CentOS - Oct 2009 - apache env vars - best practices

I've been setting custom env vars for Apache 1 of 2 ways;

1 - Changing the passwd file so Apache has a shell and loading a  
custom .bashrc file.

2 - Using the SetEnv directive in my httpd.conf file.

I'm crazy about neither one as they both have limitations;

1 - I don't like giving Apache its own shell.

2 - The SetEnv directive only takes 2 args so if I have a var with  
multiple values like a path, it won't work.

What's the cleanest way to set complex env vars for Apache?

aurfalien at gmail.com wrote:
> What's the cleanest way to set complex env vars for Apache?
What are you needing to set such variables for? I've run apache
for probably nearly 15 years now, doing many different types of
things but never have I had to set complex environment
variables.

Have you tried sourcing the variables from the init script?
One way may be to put the variables in /etc/sysconfig/httpd

Perhaps there is a better way to do what you want without
needing such environment variables.

nate

aurfalien at gmail.com wrote:
> I've been setting custom env vars for Apache 1 of 2 ways;
> 
> 1 - Changing the passwd file so Apache has a shell and loading a  
> custom .bashrc file.
> 
> 2 - Using the SetEnv directive in my httpd.conf file.
> 
> I'm crazy about neither one as they both have limitations;
> 
> 1 - I don't like giving Apache its own shell.
> 
> 2 - The SetEnv directive only takes 2 args so if I have a var with  
> multiple values like a path, it won't work.
> 
> What's the cleanest way to set complex env vars for Apache?
I'm not aware of any exceptions to environment variables being single 
key/value strings.  The value of a path is a single string as far as the 
environment mechanism goes, even if the code that evaluates it splits on 
:'s by convention.  I don't think there is such a thing as a complex env
var.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com

On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 12:49 PM,  <aurfalien at gmail.com>
wrote:
> I've been setting custom env vars for Apache 1 of 2 ways;
>
> 1 - Changing the passwd file so Apache has a shell and loading a
> custom .bashrc file.
>
> 2 - Using the SetEnv directive in my httpd.conf file.
>
> I'm crazy about neither one as they both have limitations;
>
> 1 - I don't like giving Apache its own shell.
>
> 2 - The SetEnv directive only takes 2 args so if I have a var with
> multiple values like a path, it won't work.
>
> What's the cleanest way to set complex env vars for Apache?
I put "export FOO=bar" in /etc/sysconfig/httpd and then PassEnv FOO in
httpd.conf. Then scripts (PHP in my case) run by apache inherit FOO in
the environment. I can't speak for python though. Don't know why it
wouldn't work with what you call complex vars.

--
Jeff