SOLVED: This is one way to host AWS via an Apache website

[timc_usyd]

If you have a web site hosted locally or remotely which is currently using Apache 2.2 (Linux or windows) then you can include pages from Alpha Anywhere & Alpha5. I am still testing the following solution but it seems to be working for me.

It uses the ReverseProxy features of Apache mod_proxy. You still need a Windows computer to be running the Alpha5 application server that is reachable by the server running Apache.

Example code:

...
<VirtualHost public_IP:80>
 ServerName www.host1.org.au
 ServerAlias host1.org.au
 ServerAdmin private_email
 DocumentRoot /var/www/sitename/html
 ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "/var/www/sitename/html/cgi-bin/"
 ErrorLog logs/sitename-error_log
 CustomLog logs/sitename-access_log common
 
RewriteEngine  on

# start of Alpha5 solution
       ProxyPass /icpc3dev http://host2/icpc3dev
       ProxyPassReverse /icpc3dev http://host2/icpc3dev
       ProxyRequests Off
       ProxyPreserveHost On
# end of Alpha5 solution

...

</VirtualHost>
...

The following values have been replaced to hide private information from this example:
public_IP = IP address of server. Also in DNS and domain registration record. This is normally #.#.#.#
host1 = part of the public domain name.
private_email = email address of the server/site administrator.
sitename = abbreviation of sitename or host1.
host2 = IP_address:port_number of another internal server running Alpha5 application server.
icpc3dev = the sub-directory used for the A5 web app.
Alpha5 pages are in a sub-directory of the main site by themselves. The server root and all other sub-directories not under this "icpc3dev" folder have normal html/jpg/pdf/php etc. content with no a5w.

NOTE: This does not support SSL used by the Alpha5 app server but Apache to end user can use SSL. Also, Alpha5 login security still works.

Several other threads have been started by people looking for a similar solution. I will try to add a reference (to my solution) to the other threads.

[Steve Wood]

Re: SOLVED: This is one way to host AWS via an Apache website

You have to confirm that sessions are isolated and security works properly. This is the same as the solution presented elsewhere using Abyss web server. I was a big user of Apache with Alpha when they (Alpha) actually had an Apache module and virtual hosting worked great then. But they abandoned that module and I have been told it is not secure. But see if you can prove security and sessions work properly. The other problem that virtual hosting does not solve that you still need to use multiple instances of alpha if you need to support heavy traffic.