Install Apache HTTP server in RHEL7 /CentOS 7

In Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the httpd package provides the Apache HTTP Server. Run the following command to see if the httpd package is installed:

~]$ rpm -q httpd
package httpd is not installed

If it is not installed and you want to use the Apache HTTP Server, use the yum utility as the root user to install it:

~]# yum install httpd

THE APACHE HTTP SERVER AND SELINUX

When SELinux is enabled, the Apache HTTP Server (httpd) runs confined by default. Confined processes run in their own domains, and are separated from other confined processes. If a confined process is compromised by an attacker, depending on SELinux policy configuration, an attacker's access to resources and the possible damage they can do is limited. The following example demonstrates the httpd processes running in their own domain. This example assumes the httpd,setroubleshoot, setroubleshoot-server and policycoreutils-python packages are installed:

1. Run the getenforce command to confirm SELinux is running in enforcing mode:

   ~]$ getenforce
   Enforcing
   

   The command returns Enforcing when SELinux is running in enforcing mode.
2. Run the following command as root to start httpd:

   ~]# systemctl start httpd.service

   Confirm that the service is running. The output should include the information below (only the time stamp will differ):

   ~]# systemctl status httpd.service       
   httpd.service - The Apache HTTP Server
      Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/httpd.service; disabled)
      Active: active (running) since Mon 2013-08-05 14:00:55 CEST; 8s ago
   

3. To view the httpd processes, execute the following command:

   ~]$ ps -eZ | grep httpd
   system_u:system_r:httpd_t:s0    19780 ?        00:00:00 httpd
   system_u:system_r:httpd_t:s0    19781 ?        00:00:00 httpd
   system_u:system_r:httpd_t:s0    19782 ?        00:00:00 httpd
   system_u:system_r:httpd_t:s0    19783 ?        00:00:00 httpd
   system_u:system_r:httpd_t:s0    19784 ?        00:00:00 httpd
   system_u:system_r:httpd_t:s0    19785 ?        00:00:00 httpd
   

   The SELinux context associated with the httpd processes is system_u:system_r:httpd_t:s0. The second last part of the context, httpd_t, is the type. A type defines a domain for processes and a type for files. In this case, the httpd processes are running in the httpd_t domain.

SELinux policy defines how processes running in confined domains (such as httpd_t) interact with files, other processes, and the system in general. Files must be labeled correctly to allow httpdaccess to them. For example, httpd can read files labeled with the httpd_sys_content_t type, but cannot write to them, even if Linux (DAC) permissions allow write access. Booleans must be enabled to allow certain behavior, such as allowing scripts network access, allowing httpd access to NFS and CIFS volumes, and httpd being allowed to execute Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts.

When the /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file is configured so httpd listens on a port other than TCP ports 80, 443, 488, 8008, 8009, or 8443, the semanage port command must be used to add the new port number to SELinux policy configuration. The following example demonstrates configuringhttpd to listen on a port that is not already defined in SELinux policy configuration for httpd, and, as a consequence, httpd failing to start. This example also demonstrates how to then configure the SELinux system to allow httpd to successfully listen on a non-standard port that is not already defined in the policy. This example assumes the httpd package is installed. Run each command in the example as the root user:

1. Run the following command to confirm httpd is not running:

   ~]# systemctl status httpd.service
   httpd.service - The Apache HTTP Server
      Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/httpd.service; disabled)
             Active: inactive (dead)
   

   If the output differs, stop the process:

   ~]# systemctl stop httpd.service

2. Use the semanage utility to view the ports SELinux allows httpd to listen on:

   ~]# semanage port -l | grep -w http_port_t
   http_port_t                    tcp      80, 443, 488, 8008, 8009, 8443
   

3. Edit the /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file as root. Configure the Listen option so it lists a port that is not configured in SELinux policy configuration for httpd. In this example, httpd is configured to listen on port 12345:

   # Change this to Listen on specific IP addresses as shown below to 
   # prevent Apache from glomming onto all bound IP addresses (0.0.0.0)
   #
   #Listen 12.34.56.78:80
   Listen 127.0.0.1:12345
   

4. Run the following command to start httpd:

   ~]# systemctl start httpd.service
   Job for httpd.service failed. See 'systemctl status httpd.service' and 'journalctl -xn' for details.
   

   An SELinux denial message similar to the following is logged:

   setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing the httpd (httpd_t) from binding to port 12345. For complete SELinux messages. run sealert -l f18bca99-db64-4c16-9719-1db89f0d8c77
   

5. For SELinux to allow httpd to listen on port 12345, as used in this example, the following command is required:

   ~]# semanage port -a -t http_port_t -p tcp 12345

6. Start httpd again and have it listen on the new port:

   ~]# systemctl start httpd.service

7. Now that SELinux has been configured to allow httpd to listen on a non-standard port (TCP 12345 in this example), httpd starts successfully on this port.
8. To prove that httpd is listening and communicating on TCP port 12345, open a telnet connection to the specified port and issue a HTTP GET command, as follows:

   ~]# telnet localhost 12345
   Trying 127.0.0.1...
   Connected to localhost.
   Escape character is '^]'.
   GET / HTTP/1.0
   
   HTTP/1.1 200 OK
   Date: Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:36:34 GMT
   Server: Apache/2.2.13 (Red Hat)
   Accept-Ranges: bytes
   Content-Length: 3985
   Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
   [...continues...