Re: Re: Altering "Server" HTTP Header Param

[gryphon]

Greetings blakem,

Yeah, I noticed that. Unfortunately, I can't recompile Apache since this all lives in an account on an ISP. I'm hoping that I can either find a Perl solution to force the "Server" header change, or use an ".htaccess" file to do something for me.

I'm getting discouraged, though. I think I'm screwed.

gryphon
code('Perl') || die;

[merlyn]

Tell them your "server" is at a different port. Build a proxy server out of Apache you compile yourself, or a preforking compressing proxy server in 100 lines of Perl that points at your actual application. Since you control the headers on this server, life is good.

Perl rules. Perl saves. Perl wins the battle against people who shouldn't be peering that closely at the header, especially considering some of their own promotions ran on Apache on a Unix box (second-hand reliable info, see the mod_perl archives for details).

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker

[Arguile]

To actually change the server tokens you need to recompile, but you can turn them off with the ServerTokens directive.

Unfortunately, “[the] setting[s] appl[y] to the entire server, and cannot be enabled or disabled on a virtualhost-by-virtualhost basis.” Which means it must be used in the main server configuration files. Some ISPs can be convinced to turn them off completely on a security basis — other than that you’re out of luck.

[blakem]

That changes what comes after 'Apache' in the Server header, not the 'Apache' string itself.

-Blake

[Arguile]

For some reason I recall being able to specify ServerTokens Off. That doesn't appears in the docs though (and gives a syntax error) and I doubt that option would have been taken out. It must have been a hacked in feature (work had a set of patches).

Sorry for the confusion.

[perrin]

I'm afraid you are screwed if you can't recompile Apache. There is no other way to do it.