Ruby + Apache/Debian doesn't wanna work

cojones · January 12, 2008, 7:24pm

Hi everyone,

I used some HowTo’s to get RoR running on my Debian (etch) and Apache 2
system. None of them work for me.

I always get a 500 Error. When I start Webrick, all is working just fine
but I just don’t get it working with Apache.

Ruby- and Apache-Log just tell me that I got a 500 Error.

These are my activated modules from Apache:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 40 2005-12-10 13:35 actions.load ->
/etc/apache2/mods-available/actions.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 2007-12-15 11:32 alias.load ->
…/mods-available/alias.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 33 2007-12-15 11:32 auth_basic.load ->
…/mods-available/auth_basic.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 33 2007-12-15 11:32 authn_file.load ->
…/mods-available/authn_file.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 36 2007-12-15 11:32 authz_default.load ->
…/mods-available/authz_default.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 2007-12-15 11:32 authz_groupfile.load ->
…/mods-available/authz_groupfile.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 33 2007-12-15 11:32 authz_host.load ->
…/mods-available/authz_host.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 33 2007-12-15 11:32 authz_user.load ->
…/mods-available/authz_user.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 32 2007-12-15 11:32 autoindex.load ->
…/mods-available/autoindex.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 36 2005-12-10 00:58 cgi.load ->
/etc/apache2/mods-available/cgi.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 29 2008-01-09 16:11 dav_fs.conf ->
…/mods-available/dav_fs.conf
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 29 2008-01-09 16:11 dav_fs.load ->
…/mods-available/dav_fs.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 26 2008-01-09 14:52 dav.load ->
…/mods-available/dav.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 30 2008-01-09 14:52 dav_svn.conf ->
…/mods-available/dav_svn.conf
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 30 2008-01-09 14:52 dav_svn.load ->
…/mods-available/dav_svn.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 26 2007-12-15 11:32 dir.conf ->
…/mods-available/dir.conf
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 26 2007-12-15 11:32 dir.load ->
…/mods-available/dir.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 26 2007-12-15 11:32 env.load ->
…/mods-available/env.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 30 2008-01-10 19:35 fastcgi.conf ->
…/mods-available/fastcgi.conf
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 30 2008-01-10 19:35 fastcgi.load ->
…/mods-available/fastcgi.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 30 2008-01-10 20:00 include.load ->
…/mods-available/include.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 27 2007-12-15 11:32 mime.load ->
…/mods-available/mime.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 34 2007-12-15 11:32 negotiation.load ->
…/mods-available/negotiation.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 27 2007-12-28 15:43 php5.conf ->
…/mods-available/php5.conf
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 27 2007-12-28 15:43 php5.load ->
…/mods-available/php5.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 30 2005-12-13 21:52 rewrite.load ->
…/mods-available/rewrite.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 31 2007-12-15 11:32 setenvif.load ->
…/mods-available/setenvif.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 36 2006-02-23 11:30 ssl.conf ->
/etc/apache2/mods-available/ssl.conf
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 36 2006-02-23 11:30 ssl.load ->
/etc/apache2/mods-available/ssl.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 29 2007-12-15 11:32 status.load ->
…/mods-available/status.load
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 29 2008-01-10 20:00 suexec.load ->
…/mods-available/suexec.load

This is what I added to the apache.conf:
<Directory /var/www/rubyproject/public>
Options ExecCGI FollowSymlinks
AllowOverride all
Order allow,deny
Allow from all

And this is how my .htaccess in /public looks like:
AddHandler fastcgi-script .fcgi
AddHandler cgi-script .cgi
Options +FollowSymLinks +ExecCGI
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^$ index.html [QSA]
RewriteRule ^([^.]+)$ $1.html [QSA]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ dispatch.cgi [QSA,L]
ErrorDocument 500 “

Application error

Rails application failed to
start properly”

If you need more logs/confs, tell me.

I’m trying to solve this problem for 2 days now and I’m absolutely
desperate. Thanks in advance!

cojones · January 12, 2008, 7:27pm

maybe test with a simple dispatch.fcgi one that just prints hello?
Looks like it’s an apache error mostly (?)
check your logs, rails logs, error logs.
GL!
-Roger

Heinz S. wrote:

If you need more logs/confs, tell me.

I’m trying to solve this problem for 2 days now and I’m absolutely
desperate. Thanks in advance!

cojones · January 12, 2008, 7:41pm

Well, it all works with Webrick so I guess dispatch files are alright?

