1. What is the Accelerating Apache project?
2. How is this project different from the Apache HTTP Server project?
3. I've downloaded the patches, now what do I do?
4. How do I set up a base Apache source tree?
5. How do I configure, build, and install the patched source tree?
6. Do I have to use every optimization the patches provide?
7. What platforms do the patches support?
8. What about highperformance.conf-dist and perf-tuning.html?
9. Where is the Apache FAQ?
10. What documentation is available?
11. How much faster can Apache go?
12. Will the ASF adopt the patches?
13. What version of Apache is required?
14. Have the patches been tested?
15. Does SGI support the patches?
16. Where is ap_types.h?
17. How do I get qsc_cas() to compile?
18. Do the patches work with mod_ssl and/or mod_perl?
19. Why does patch ask what file to patch?
20. What version of Apache do I have?
21. Do the patches work with mod_dav?
22. Are there any related projects?
23. What is the status and future of the AAP?

1. What is the Accelerating Apache project?

2. How is this project different from the Apache HTTP Server project?

The Accelerating Apache project optimizes and fine-tunes Apache. We strive to maintain portability and modularity but we value extreme performance above all.

3. I've downloaded the patches, now what do I do?

  Extract source tree from apache_1.3.x, see question 4.
  Do not cd apache_1.3.x.
  % patch < 10xpatch-1.3.x-n

  Extract source tree from apache_1.3.x, see question 4.
  % cd apache_1.3.x
  % patch -p1 < 10xpatch-1.3.x-n

Patching Apache/2.0 distributions is similar.

4. How do I set up a base Apache source tree?

First be sure you understand and agree to the terms of the Apache License.

Then download the source code for the version of Apache you want. (If you can't find it there maybe it's here.) Each of our version-specific patch pages points to a distribution site where you can find the matching version of Apache.

Finally uncompress and untar the source code. Here are some methods different people use depending on their system and the tools available. Use what works for you.

  method 1
  % tar -xzf apache_1.3.x.tar.gz

  method 2
  % gzcat apache_1.3.x.tar.gz | tar xf -

  method 3
  % gunzip apache_1.3.x.tar.gz
  % tar xf apache_1.3.x.tar

Unloading Apache/2.0 distributions is similar.

5. How do I configure, build, and install the patched source tree?

First, read Apache's guide to compiling and installing.

Second, read the new documents found in the patches, particularly perf-mja.html and qsc.html or mod_qsc.html (for Apache/1.3 and 2.0, respectively), which describe new configuration, compilation, and run-time options. Without enabling these options your patched Apache will run only a little bit faster, not ten times faster.

Third, decide which of the configuration, compilation, and run-time options described in the above documents you desire.

Finally, compile the source tree:

  % cd apache_1.3.x
  % configure options ...
  % make
  % make install

The compilation process for Apache/2.0 is different. Read the file src/README.MPM for instructions.

6. Do I have to use every optimization the patches provide?

You can turn on and off most of our optimizations individually using compilation or configuration options. You can also edit out unwanted optimizations after applying a patch or patch set. We do not recommend, however, simply omitting a patch from a patch set, because later patches in a set rely on earlier ones and some patches contain bug fixes that you probably want alongside optimizations that you may or may not. For example, patches 10xpatch-1.3.12-0 through -2 compose a patch set; to use -2 you must first apply -1, and to use -1 you must first apply -0. You should apply all three patches in order before enabling or disabling any optimizations.

7. What platforms do the patches support?

Johann Messner contributed a qsc_cas implementation for Solaris. He says:

I would like to contribute/let you know that I was able
to compile and use your REALLY GREAT accelerated apache
2.0alpha6 on a Sun Enterprise ES450/Solaris 7.0

I implemented/reused a CompareAndSwap Assembler Routine
for mod_qsc.c:

http://mickey.edvz.uni-linz.ac.at/aap/sol_cas.tar

(I added the resulting .o file simply to the EXTRA_LIBS in
config_vars.mk as
 $(top_srcdir)/modules/extra/sol_cas.o
)

I am using a 'home brewn' load generator which
stresses the apache by doing a couple of
'keep-alive' HTTP/1.0 connections; I had to
patch src/main/http_request.c:

void ap_process_request(request_rec *r)
{
#ifdef USE_QSC
    if (!qsc_process_request(r))
#endif
    process_request_internal(r);

+#ifdef USE_QSC
+    else  // MeJ: be sure to flush the request (output buffer!!)
+       (void) ap_rflush(r);
+#endif

     ....
}

Otherwise the connection output buffer was *NOT* cleared and the
apache closed/reseted the socket ==>  keep-alive did not work
with QSC enabled on URLs cached by a MMapFile directive.
After the patch it does work.

