Frontpage and Apache and Mod_Rewrite

This is about interaction of above and NOT mod_rewrite details

[ThomasAJ]

If this is NOT the correct forum I apologize.

When I added mod_rewrite directives the server failed with the error_log message
"Options FollowSymLinks or SymLinksIfOwnerMatch is off which implies that RewriteRule directive is forbidden"

I contacted the host and they eventually changed something pertaining to the 'options...' above. The rewrite in my .htacces worked but....

Now Frontpage gets the message

"403 Forbidden
Forbidden You don't have permission to access /_vti_bin/shtml.exe/_vti_rpc on this server.
Apache/1.3.19 Server at www.baccarat-system.com Port 80 "

While my error log says
"Options FollowSymLinks or SymLinksIfOwnerMatch is off which implies that RewriteRule directive is forbidden: /home/virtual/site98/fst/var/www/html/_vti_bin/shtml.exe"

Notice the file 'shtml.exe' is common to both errors.

I would dearly love to find a web host that knows FP AND APACHE very well.

Any thoughts?

Tom

[Duckula]

Ahh, frontpage extensions...

"Thou shall not mix ye standard .htaccess with Frontpage extensions, shall you suffer ye old microsoft incompatibility curse"

I translate. Microsoft .htaccess is not compatible with the one used on Apache. No server will continue working correctly if you mix the usage of both. If you want consistency, keep that FP extensions off!

<more kind answer> Using rewrite will not let you to publish using frontpage. If you want FP publishing back, remove the instances or, better yet, use a backup. You did a backup, true?</>

[ThomasAJ]

Sure I know in general they don't mix especially in the area of security.

I removed Rewrite stuff from the .htacces in the root so that it was returned to the state when everything was OK.

The problem occurred AFTER the host changed
"FollowSymLinks or SymLinksIfOwnerMatch" options, whatever that is, to allow Rewrite.

Tom

[mdharrold]

My understanding of this problem is that FrontPage does not like anything messing with the .htaccess file.

Any changes you want to make should be done in a file named anything.htaccess and then the name should be changed with an FTP client prior to and after making changes with FrontPage so that FrontPage only deals with the .htaccess it created.

One way I have heard to fix your current problem is to delete the current online .htaccess file altogether and upload the entire site with FrontPage. I suggest getting another opinion before doing this though.

[Duckula]

What the server changed was an option on the configuration file of apache, usually httpd.conf

AllowOverride None

is replaced by something like

AllowOverride FileInfo AuthConfig Limit Options MultiViews Indexes SymLinks IfOwnerMatch IncludesNoExec

to allow the user to change that things on the local directory's .htaccess, particularly

AllowOverride Options

.

Get this clear: If you use rewrite rules, you can't use frontpage to publish, period. That is a well-know issue.

[ThomasAJ]

mdharrold

Did that but no go.

Duckman :) , sorry Duckula, knows Apache Server so his word is final.

So it's not so much the .htacces file per se, I had non rewrite directives and all worked well, but the settings in Apache's httpd.conf file to make rewrite work that is the problem.

OK so I need a new Web Editor. Oh boy, I have enough to do without learning the idiosyncrasies of another product.

I think the power of the mod_rewrite to serve up desired pages is worth it.
What does anyone else think?

Thanks

Tom

[Duckula]

Well, you don't need to learn another editor; while that would be worthwhile, you can still edit everything on frontpage, save it on your local machine and upload it by ftp, that is the usual method anyways.

I still think that the problem is not on the AllowOverride config; you should be able to do as mdharrold says and still be fine, just with an extra burden. But learn to use ftp: you'll like it.