[GLLUG] .htaccess Authentication

Ex Fed exfed@hotmail.com
Mon, 08 Jul 2002 00:28:04 +0000


Why does Apache ask for my password twice before serving a file?

If the hostname under which you are accessing the server is different than 
the hostname specified in the ServerName directive, then depending on the 
setting of the UseCanonicalName directive, Apache will redirect you to a new 
hostname when constructing self-referential URLs. This happens, for example, 
in the case where you request a directory without including the trailing 
slash.

When this happens, Apache will ask for authentication once under the 
original hostname, perform the redirect, and then ask again under the new 
hostname. For security reasons, the browser must prompt again for the 
password when the host name changes.

To eliminate this problem you should

Always use the trailing slash when requesting directories;
Change the ServerName to match the name you are using in the URL; and/or
Set UseCanonicalName off.



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