In order to use the 4 MB of QSC you have to switch
from SysV IPC/SHM (limited to 1MB) to mmap()ed Shared Memory
in the mm module:

apache_2.0alpha6/src/lib/apr/shmem/unix/mm/mm_conf.h:

/* Shared Memory Type */
/* #undef MM_SHMT_MMANON */
/* #undef MM_SHMT_MMPOSX */
/* #undef MM_SHMT_MMZERO */
/* #undef MM_SHMT_MMFILE */
// MeJ use mmap() based shm
#define MM_SHMT_MMFILE
// MeJ switch off SysV SHM #define MM_SHMT_IPCSHM 1 */
/* #undef MM_SHMT_BEOS */

Thanks Johann!

8. What about highperformance.conf-dist and perf-tuning.html?

9. Where is the Apache FAQ?

10. What documentation is available?

The Apache Server Project has extensive documentation on-line. The same documentation is included in the Apache source code.

The patches add documentation to the source tree. Only some of these documents are available on-line, the rest being integrated into the Apache documentation hierarchy.

11. How much faster can Apache go?

12. Will the ASF adopt the patches?

13. What version of Apache is required?

14. Have the patches been tested?

15. Does SGI support the patches?

16. Where is ap_types.h?

To move them by hand, follow these directions:

  % mv 10xpatchlevel apache_1.3.x  (1.3.9-1.3.11 only)
  % mv 64-bit.html apache_1.3.x/htdocs/manual
  % mv ap_types.h apache_1.3.x/src/include/ap_types.h
  % mv perf-mja.html apache_1.3.x/htdocs/manual/misc
  % mv qsc.c apache_1.3.x/src/main
  % mv qsc.html apache_1.3.x/htdocs/manual
  % uudecode sgi_performance.gif.uu
  % mv sgi_performance.gif apache_1.3.x/htdocs

To make your patch command do the right thing with the patch for 1.3.11 (for example), start with two identical original Apache source trees, one called "apache_1.3.11" and one called "apache_1.3.11-orig", and then apply the patch to the former. (Patch behaves differently when both the original and the patched directories exist.)

17. How do I get qsc_cas() to compile?

If you're using an Intel i486 or later processor (including Pentium, PentiumPro, etc.) and gcc version 2 or later, you may need only to adjust your compilation flags. It seems gcc defines only the __i386__ token and not the __i486__, __i586__, __i686__, __pentium__, or __pentiumpro__ tokens as it should. Choose the solution that makes you most comfortable: manually define the appropriate token from the list above (e.g., gcc -D__pentium__ ...) or try gcc's -m option (e.g., gcc -mpentium ...).

Note that since the cmpxchgl instruction does not exist on i386 and earlier processors, using the i486-and-beyond implementation of qsc_cas() on such processors will cause an illegal instruction trap and crash Apache.

See question 7 for contributed implementations.

18. Do the patches work with mod_ssl and/or mod_perl?

There is, however, a reference merge of accelerated Apache/1.3.20 and mod_ssl 2.8.4 available, to help you resolve the conflicts.

How well the patches for Apache/2.0 work with mod_ssl or mod_perl remains to be seen. Let us know if you find out.

19. Why does patch ask what file to patch?

20. What version of Apache do I have?

21. Do the patches work with mod_dav?

22. Are there any related projects?

We have heard but not confirmed that the Advanced Extranet Server for Linux Mandrake uses the AAP's performance enhancements.

Roger Espel Llima wrote lingerd to offload Apache's lingering close as a way to increase its scalability.

23. What is the status and future of the AAP?

I still answer questions about the project and accept code contributions from fans. I will not port any of the current patches to any new versions of Apache/1.3 or 2.0 but other project members have and might again.