[users@httpd] FW: apache for windows child respawn behaviour

[George Herlin <g....@ifpma.org>]

Hello, 
 
My organisation has just rolled out a new site, built by IBM, and on the first day of its exposure to the public, it breaks down terminally.
 
Since the whole thing is hosted by IBM, and since I don't have access to anything much, I ask them for the apache version, httpd.conf and the log files. Everything is running in W2K3, apache is 1.3.28.
 
The logs suggest that the site has been attacked by various means, and notably the apache worm (aka slapper), and that the child process is dying or being killed because of excessive thread use. And not restarting. See the end of the log excerpts attached.
 
Where can I find detailed information on the behaviour of these two apache processes in Windows? The Web is singularly unhelpful, on this matter.
 
Does the child process "publish" its pid in a file in its W2K form? and other questions relating to "how can one know from outside that it is dead"?
 
Do you have any other suggestions? If you know a quick and dirty, I'm very interested... I'm in any case going to suggest an upgrade of apache to something more recent.
 
Attached, the httpd.conf and a grepped copy of the logs.
 
Thanks in advance,
 
George Herlin
 
PS I apologise in advance for the message formatting, but all I have is a web-enabled Outlook, and apparently can't force it to do plain text. Thanks, Microsoft.