[olug] Apache will no longer run in Red Hat after a reboot

[T. J. Brumfield]

I got a call from a friend whose business depends on an Apache web server,
but he doesn't know much about Linux. He is running Red Hat inside of a
Windows Hyper-V VM. He bounced the Windows box for patching, which in turn
rebooted his VM. He doesn't remember the last time he installed updates in
Red Hat, but he does it from time to time.

/var/log/httpd/error_log is just full of this:

[error] NSS_Initialize failed. Certificate database: /etc/httpd/alias.
[error] SSL Library Error: -8038 SEC_ERROR_NOT_INITIALIZED

I've never used NSS personally. I Googled for the error and literally every
hit I found was a permissions issue, that the apache wasn't running under
the right group or that group couldn't access the files under
/etc/httpd/alias.

The problem is that doesn't appear to the problem with my buddy. Every
httpd process is running under apache:apache and all the *.db files in
/etc/httpd/alias are 640 and owned by the apache group, exactly how they
should be.

My buddy's business is down until we can resolve this.

Any suggestions from someone more familiar with Red Hat/Fedora/CentOS and
NSS?

-- T. J. Brumfield
"I'm questioning my education
Rewind and what does it show?
Could be, the truth it becomes you
I'm a seed, wondering why it grows"
-- Pearl Jam, Education