Promote particular user's Apache VirtualHost to default

[eggyal]

As documented by Apache under Using Name-based Virtual Hosts:

If no matching virtual host is found, then the first listed virtual host that matches the IP address will be used.

As a consequence, the first listed virtual host is the default virtual host.

Currently, the template at /var/cpanel/templates/apache2_4/main.default generates such a default VirtualHost (per IP address) with DocumentRoot [% serverroot %]/htdocs.

We would instead like the VirtualHost that is generated for a particular user to be that default. What is the best/recommended way of accomplishing this?

My current thinking is to place the user's (compiled) VirtualHost directive in /usr/local/apache/conf/includes/pre_virtualhost_2.conf, but this obviously won't be managed by WHM should the user's configuration change.

Is there a better way?

 

[cPanelMichael]

Hello,

The following thread should help:

https://forums.cpanel.net/threads/server-ip-address.391771/

Thank you.

 

[eggyal]

Thanks cPanelMichael—but following that suggestion appears, to me, to provide little benefit over that I proposed in my question: either way, the arising default VirtualHost configuration will be "detached" from the user's VirtualHost that is managed by WHM.

Is there no way that the "default" vhost can be that of a user, as managed by WHM?

 

[cPanelMichael]

Yes, you could simply manually modify the position of the VirtualHost in /usr/local/apache/conf/httpd.conf and distill the changes via:

/usr/local/cpanel/bin/apache_conf_distiller --update

Thank you.

 

[terabit]

I am also trying to reorder the virtualhosts in my httpd.conf but using apache_conf_distiller --update does not seem to preserve their order at all.

My problem is that cpanel keeps rebuilding the config with the wildcard defined first and which makes apache ignore the explicitly named sub domain that is being defined after the wildcard... I need to be able to force cpanel to define multiple virtualhosts before the wildcard host.

Should "apache_conf_distiller --update" be working for this? I don't see any indication in the documentation saying that it would. It seems to only save settings not the order that they are in.

<VirtualHost xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:80>
  ServerName domain.com
  ServerAlias *.domain.com www.domain.com
  etc...

<VirtualHost xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:80>
  ServerName blog.domain.com
  ServerAlias www.blog.domain.com
  etc...

<VirtualHost xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:80>
  ServerName blog2.domain.com
  ServerAlias www.blog2.domain.com

etc...

 

[cPanelMichael]

Hello,

You could try the instructions in the following post:

https://forums.cpanel.net/threads/tip-overriding-the-default-apache-virtualhost.234362/#post-965252

Thank you.

 

[terabit]

https://forums.cpanel.net/threads/tip-overriding-the-default-apache-virtualhost.234362/#post-965252

Does not describe how to change the order that hosts are added...

 

[cPanelMichael]

Right, it's a method to change the default virtualhost for each IP address, but it won't allow you to set a specific order. You may want to consider submitting a feature request for a method to change the order of your VirtualHosts, as mentioned here:

https://forums.cpanel.net/threads/order-of-virtualhost-entries-in-httpd-conf.470281/#post-1898571

Thank you.