5.3

4 vFabric Web Server
4 Overview of vFabric Web Server
• Apache mod_fcgid 2.3.7
• Apache mod_jk 1.2.37
• Apache APR Library 1.4.6
• Apache APR-util Library 1.3.12
• Apache tcnative connector
• cURL 7.29
• Expat 2.1.0
• GNU libiconv 1.11
• mod_bmx 0.9.4 (Hyperic plug-in for monitoring support)
• OpenSSL 1.0.1e
• OpenSSL/FIPS 2.0
• OpenLDAP 2.3.43
• PCRE 8.32
• zlib 1.2.7
You typically install vFabric Web Server from the vfabric-web-server-version-platform package, which
contains all the preceding compiled modules. For your convenience, VMware also makes a vfabric-web-server-
devel-version-platform package available which you can use to build HTTPD modules. Typically, you install the -
devel package only on development computers, and not on production computers.
mod_fcgid Implementation of Connector to FastCGI
The mod_fcgid distributed with vFabric Web Server 5.3 is an implementation of the connector to FastCGI applications. This
module allows the user to provision FastCGI providers such as PHP or Ruby on Rails from third parties, running out-of-process
from the server itself.
Many applications can be built to support FastCGI; consult your language or application documentation for details. The
application providing FastCGI services is launched by mod_fcgid on the initial request, and reused for subsequent requests to that
application or language environment.
For details on configuring an application, including the number of persistent processes created, see Apache Module mod_fcgid.
Differences Between vFabric Web Server and vFabric ERS
The vFabric Cloud Application Platform includes two HTTP server and load-balancing products: vFabric Web Server and
vFabric Enterprise Ready Server (ERS). vFabric ERS is nearing its end-of-life and VMware highly recommends that ERS
customers migrate to vFabric Web Server. The following table describes the major differences between the two products and
provides high-level actions that existing ERS customers can take as they prepare for the migration.
Table 2.1. Differences Between vFabric Web Server and vFabric ERS
vFabric Web Server vFabric ERS Customer Action
Available as part of vFabric Suite (Standard
and Advanced) or as a standalone product.
Not included in vFabric Suite. Originally
designed for only physical computers.
Select licensing based on vFabric integration
or dedicated hardware.
Strictly an Apache HTTPD Server-based
product. vFabric tc Server, a separate
Includes both Apache HTTPD and Apache
Tomcat packages.
Migrate ERS Apache HTTPD instances to
vFabric Web Server. Separately migrate ERS
Tomcat instances to vFabric tc Server.