URL masking?

pls help - its urgent

[deepadev]

Hi,

I am using Redirect command to redirect requests from
[my.first.server.ip...] to [my.second.server.ip...]

both my.first.server.ip and my.second.server.ip ultimately map to www.mysitename.com

Is there a way to mask the URL during redirect so that the user doesnt see the IP changing and just sees www.mysitename.com/cgi-bin/appaname/stg.cgi in the URL?

Please help - any inputs are appreciated.

thanks in advance,
Deepa

[jdMorgan]

If all are hosted on the same server, then perhaps you can use mod_rewrite, and do an internal rewrite or proxy throughput instead of an external redirect.

Jim

[deepadev]

Hi Jim,

thanks for the reply..

the root of my prob is that they are hosted on two different servers in two different physical locations.

the external redirect is working fine (I used RedirectMatch) except for the fact that the changing IP is shown.

basically what I am looking for is a way to avoid the user seeing
[site-name.com...] suddenly changing to
[my.server.ip.addr...]

any ideas?

thanks,
Deepa

[jdMorgan]

Then you'll need to use a proxy throughput on those URLs.

The downside to this approach:

1) All traffic has to be processed by *both* servers.
2) If either server is down, then those pages won't work.
3) The 'real' server where those pages are located will always see the proxy server as the referrer, so 'stats' must be checked on the proxy server, not the 'real' server.

See mod_rewrite [httpd.apache.org] RewriteRule [P] (proxy throughput) flag.

Jim

[deepadev]

okay .. I'll try the proxy throughput flag ..

I had tried RewriteRule but it hadnt worked -
which is why I tried RedirectMatch ..

so there isnt a way to do something simliar with RedirectMatch?

[jdMorgan]

No.

[jevster]

i'd suggest just setting an a record = my.server.ip.addr
that way you won't have to worry about the complications of proxy

so you could have
[site-name.com...]
forward to
[ww2.site-name.com...]
where ww2.site-name.com = my.server.ip.addr