I created a Linux virtual server using open-source software VirtualBox and Ubuntu 9.10 to serve as my development server. I used the Ubuntu desktop edition as it provides me other options I needed not to mention that it came free with a computer magazine I once bought. This saved me sometime in download.
After installation and configuration, I have tested that all my desired functionalities are working the way I wanted them to be. Some features are I enabled are Apache, Mysql, PHP and Secured Shell.
When I started using my new web server, I realized that I needed to activate mod-rewrite to be able to get Search Engine Optimization functionality. I enabled mod-rewrite using the command
sudo a2enmod rewrite
then restarted Apache using the command
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart
after restarting, I checked if it was truly enable using the command
sudo apache2ctl -M
When I saw that rewrite was on the list, I was confident that my SEO will function as it should be. I was wrong. To verify again, I checked mod-rewrite using phpinfo(). I was happy with the result, however, the SEO functionality is still not as it should be. I am very sure that my .htaccess file is correct.
I am getting frustrated already, I have search all Ubuntu forums but they only mention about the process I have already done. Until I came across this blog, which provided me additional information missing from the Ubuntu forums.
Editing part of the file /etc/apache2/sites-available/default
Original:
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
AllowOverride None
Order allow,deny
allow from all
Modified:
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
AllowOverride All
Order allow,deny
allow from all
I restarted apache and the SEO worked fine.