Cannot start Apache on Plesk server: The Alias directive will probably never match because it overlaps an earlier Alias

Symptoms

• Apache web server cannot be started with the following warnings:

  CONFIG_TEXT: [alias:warn] AH00671: The Alias directive in /etc/httpd/conf.d/autoindex.conf at line 21 will probably never match because it overlaps an earlier Alias.
  [alias:warn] AH00671: The ScriptAlias directive in /etc/httpd/conf.d/php_cgi_wrapper.conf at line 1 will probably never match because it overlaps an earlier ScriptAlias.
  [alias:warn] AH00671: The Alias directive in /etc/httpd/conf.d/webalizer.conf at line 6 will probably never match because it overlaps an earlier Alias. \

• Errors like the following are shown when starting Apache:

  CONFIG_TEXT: httpd[20233]: (98)Address already in use: AH00072: make_sock: could not bind to address [::]:7081
  systemd[1]: httpd.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE

  ---

  CONFIG_TEXT: AH00526: Syntax error on line 22 of /etc/httpd/conf/modsecurity.d/rules/comodo_free/00_Init_Initialization.conf:
  ModSecurity: Found another rule with the same id

Cause

Apache misconfiguration:

• Include or IncludeOptional directive is specified twice in the Apache config:

  # grep "IncludeOptional conf.d" "/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf"
  IncludeOptional conf.d/*.conf
  IncludeOptional conf.d/*.conf

• The /etc/httpd/conf.d/ directory is Included twice in the Apache config (e.g. as relative and absolute paths):

  # grep Include /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
  IncludeOptional conf.d/*.conf
  Include /etc/httpd/conf.d/*.conf

Resolution

1. Connect to the server via SSH.

2. Comment out (add # symbol at the line beginning) extra record in /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf:

   CONFIG_TEXT: #IncludeOptional conf.d/*.conf

   ---

   CONFIG_TEXT: #Include /etc/httpd/conf.d/*.conf

3. Reconfigure web services:

   # plesk sbin httpdmng --reconfigure-all