FP2000: "Error Initializing Access Control" Error Message When You Try to Create a Subweb on an Apache Server (308239)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft FrontPage 2000
This article was previously published under Q308239

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to create a subweb on an Apache server, you may receive the following error message:
Server Error: Error initializing access control, can't inherit access control settings from the root web because it is missing the AuthUserFile and AuthGroupFile directives.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the correct patch has not been applied to the Apache Server. You cannot create a subweb with Microsoft FrontPage 2000 unless the patch has been applied to the Apache Server.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, apply the correct patch to the Apache server.

For additional information about the FrontPage 2000 Apache patch, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

216039 How to Manually Patch an Apache Server

MORE INFORMATION

The following information is from the Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions Resource Kit:

Because creating a subweb using the FrontPage client requires the client to write to the Web server's configuration file on NCSA and Apache Web servers, administrators cannot create FrontPage subwebs in this way.

For the Apache Web server, FrontPage supplies an optional patch to overcome this limitation. With this patch, copies of the FrontPage Server Extensions executable files are not stored in each FrontPage-extended Web, but are stored in one centralized location. This makes it unnecessary to mark directories in each Web as executable, and makes it possible for the FrontPage client to create new FrontPage-extended Webs without modifying server configuration files.

The patch to the Apache Web server intercepts each call that the FrontPage client makes to the server extensions executable files. It then performs security checks, sets user ID to the owner of the Web site (thus requiring SUID/SGID operation of the server extensions and the Web content), and invokes a centralized copy of the server extensions executable files.

Note that use of the FrontPage Apache patch is optional, and the FrontPage Server Extensions will function in the Apache environment without it. Without the patch, however, users of the FrontPage client will not be able to create new subwebs.

The FrontPage 2000 Apache patch supersedes the FrontPage 98 Apache patch. While the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions continue to support the FrontPage 98 Apache patch, the recommended configuration for increased security of the FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions on an Apache server is to use the FrontPage 2000 Apache patch.

For additional information about the FrontPage 2000 Apache patch, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

216039 How to Manually Patch an Apache Server

REFERENCES

To download the Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions Resource Kit, browse to the following Microsoft Web site:

http://office.microsoft.com/downloads/2000/Fp2kserk.aspx

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/7/2006
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb KB308239
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