Apache starts, but won't start after quit

I compiled Apache 1.3.12, mod_php/1.2.2, PHP/4.0.2 on RedHat 6.2 in March. It just developed a problem.

I have a line in rc.local to start Apache at boot and it works (/usr/local/apache/bin/apachectl start). After booting I can do "apachectl restart" and it restarts just fine.

The problem is if I stop apache (apachectl stop) then try to restart (apachectl start) the script reports that Apache has started but it really hasn't. The httpd processes don't show in ps -A and there's no entry in error_log for it starting or for an error.

Also, sometimes Apache quits for no reason. The only way to restart it is to reboot the machine.

Why is Apache doing this, how do I track down the problem and how do I fix it? I checked the syntax of httpd.conf and there's no problem. AFIK, no other processes that I run have this problem.

Never do a "apachectl start", use "apachectl graceful" instead. So you should only use:

apachectl graceful
apachectl stop
apachectl configtest

Also make sure The ServerType in your httpd.conf is "standalone", not "inetd".