[Qgis-user] OSGeo4W's QGIS Web Server install problem. “Not Found ... qgis_mapserv.fcgi”

[dennis mckay]

I have been spending days trying to start the “Apache OSGeo4W Web Server” on a Win7 Professional SP 1.  I have no experience with Apache.  I have followed the tutorial steps from the QGIS Web Server wiki and Anita Graser's how-to and also other forum advice.  This has led me to upgrading from QGIS 2.4 to 2.6, then to QGIS 2.6 64bit.  Lastly I upgraded Apache from 2.2 32bit to 2.4 64bit.  I finally get “It works!” from localhost/ using any combination of 32/64bit QGIS or Apache.  Trying “http://localhost/OSGeo4W64/apps/qgis/bin/qgis_mapserv.fcgi?SERVICE=WMS&VERSION=1.3.0&REQUEST=GetCapabilities” results in  “Not Found  The requested URL /OSGeo4W/apps/qgis/bin/qgis_mapserv.fcgi was not found on this server.”   This is the error I get no matter what the combination of Apache and QGIS installs – and regardless of including “.exe” with the file name.

Some recommended actions I took may be obsolete with QGIS 2.6 or Apache 2.4.  I am trying to reduce my variables here and need help focusing on where the problems are:  The major adaptations I did, beyond updating .conf files to new Apache 2.4 format were:

1) Disabling references to fcgid and replacing them with cgi (in .conf files).  On newer forum advice, I reverted back to fcgi.

2) Replacing backslashes with forward in file names as per Apache admonitions.  My confusion: original osgeo installs and forum examples have hybrid examples like "C:\OSGeo4W/apps/ka-map-1.0".  Always with the backslash after C: and no documentation in sight as to the advantages of doing this, if any.  

3) Following a forum advice to copy files from apps\Python27\Lib to apps\qgis\bin.

4) Upgrading to 64 bit Apache required copying application-specific .conf files from OSGeo4W\httpd.d directory to OSGeo4W64\httpd.d and updating the terminology.

5) In the URL for qgis_mapserver.fgci.exe, replacing “localhost” with 127.0.0.1 or with my machine's tcp/ip #.

6) Using the latest version of mod_fcgid.so from Apache lounge.

Variables in httpd.conf appear to point to the correct directories/files.  I think relevant settings are:

ServerRoot "C:/OSGeo4W64/Apache24"
ServerName  ###.###.#.#:80      [my “IPv4 Address” has real numbers not seen here ]
DocumentRoot "C:/OSGeo4W64/Apache24/htdocs"
ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "C:/OSGeo4W64/apps/Python27/Lib/"    [this is new location for cgi.py,etc.]
DirectoryIndex index.html index.html.var index.php index.phtml index.php3
Alias /ms_tmp/ "C:/OSGeo4W64/tmp/ms_tmp/"

“Require all denied” on:  
   Directory “/” 
   FilesMatch “\.ht”
“Require all granted” on:
   Directory "C:/OSGeo4W64/Apache24/htdocs"                       [DocumentRoot]
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes         
   Directory “C:/OSGeo4W64/apps/Python27/Lib”                    [ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ ]
         Options +ExecCGI -MultiViews +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch
         SetEnv LD_LIBRARY_PATH "C:/OSGeo4W64/lib"                 
   Directory “C:/OSGeo4W64/tmp”                                              [ /tmp/ ]
   Directory “C:/OSGeo4W64/apps/qgis/bin”                               [ /qgis/ ]
         SetHandler fcgid-script
         Options ExecCGI

AddHandler cgi-script .cgi
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php5 .php4 .php3 .phtml .php
Action  application/x-httpd-php "C:/OSGeo4W64/apache24/htdocs"

Include conf/extra/httpd-autoindex.conf
Include conf/extra/httpd-manual.conf
Include "C:/OSGeo4W64/httpd.d/httpd_*.conf"

SetEnv PROJ_LIB "C:/OSGeo4W64/share/proj"
SetEnv PATH "C:/OSGeo4W64/bin"
SetEnv GDAL_DATA "C:/OSGeo4W64/share/gdal"
SetEnv GDAL_DRIVER_PATH "C:/OSGeo4W64/bin/gdalplugins"
SetEnv TMP "C:/OSGeo4W64/tmp"
SetEnv MS_ERRORFILE "C:/OSGeo4W64/tmp/ms_error.txt"
SetEnv MS_DEBUGLEVEL 3

Question:  Does qgis_mapserv.fgci.exe return good debugging info if run from command line?  
Question:  What is the format for passing parameters to qgis_mapserv.fgci.exe in the command line?
Question:  In Apache .conf files, can quotes in path names be dropped if there are no spaces?  

The Real Question:  Why does my browser not find qgis_mapserver.fgci.exe?

I am grasping for clues that a seasoned eye would see.  Dennis