Apache 1.3 fails to serve pages.

[Jeff Johnson <je...@websitefactory.net>]

I have an Apache 1.3.x setup (tested against 1.3.9 -> 1.3.10-dev), which exhibits
this behavior.  I've done my best to track it down, and this is the best I can
come up with:

Our Apache configuration is rather complex.  We are running 1.3.10-dev currently,
with Apache JServ 1.1b3, mod_ssl/2.4.9-snap, PHP/4.0B3-RC4, mod_fastcgi/2.2.2,
mod_macro/1.1.1, mod_perl/1.21, mod_frontpage/3.0.4.3-4.0, mod_allowdev/1.5,
mod_sxnet/1.2.4, mod_ecash, mod_DAV 0.9.12, mod_cgiSock/1.1, mod_format/0.3.1,
mod_eaccess/2.2.1.2, mod_cvs/0.4, and the standard Apache stuff, all as DSO's.

I first ran into the problem when when we reached about 1,200 customers, some of 
whom have SSL.  The server would start and startssl, however, when running with
startssl, it would not respond to any requests.  Browsers were able to contact
the host, but not able to send or receive any data.  FD's shouldn't be a problem.
Apache is compiled with FD_SETSIZE of 8192, and the OS should handle 10240 FD's
per process, 13888 or so system wide, using FreeBSD 3.3-STABLE.

We have automatic account creation for our webhosting customers, and we didn't
notice problems until the server was actually stop'd and then started.

To make the long diagnosis short, here is whats going on:

If you have two "Port" directives, it won't serve.  One Port directive, it will 
serve.  It doesn't matter if every module isn't loaded or if SSL is there or not.

Now, if you have > ~1200 customers and stop and start or startssl, the server
doesn't serve.  If you have, say, 900 customers VirtualHost entries and then
start or startssl it works fine.  Then if you add the other 300 or 400 while the
server is running and graceful the server, it works fine, all the new vhosts too!!!

So what we have to do to start Apache is start it without using an Include directive
that initializes the VirtualHosts.  Then, after Apache starts, using an IfDefine,
Include the vhosts.conf file which contains all of the hosts.  This is the only
way it will start and serve pages without either giving FD errors or just crapping
out and not serving at all.

Currently, mod_vhost_alias isn't an alternative due to SSL and other such things,
including some unresolved problems with the (horrid) FrontPage extensions.  Can anyone
give me any suggestions to avoid this horrible kludge and get my life back to normal?

Thanks!!!!