# Setting up simple CGI on Ubuntu **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [October 5, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-up-simple-cgi-on-ubuntu/71183 "2006-10-05T22:03:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-up-simple-cgi-on-ubuntu/71183/1 "2006-10-05T22:03:40Z")
I’ve done all this numerous times before but, sigh, apparently I’m forgetting something. I’m just trying to serve up a straight CGI script, nothing fancy. Running Ubuntu Apache2: \ #SetEnv RAILS\_ENV development ServerName lilwiki DocumentRoot /serve/www/lilwiki/ ErrorLog /home/trans/file/projects/PsyTower/lilwiki/log/apache.log \ Options +ExecCGI +FollowSymLinks AddHandler cgi-script .rbx AllowOverride all Order allow,deny Allow from all By all accounts (I just spent the last 40 minutes seaching the web and mailing-list) the above should be all I need. But all it does is serve up .rbx files as plain text --it doesn’t execute them. What am I missing? T. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 12:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-up-simple-cgi-on-ubuntu/71183/2 "2006-10-06T00:01:59Z")
Going on a few hours now. Executable bit’s set. mod\_cgid is enabled. I’ve poured over the directives in Apache2 manual. I’m at a loss ☹ Does anyone have any ideas at all? T. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-up-simple-cgi-on-ubuntu/71183/3 "2006-10-06T00:46:02Z")
TRANS wrote: > ErrorLog /home/trans/file/projects/PsyTower/lilwiki/log/apache.log > By all accounts (I just spent the last 40 minutes seaching the web and > mailing-list) the above should be all I need. But all it does is serve > up .rbx files as plain text --it doesn’t execute them. What am I missing? It’s always some stupid little thing: ``` AddHandler cgi-script .rbx ``` Needs to be in the VirtualHost body, not the Directory body. Lovely, no warnings, no errors. nothing. Just doesn’t work. Five hours wasted on dribble. Yep that’s about par for Me and Apache configuration. Ergh… Well, at least this post might save someone else the headache in the future. Over and out, T. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-up-simple-cgi-on-ubuntu/71183/4 "2006-10-06T16:58:18Z")
On 10/5/06, Trans [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > ServerName lilwiki > > > > warnings, no errors. nothing. Just doesn’t work. Five hours wasted on > > dribble. Yep that’s about par for Me and Apache configuration. Ergh… Well according to the apache documentation, AddHandler can be in the following contexts: server config, virtual host, directory, .htaccess On the other hand, I’m not sure how you are getting from your document root /serve/www/lilwiki/ to /home/trans/file/projects/PsyTower/lilwiki/public/ in the absense of any apparent Alias directive or anything else which would cause Apache to look there. – Rick DeNatale My blog on Ruby [http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/) ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-up-simple-cgi-on-ubuntu/71183/5 "2006-10-09T21:06:38Z")
On 10/6/06, Trans [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > > ``` > > > > Order allow,deny > > > > > > > > ``` > > > > > > ``` > > > AddHandler cgi-script .rbx > > > > > > ``` > > > > /serve/www/lilwiki/ > > /serve/www/lilwiki/ =\> > > /home/trans/file/projects/PsyTower/lilwiki/public/ I suspected that, and I also suspect that Apache is completely aware of the link and only knows about /serve/www/lilwiki, so the Directory directive never has any effect. – Rick DeNatale My blog on Ruby [http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/) ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 2:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-up-simple-cgi-on-ubuntu/71183/6 "2006-10-10T02:01:13Z")
Rick DeNatale wrote: > I suspected that, and I also suspect that Apache is completely aware > of the link and only knows about /serve/www/lilwiki, so the Directory > directive never has any effect. Interesting. Perhaps I got a false positive on my solution? I’ll try it and let you know. Thanks! T. ---
**Author:** ![casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@casper\_the\_ghost](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/casper_the_ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/setting-up-simple-cgi-on-ubuntu/71183/7 "2006-10-06T18:46:41Z")
Rick DeNatale wrote: > > > #SetEnv RAILS\_ENV development > > > > > > Needs to be in the VirtualHost body, not the Directory body. Lovely, no > > > to > > /home/trans/file/projects/PsyTower/lilwiki/public/ > > in the absense of any apparent Alias directive or anything else which > would cause Apache to look there. Hmm… yea, guess that looks odd. But it’s just a symlink. /serve/www/lilwiki/ =\> /home/trans/file/projects/PsyTower/lilwiki/public/ T.