When the Apache HTTP Server manages its child processes, it needs a way to wake up processes that are listening for new connections. To do this, it sends a simple HTTP request back to itself. This request will appear in the access_log file ... typically from 127.0.0.1 or your server's IP address. For example:

  83.170.93.77 - - [16/Sep/2011:03:30:02 +0100] "OPTIONS * HTTP/1.0" 200 - "-" "Apache (internal dummy connection)"

These requests are perfectly normal and you do not, in general, need to worry about them. They can simply be ignored. They should certainly not be "counted" as web site hits in any shape or form! If you wish to exclude them from your log, you can use normal conditional-logging techniques. For example:

  SetEnvIf Remote_Addr "83\.170\.93\.77" loopbackaccess
  CustomLog logs/access_log combined env=!loopbackaccess

And remember to stop and restart your server to pick up the new configuration file!

---

Aside ... the difference between counting the number of hits and the number of unique visitors - analysis of a log file of ours from a day last week:

  -bash-3.2$ wc ac_20110914
   120924 2271108 27668240 ac_20110914
  -bash-3.2$ perl -na -e '$n{$F[0]}++;END{print 0+keys(%n),"\n";}' ac_20110914
  9744
  -bash-3.2$

Translating that ...
27 Mbyte log file
120,924 requests received
9,744 different hosts requesting data

As ever, statistics hide a multitude of sins. The "different hosts" will include one for the internal dummy connection (unless you have disabled it) and a number for crawlers, which may (or be may not) be something you really want to count. However, it will only count one for all the machines behind a router which - for visitors from Well House Manor - means that all delegates on courses will appear to be the same person.
(written 2011-09-19)

 A603 - Web Application Deployment - Further httpd Configuration
  [3635] Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_STRING on brand new web site - why? - (2012-03-03)
  [3133] An image from a website that occasionally comes out as hyroglyphics - (2011-01-14)
  [2900] Redirecting a page - silent, temporary or permanent? - (2010-08-03)
  [2478] How did I do THAT? - (2009-10-26)
  [2272] Monitoring and loading tools for testing Apache Tomcat - (2009-07-07)
  [2060] Database connection Pooling, SSL, and command line deployment - httpd and Tomcat - (2009-03-01)
  [1974] Moving a directory on your web site - (2009-01-03)
  [1955] How to avoid duplicating web page maintainance - (2008-12-20)
  [1954] mod_rewrite for newcomers - (2008-12-20)
  [1939] mod_proxy_ajp and mod_proxy_balancer examples - (2008-12-13)
  [1778] Pointing all the web pages in a directory at a database - (2008-08-30)
  [1767] mod_proxy and mod_proxy_ajp - httpd - (2008-08-22)
  [1762] WEB-INF (Tomcat) and .htaccess (httpd) - (2008-08-20)
  [1707] Configuring Apache httpd - (2008-07-12)
  [1636] What to do if the Home Page is missing - (2008-05-08)
  [1619] User and Group settings for Apache httpd web server - (2008-04-22)
  [1566] Strange behaviour of web directory requests without a trailing slash - (2008-03-06)
  [1564] Default file (MiMe types) for Apache httpd and Apache Tomcat - (2008-03-04)
  [1554] Online hotel reservations - Melksham, Wiltshire (near Bath) - (2008-02-24)
  [1551] Which modules are loaded in my Apache httpd - (2008-02-23)
  [1381] Using a MySQL database to control mod_rewrite via PHP - (2007-10-06)
  [1377] Load Balancing with Apache mod_jk (httpd/Tomcat) - (2007-10-02)
  [1355] .php or .html extension? Morally Static Pages - (2007-09-17)
  [1351] Compressing web pages sent out from server. Is it worth it? - (2007-09-14)
  [1207] Simple but effective use of mod_rewrite (Apache httpd) - (2007-05-27)
  [1121] Sharing the load with Apache httpd and perhaps Tomcat - (2007-03-29)
  [1080] httpd.conf or .htaccess? - (2007-02-14)
  [1009] Passing GET parameters through Apache mod_rewrite - (2006-12-27)
  [934] Clustering, load balancing, mod_rewrite and mod_proxy - (2006-11-21)
  [853] To list a directory under httpd on a web server, or not? - (2006-09-02)
  [755] Using different URLs to navigate around a single script - (2006-06-11)
  [662] An unhelpful error message from Apache httpd - (2006-03-30)
  [649] Denial of Service ''attack'' - (2006-03-17)
  [631] Apache httpd to Tomcat - jk v proxy - (2006-03-03)
  [550] 2006 - Making business a pleasure - (2006-01-01)
  [526] Apache httpd - serving web documents from different directories - (2005-12-12)
  [466] Separating 'per instance' data from binaries and web sites - (2005-10-16)
  [345] Spotting a denial of service attack - (2005-06-12)

P210 - Perl - Topicalization and Special Variables
  [2972] Some more advanced Perl examples from a recent course - (2010-09-27)
  [2876] Different perl examples - some corners I rarely explore - (2010-07-18)
  [2833] Fresh Perl Teaching Examples - part 2 of 3 - (2010-06-27)
  [1922] Flurinci knows Raby Lae PHP and Jeve - (2008-12-04)
  [1860] Seven new intermediate Perl examples - (2008-10-30)
  [1829] Dont bother to write a Perl program - (2008-10-10)
  [1728] A short Perl example - (2008-07-30)
  [1705] Environment variables in Perl / use Env - (2008-07-11)
  [1704] Finding operating system settings in Perl - (2008-07-10)
  [1508] How not to write Perl? - (2008-01-15)
  [1444] Using English can slow you right down! - (2007-11-25)
  [1289] Pure Perl - (2007-08-03)
  [1232] Bathtub example - (2007-06-14)
  [1221] Bathtubs and pecking birds - (2007-06-07)
  [1136] Buffering output - why it is done and issues raised in Tcl, Perl, Python and PHP - (2007-04-06)
  [969] Perl - $_ and @_ - (2006-12-07)
  [639] Progress bars and other dynamic reports - (2006-03-09)
  [493] Running a Perl script within a PHP page - (2005-11-12)

Back to Checking all the systems on a subnet, using Expect and Tk

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Reading and using emails including enclosures on your web server.
Which or ATOC - who reads train fares right?
Why would you want to use a Perl hash?
A threat in the post? Poor marketing practise from Smiletrain?
Apache Internal Dummy Connection - what is it and what should I do with it?
Checking all the systems on a subnet, using Expect and Tk
Needle in a haystack - finding the web server overload
Awk v Perl
Perl and CGI - simple form, and monitoring script.
Take the dog on a lead - do not carry her. Perl references.