Topic: Many GET /icons hits ?

[Danll]

Relative novice here, so pardon a simplistic question. In reviewing my logs, I keep coming across strings of GETs aimed at my file distribution site that strike me as a bit strange. These come in groups like

"GET /icons/blank.gif HTTP/1.1" 200 148
"GET /icons/back.gif HTTP/1.1" 200 216
"GET /icons/sound2.gif HTTP/1.1" 200 221
"GET /icons/layout.gif HTTP/1.1" 200 276

Always the same trivial gifs being requested.

They are clearly successful, but I have no idea why some users, who are accessing files I've put out for them to get, are also requesting these particular files in the same visit.

I think I understand what these icons are, but I have no clue why any user is intentionally (or unintentionally) GETting them.

Is this some kind of a security probe? I'm pretty sure they aren't bots, but are individual users.

[Steffen]

They are on the web page they are accessing ?

Try in your httpd.conf:

<FilesMatch \.(?i:gif|jpg|png|ico)$>
Header append Cache-Control max-age=2592000
</FilesMatch>

This should cache for 30 days by the browser and not re-download.

Steffen

[Danll]

[Steffen]

They just hitting your site because the gifs are on a web page they load.

Somewhere on the system ?
Hope you know what you are serving.

A browser does not hit a site whithin the 30 days, except when the user clears the browser cache.

There is google, try to search Header append cache-control max-age

[Danll]

Let's try for one question.

What are these GET requests? Those GIFs are not on the web page they're loading. At least, I never put them there. I don't even know where on my system those icon files are located. Many people load the same web page, and their request doesn't come with those GETs. So there is something different about these requests.

Yes, I do hope I know what I'm serving. That's why I'm asking.

I searched Google got "GET /icons/back.gif" and got pointed to lots and lots of log pages (so this is a pretty common occurance!), and one or two people asking the same question that I am, though their question was not obviously answered.

[Steffen]

These GET requests are just serving gif's from your site(s).

Try to figure out where the .gif's are om your site(s), that should be easy.

Btw. Do you run Apache ?

[glsmith]

[Danll]

Well actually that's a great point. These are exactly the icons that Apache puts next to the filenames in a directory listing. So I guess if I'm offering a directory, and not just a file, I shouldn't be surprised that those icons are served with it.

It may be that those who are not asking for those icons are get GETting the file directly, instead of asking for a display of the directory that file is in.

I think that's the answer. Thanks to all!

[Danll]

I should add, as a P.S., that users who GET directories don't always try to GET these gifs from me. I have to assume that's because for these users, their browser has already cached these gifs, so there is no reason to ask for them.