Are there .htaccess files for Apache 1.3 available for ZC 1.3.x?

[neekfenwick]

I've been asked to build a site for a customer, and based it on Zen Cart 1.3.9f, or g, or something very recent. I've spent some time developing it locally, come to deploy it to their web host, and found that they are hosting it with Fasthosts in the UK, who seem to give us Apache 1.3.

As is quite well documented elsewhere, the .htaccess files that ship with Zen Cart are incompatible with Apache 1.3, and cause all sorts of 500 Internal Server Error messages and occasionally 404 File Not Founds. My initial workaround is simply to rename all .htaccess files.

This obviously removes some important security concerns. I guess from what I've read that we are immediately at risk of some malicious behaviour. Is there a set of Apache 1.3 compatible .htaccess files available somewhere that we can drop in as a replacement?

I really don't want to have to dig through each one and translate its directives to be compatible with 1.3. I feel I'm duplicating work that someone else may have already done.

The debate about upgrading our web host to use Apache 2.x may take some time and for now I'd just like to get online with as little risk of being hacked as possible.

Thanks
Nick

[DrByte]

1. Fasthosts is a BAD choice. You'll have no end of problems if you intend to use SSL to protect your customers shopping experiences from prying eyes.
2. Apache 1.3 is no longer supported, and is not PCI compliant. Why would you run a store on that anyway?
3. That said, Zen Cart 1.3.x works fine with Apache 1.3. You just have to configure your apache to handle the security protections set up in the .htaccess files. Instructions are inside the .htaccess files.

Do yourself a favour and get a better host before you even start. You'll regret it later if you don't.

[neekfenwick]

1. Fasthosts is a BAD choice. You'll have no end of problems if you intend to use SSL to protect your customers shopping experiences from prying eyes.

I've read this elsewhere too. I'm used to a nice clean VPS environment, which fasthosts doesn't seem to provide.. running 'ps' and seeing lots of other website processes (and the command line details that expose their inner workings) does not fill me with confidence.

I might have some trouble pushing a hosting move past my client, though.

2. Apache 1.3 is no longer supported, and is not PCI compliant. Why would you run a store on that anyway?

If you mean Payment Card Industry, we do not actually intend to take any payments on this site. We are essentially running in showcase mode. However I take your point, and am horrified that they're running 1.3 at all. Amusingly, PHP on their box is at 5.2.6, which is at least recent enough to support ZC quite well.

3. That said, Zen Cart 1.3.x works fine with Apache 1.3. You just have to configure your apache to handle the security protections set up in the .htaccess files. Instructions are inside the .htaccess files.

Yes, it is this digging through apache docs that I want to avoid.. I'm not familiar with the directives, it'll take me a while and I'm not being paid for this work. I've quoted fixed price to deliver a shop, not fiddle with their awful hosting platform :)

I'll push to switch hosting asap. Thank you for your comments.
Nick