Apache access.log:
88.3.237.x - - [12/Jan/2008:19:16:42 +0100] “GET / HTTP/1.1” 500 309 “-”
“Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; de; rv:1.8.1.11)
Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.11”
88.3.237.x - - [12/Jan/2008:19:16:50 +0100] “GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1”
200 - “-” “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; de; rv:1.8.1.11)
Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.11”

Ruby log:
Recognition failed for “/”
/var/www/virtual/ps-lifestyle.de/new/htdocs/public/…/config/…/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/routing.rb:522:in
recognition_failed' /var/www/virtual/ps-lifestyle.de/new/htdocs/public/../config/../vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/routing.rb:512:inrecognize!’
/var/www/virtual/ps-lifestyle.de/new/htdocs/public/…/config/…/vendor/rails/railties/lib/dispatcher.rb:38:in
`dispatch’
/var/www/virtual/ps-lifestyle.de/new/htdocs/public/dispatch.cgi:12

Line 12 in dispatch.cgi:
Dispatcher.dispatch

Roger P. wrote:

maybe test with a simple dispatch.fcgi one that just prints hello?
Looks like it’s an apache error mostly (?)
check your logs, rails logs, error logs.
GL!
-Roger

cojones · January 14, 2008, 6:04pm

Heinz S. wrote:

I created a complete new Rails application but get the same error.
Anyone has a clue why this is happening?

maybe create a public/index.html ?
make sure it works with just normal requests…checkout various
instructions on how to set it up…

cojones · January 13, 2008, 2:59pm

I created a complete new Rails application but get the same error.
Anyone has a clue why this is happening?

cojones · January 14, 2008, 6:38pm

Heinz S. wrote:

I created a index.html with normal html-stuff inside and it was all
displayed normally.

Roger P. wrote:

Heinz S. wrote:

I created a complete new Rails application but get the same error.
Anyone has a clue why this is happening?

maybe create a public/index.html ?
make sure it works with just normal requests…checkout various
instructions on how to set it up…

lookup on google how to replace public/index.html (you set up a route
for it).

cojones · January 14, 2008, 6:31pm

I created a index.html with normal html-stuff inside and it was all
displayed normally.

Roger P. wrote:

Heinz S. wrote:

I created a complete new Rails application but get the same error.
Anyone has a clue why this is happening?

maybe create a public/index.html ?
make sure it works with just normal requests…checkout various
instructions on how to set it up…

cojones · January 14, 2008, 11:03pm

lookup on google how to replace public/index.html (you set up a route
for it).

sorry. what I meant was google search for
rails replace public/index.html
GL!

cojones · January 14, 2008, 9:53pm

Sorry but I don’ really get what you mean by saying replace
public/index.html. I normally delete it and that’s it. Could you please
explain what you mean by replacing index.html and setting up a route?

Thanks a lot.

Roger P. wrote:

lookup on google how to replace public/index.html (you set up a route
for it).

cojones · January 14, 2008, 11:41pm

Well, I tried the first 5 page results from Google and I’m not a bit
smarter how to solve that problem. I might be too stupid or just don’t
get your point but thanks anyway

Roger P. wrote:

sorry. what I meant was google search for
rails replace public/index.html
GL!

cojones · January 14, 2008, 11:57pm

Aaaah! OK, that’s what you’re talking about!

Like I said it’s all works when I use WEBrick so the project itself is
100% working. So the routes and everything are set prooperly.

WEBrick: Project works just fine.
Apache: 500 Error.

Roger P. wrote:

Thanks for doing that.
What you need to do is delete that file and set up a ‘route’ for ‘’
a la
map.connect ‘’, :controller => ‘site’, :action => ‘index’
(from the second link).
GL!

cojones · January 15, 2008, 12:36am

Heinz S. wrote:

Hi everyone,

I used some HowTo’s to get RoR running on my Debian (etch) and Apache 2
system. None of them work for me.

I always get a 500 Error. When I start Webrick, all is working just fine
but I just don’t get it working with Apache.
Have you checked the apache error log? webrick error log?

cojones · January 15, 2008, 4:52pm

Roger P. wrote:

Have you checked the apache error log? webrick error log?

No error log from WEBrick cause like I said it’s all working there.

Apache-Log:
83.37.126.* - - [15/Jan/2008:16:34:43 +0100] “GET / HTTP/1.1” 500 309
“-” “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; de; rv:1.8.1.11)
Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.11”

cojones · January 14, 2008, 11:44pm

Thanks for doing that.
What you need to do is delete that file and set up a ‘route’ for ‘’
a la
map.connect ‘’, :controller => ‘site’, :action => ‘index’
(from the second link).
GL!

cojones · January 15, 2008, 5:08pm

Apache-Log:
83.37.126.* - - [15/Jan/2008:16:34:43 +0100] “GET / HTTP/1.1” 500 309
“-” “Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; de; rv:1.8.1.11)
Gecko/20071127 Firefox/2.0.0.11”
apache error log?

cojones · January 15, 2008, 6:22pm

Roger P. wrote:

apache error log?

It does not write anything in the error.log

cojones · January 15, 2008, 6:27pm

does it not throw 500 when there is a public.html? what about if you do
an action/view? does webrick work when you load ‘/’?

cojones · January 15, 2008, 8:27pm

Roger P. wrote:

does it not throw 500 when there is a public.html? what about if you do
an action/view? does webrick work when you load ‘/’?

most of my 500’s from this type of thing are when a directory or file
aren’t chmod ag-w * (I think).

cojones · January 23, 2008, 1:41pm

Roger P. wrote:

most of my 500’s from this type of thing are when a directory or file
aren’t chmod ag-w * (I think).

Thank you so much!

I did that chmod ag-w thing and changed the owner from the ftp-user (who
uploaded it) to www-data and no it works all fine.

Thanks man!
Cojones