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Owncloud, DirectAdmin, Apache 2.4 and Error AH01797: client denied by server configuration

Published: 15-09-2014 | Author: Remy van Elst | Text only version of this article


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owncloud

I keep a few servers around for shared webhosting for friends, family and some other domains. Most of them run Directadmin, because it is easier to work with for the target audience. I'm very good with the command line, they've never heard of it.

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One of my friends runs Owncloud, a wonderfull piece of software to get cloud services under your control. He does not use the file part but rather the calendar and contacts a lot. A recent update of Apache to 2.4.10 broke that functionality on a Directadmin machine with the error AH01797: client denied by server configuration.

I started by checking the vhosts file, /usr/local/directadmin/data/users/$USER/httpd.conf and see if changing or adding the Require all granted part solved it. But, it did not.

A combination of httpd -S to see all sites and httpd -V to see all compile settings led me to a Directadmin configuration file, /etc/httpd/conf/extra /httpd-directories.conf which contains the following:

<Directory /home>
        AllowOverride All
        Options -MultiViews -Indexes +FollowSymLinks +IncludesNoExec +Includes
        <Limit GET POST OPTIONS PROPFIND>
                Order allow,deny
                Allow from all
        </Limit>
       <LimitExcept GET POST OPTIONS PROPFIND>
               Order deny,allow
               Deny from all
       </LimitExcept>
</Directory>

The PROPFIND HTTP method is specific to Webdav, Owncloud used that a lot with Carddav and Caldav sync. Commenting out or removing the PROPFIND method from the last Deny from all block solved the syncing problem. I'm not sure how that got in there, it seems incorrect with 2.4, but still, after removing it, Owncloud works as it did again.

Tags: apache , blog , caldav , carddav , directadmin , owncloud