mod_log-any/5518: httpd silently dies during startup

[Alex Charalabidis <al...@wnm.net>]

>Number:         5518
>Category:       mod_log-any
>Synopsis:       httpd silently dies during startup
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    apache
>State:          open
>Class:          sw-bug
>Submitter-Id:   apache
>Arrival-Date:   Wed Dec 29 15:20:01 PST 1999
>Last-Modified:
>Originator:     alex@wnm.net
>Organization:
apache
>Release:        1.3.9 +frontpage 4.0
>Environment:
FreeBSD 3.4-STABLE i386, gcc 2.7.2.3
>Description:
The httpd dies without any output to its error log, stdout or stderr, even with LogLevel set to "debug". This matches PR #5258 with the addition that it does not affect only symlinked directories (I also agree with the poster of #5258 in that it costs dearly in troubleshooting time - maybe it belongs on the known bugs list). The problem was traced to a
bad pathname in a VirtualHost block:
ErrorLog /usr/home/coleclinics/error_log
TransferLog /usr/home/colesclinics/access_log
...where ~colesclinics is a mistyped path.
This behaviour repeated itself with the TransferLog and ErrorLog lines reversed,
however it only happened when the TransferLog entry was bad. With the ErrorLog
containing a bad path, it was logged properly. The problem was finally identified using truss(1). I was able to reproduce the error (well, lack thereof :) on Apache 1.3.6/PHP3 under BSDI 3.0.
>How-To-Repeat:
Configure a VirtualHost with a bad pathname in the TransferLog and try to start httpd.
>Fix:
Sorry, no.
>Audit-Trail:
>Unformatted:
[In order for any reply to be added to the PR database, you need]
[to include <ap...@Apache.Org> in the Cc line and make sure the]
[subject line starts with the report component and number, with ]
[or without any 'Re:' prefixes (such as "general/1098:" or      ]
["Re: general/1098:").  If the subject doesn't match this       ]
[pattern, your message will be misfiled and ignored.  The       ]
["apbugs" address is not added to the Cc line of messages from  ]
[the database automatically because of the potential for mail   ]
[loops.  If you do not include this Cc, your reply may be ig-   ]
[nored unless you are responding to an explicit request from a  ]
[developer.  Reply only with text; DO NOT SEND ATTACHMENTS!     ]