On Sat, 2 Jun 2001, Roman Maeder wrote:

> back in 1998 and 99 there was a longer discussion about scoping problems
> with PerlSetEnv (inside httpd.conf and .htaccess files), which ended
> with fixes applied to mod_perl-1.20, which is the version I have been
> using (along with apache-1.3.6 and perl 5.00404)
> 
> Now I am setting up a brand new machine to replace my aging web server
> and compiled Perl 5.6.1, apache_1.3.20, and mod_perl-1.25 (Solaris 8)
> and the old problem is back, only worse. This is so severe I can't
> imagine it happening in all configurations out there, but here is
> what I found.
> 
> Summary:
> 
> 1 a variable defined with PerlSetEnv in the main server (outside any
>   virtual hosts) cannot be changed inside a virtual host section (the
>   change is ignored)
> 
> 2 a variable defined inside a virtual host section is visible to all
>   *other* virtual hosts and the main server
> 
> 3 a variable defined in httpd.conf cannot be changed inside a .htaccess
>   file (the change is ignored)
> 
> 
> I set up my Apache with a minimal httpd.conf and two IP-based
> virtual hosts (besides the main server), configured like this
> (plus the necessary "AllowOverride All", etc.; see attached file)
> 
>     # main server
>     
>     DocumentRoot "/www/test/root"
>     
>     PerlSetEnv VarA Global
>     PerlSetEnv VarB Global
>     
>     
>     # virthost 1
>     
>     <VirtualHost IP1>
>     DocumentRoot "/www/test/root1"
>     
>     PerlSetEnv VarA VirtHost1
>     PerlSetEnv VarC VirtHost1
>     
>     </VirtualHost>
>     
>     
>     # virthost 2
>     
>     <VirtualHost IP2>
>     DocumentRoot "/www/test/root2"
>     
>     PerlSetEnv VarA VirtHost2
>     
>     </VirtualHost>
> 
> 
> additionally, /www/test/root2 contains this .htaccess file
> 
>     PerlSetEnv VarB root2
>     PerlSetEnv VarD root2
> 
> 
> Using a Apache::Registry script to print the enviroment in all three
> servers (main and the two virtual hosts), I get these values
> 
> Var	main		virthost1	virthost2
> 
> VarA	Global		Global*		Global*
> VarB	Global		Global		Global*
> VarC	VirtHost1*	VirtHost1	VirtHost1*
> VarD	-		-		root2
> 
> the entries with the * are wrong, I think.
> 
> Has anyone seen something like this before?
> 
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Roman Maeder
> 
>