* Starting web server apache2 Syntax error on line 20 of /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/whatever_you_want_to_call_profile:
ScriptAlias takes two arguments, a fakename and a realname

Adding the suggested verbiage as a new paragraph below the default profile's ScriptAlias paragraph also didn't fly:

[warn] The ScriptAlias directive in /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/zaphu at line 46 will probably never match because it overlaps an earlier ScriptAlias.

I'll just blow away my newly minted local cgi directory and use the default ones in /usr/lib (if I ever get to the point where I'm using CGI) unless I can find clear instructions.

It seems like merely commenting something out doesn't make it disappear as far as apache is concerned, very odd, there were times I had to remove lines to get the profile to work.

Do you have to disable the webserver with “/etc/init.d/apache2 stop” and disable the profile with “a2dissite PROFILE_NAME” in order to edit your profile, then enable it again with “a2ensite PROFILE_NAME” and bring up the server with “/etc/init.d/apache2 start” to test your changes? Anyway, that's what I did. It would be easier if you could just edit the file of an active PROFILE and then simply reload the web server with “/etc/init.d/apache2 restart”.

BTW, one thing I would mention in a tutorial like this is that you have to set the right permissions for served files to be visible with a browser. I had to use a command like this from a terminal as a regular user:

chmod -R a+xr ~/Public/

Chmod changes permissions, “-R” makes it recursive (descends in to sub-directories), “a” means 'change this permission for ALL, “+rx” adds read and execute privileges (the later allows you to see into sub-folders).

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing…

ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ /usr/lib/cgi-bin/
<Directory “/usr/lib/cgi-bin”>
AllowOverride None
Options +ExecCGI -MultiViews +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>

Should I add a new paragraph with something like:

ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ /home/USERNAME/public_html/cgi-bin/
<Directory /home/USERNAME/public_html/cgi-bin/>
Options ExecCGI
AddHandler cgi-script cgi pl
</Directory>

Or should I edit the existing paragraph on my modified “default” file to look a bit like this:

######################3
ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ /usr/lib/cgi-bin/ /home/USERNAME/Public/cgi-bin/
## <Directory “/usr/lib/cgi-bin”> # old
<Directory “/home/USERNAME/Public/cgi-bin/”>
AllowOverride None
Options +ExecCGI -MultiViews +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch
## Added per zaphu
AddHandler cgi-script cgi pl
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>

thank you very much

nvm all is fine now and i can see my page on the net by its wan ip address i know what i need to do now. thanks for the help a great guide you have written.