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Web access to Linux directory outside public_html?

I want to have a web user open an index.html file that is in a directory outside of the root directory for the website. (which I cannot move and do not what to copy)

For example, they would go to www.mydomain.com/stats (which would take them to /home/acctname/public_html) where they would find a symbolic link 'stats' pointing to /home/acctname/tmp/somedir where they would execute the index.html file there.

I symbolic link seems to work because I can 'cd stats' from /home/acctname/public_html and I change to the /home/acctname/tmp/somedir directory.

I also did a chmod a+rwx on the tmp directory and the index.html file there.

The problem is that I get a 404 error when going to www.mydomain.com/stats

Any suggestions?

Peter
Linux Newbie

jlevie

If you are going to use a symlink the Options on the document root need to include FollowSymLinks, e.g.:

<Directory />
Options FollowSymLinks Multiviews
...

An alternatve to that is to specify an Alias for the site, like:

Alias /stats "/home/acctname/tmp/somedir"

pneuhaus

ASKER

Clarification please:

Am I to type
alias /stats "/home/acctname/tmp/somedir"
at the bash prompt while in the webroot of acctname?
Seems like I'm missing and equal sign.

neither worked.

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jlevie

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B1-66ER

to create symbol links use command "ld":

$ cd DIR_WITH_YOUR_INDEX.HTML
$ ln -s PATH_TO_INDEX_HTML_IN_ANOTHER_DIR ./index.html

now users in their brousers will see PATH_TO_INDEX_HTML_IN_ANOTHER_DIR

B1-66ER

sorry!
i make mistake, i doesnt well read your question.
sorry aagain :)