[CLUE-Tech] mod_rewrite and mod_throttle/suexec

[Angelo Bertolli]

> The <VirtualHost> directive is a pain since I have to restart Apache 
> every time there is a change.  I would like an option to do 
> reconfiguration dynamically and prevent restarts.  I have also heard 
> that too man <VirtualHost> entries begin to really slow Apache down, 
> at least in its starts and stops.
>
We have 500 - 800 VirtualHost directives in httpd.conf on a machine that
isn't exactly cutting edge and the machine pauses for about 1 second to
start httpd.

> Mod_Rewrite seems like a really good option, but I fail to see a way 
> to pass unique directives to each virtual host.  In particular, not 
> all users have the same mod_throttle and suexec settings.  One option 
> I thought of was to use .htaccess files, but again I have run across 
> warnings of massive performance hits when using lots of these files.
>
I'm pretty sure the way Apache does things already is already the most
efficient.  Even if you got mod_rewrite to work, it would slow down your
system more while it's actually running.  Honestly, the best answer to
your problem is to dictate "Apache restarts once each hour" or whatever
interval is good for you, and then when they add or remove a domain
name, you tell them how much time is left before their changes will take
effect.