apache2 not starting after purge and re-install

Question

First of all - I have looked and tried several approaches including https://askubuntu.com/questions/94805/apache-server-not-starting/

I am using Ubuntu 14.04 64 bit

I had purged using an answer at serverfault

• sudo service apache2 stop
• sudo apt-get --purge remove apache2 sudo apt-get remove apache2-common
• sudo apt-get autoremove
• whereis apache2 (gave 3 locations)
• sudo rm -rf /etc/apache2
• sudo rm -rf /usr/sbin/apache2
• sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/apache2

I did

• sudo apt-get -y install apache2 - says it is the newest version
• all conf files are in /etc/apache2 /etc/log/apache2/error_log is blank
• sudo service apache2 restart gives no output - no error - no message
• http//localhost or 127.0.0.1 say web server not available
• ps ax | grep -i apache gives 7919 pts/0 S+ 0:00 grep --color=auto -i apache

I am stumped - please help!

Edit - just realized /usr/sbin/apache2 does not exist and neither does /usr/lib/apache2

After 3 re-installs - how do i get them - pleas help - thx

Answer 1

In 14.04, the apache binaries are located in apache2-bin.

Since you are missing the binaries, you can try reinstalling that package along with apache2.

sudo apt-get install --reinstall apache2 apache2-bin

Then try starting apache again, (Although I believe apache will auto-start itself after installation)

sudo apache2ctl start

Answer 2

Apache2's binaries are in apache2-bin.

Try:

sudo apt-get --purge remove apache2*
sudo apt-get --purge autoremove
sudo apt-get install apache2

Answer 3

thx for responding.

I did try the purge, autoremove and install

It installed file - echo'd a lot of stuff setting up conf and default sites but when i went to localhost - there was no web server

restart did not echo anything but still no webserver

What worked was was purging autoremove and

then sudo-apt-get install tasksel

sudo tasksel

and choosing lamp server

I suspect it had something to do me deleting /usr/sbin/apache2 and /usr/lib/apache2 using whereis apache2 by following blindly

I wish I had known

sudo apt-get install --reinstall apache2 apache2-bin

that probably would have fixed my problem but good to know

Thanks a lot

Answer 4

You need to find the package using

dpkg -S /usr/sbin/apache2

after this, you get the response on the terminal like apache2-bin: /usr/sbin/apache2

then you re-install apache2 dependency apache2-bin

sudo apt install --reinstall apache2-bin