Installing Apache 2 with custom options

[Alex Zbyslaw]

Nicholas Henry wrote:

>FreeBSD 5.3-RELEASE (GENERIC) #0: Fri Nov  5 04:19:18 UTC 2004
>
>I have apache2 running which I installed from ports. All is running
>well. I would like to install the proxy module. As I'm relatively new
>to FreeBSD and Unix I'm not sure which is the best way to go. Is there
>a way to change the config options before doing a make. How do I do
>this so I add to the existing config options with out "overwriting
>them". Can you do this with ports?
>  
>
I'm not quite sure what you are asking. 

If you are asking "how do I get make to remember the configuration 
options I used last time" then the easiest answer is to use 
sysutils/portupgrade and put your options into 
/usr/local/etc/pkgtools.conf (which is pretty self documenting when you 
edit it).  Some ports now put the options you used in 
/var/db/ports/{portname}/options, but apache2 doesn't seem to be one of 
them yet.  So if you didn't make a not of what you picked, you'll have 
to work them out all over again :-(

If you are asking how to re-install apache2 without overwriting changes 
you made to httpd.conf, then the safest way is to make backup copies 
before deleting the package and reinstalling.  (Easy with portugrgade -f 
option).  Actually, I think the port is clever about this and won't 
remove the config file if you have changed it, but I'd make backups anyway.

Personally, when installing a complex port like apache2, I always try to 
be generous about what modules etc I compile, and try to include stuff I 
*might* need even if I have no use for it yet.  Only experimental stuff 
gets left out.  Saves a lot of grief when you suddenly find a use for 
proxying :-)  Disk space is nearly always cheaper than time.

--Alex