Apache failed to start directadmin error causing nightmares?

As a part of our Server Management Service, our Support Team at Bobcares is here to answer any query you may have.

Let’s take a look at how our talented Support Techs resolved the Apache error that gave some of our customers a scare.

Apache failed to start directadmin

Recently, one of our customers ran into trouble when their Apache stopped working and refused to start. Fortunately, our Support Engineers helped resolve the situation quickly.

We took a close look at the logs to identify the root cause behind the problem:

AH00526: Syntax error on line 31 of /usr/local/directadmin/data/users/dcdev/httpd.conf:
Invalid command '|UNIT_PROXY|', perhaps misspelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration
httpd.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Failed to start The Apache HTTP Server.
Unit httpd.service entered failed state.
httpd.service failed.

This error seems to be common in servers updated to Apache 2.4.48. According to our Support Techs, FollowSymlinks are not necessary any longer, resulting in the error.

How to resolve Apache failed to start directadmin error</strong

We can easily resolve this error by rebuilding Apache. According to our Support Engineers, we can rebuild Apache with these steps:

cd /usr/local/directadmin/custombuild
./build update
/usr/local/directadmin/directadmin p
./build rewrite_confs

Furthermore, rebuilding Apache on a live server won’t affect website data. In other words, can be done whether via the DA control panel or via SSH at the command line.

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Conclusion

In short, we learned how to rebuild Apache under the guidance of the skilled Support Engineers at Bobcares after coming across the common Apache failed to start error.