Apache Common and Combined definition Vs. documentation disparity

[Ryan Jones]

Using the default apache install the common and combined log format definitions differ from both the vanilla apache documentation and the documentation provided in the apache2-doc package in the file: /usr/share/doc/apache2-doc/manual/en/logs.html

The vanilla apache documentation, the documentation in the apache2-doc package and the config file in the vanilla apache2.2.22 source package define the combined and common log file formats respectively as follows:
    LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %b \"%{Referer}i\" \"%{User-Agent}i\"" combined
    LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %b" common

The file /etc/apache2/apache2.conf included in the Ubuntu apache2.2-common package defines the combined and common log file formats respectively as follows:
LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %O \"%{Referer}i\" \"%{User-Agent}i\"" combined
LogFormat "%h %l %u %t \"%r\" %>s %O" common
The difference between them being that where in the vanilla version we have ‘%b’ whilst in the apache2.2-common version we have ’%O’. Whilst the data they return is similar they are not the same.

From my point of view the two logical ways to deal with this issue are
1. Change the /etc/apache2/apache2.conf file in the apache2.2.-common package from the ‘%O’ flag to the ‘%b’ flag. This will then match the documentation on the apache site, the documentation in the apache2-doc and the vanilla apache configuration.
2. Change the name of the log file definitions in the configuration file (e.g. from common and combined to common-ubuntu and combined-ubuntu) to stop confusion with the different but identically named formats in the apache vanilla documentation.
Change the documentation provided in the apache2-doc packed to reflect this change.
Note for the purposes of this bug report ‘vanilla apache’ means from the httpd.apache.org site and nothing to do with the Ubuntu distribution.

[Robie Basak (racb)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.

Do you know if this bug is introduced by Ubuntu, or also exists in Debian? If the bug exists in Debian, I think that would be the appropriate venue for a fix.

[Ryan Jones (ryan-jones)]

This was something that exists in Debian. I have now raised a bug report with them and it has been given a Debian Bug Tracking System number of:

Bug#679522: apache2.2-common: Apache Common and Combined definition Vs. documentation disparity