diff --git a/docs/manual/mod/core.html.en b/docs/manual/mod/core.html.en

index 86d9bee..e08034b 100644

--- a/docs/manual/mod/core.html.en

+++ b/docs/manual/mod/core.html.en

@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ available

 
 MaxRangeOverlaps

 
 MaxRangeReversals

 
 MaxRanges

+
 MergeSlashes

 
 Mutex

 
 NameVirtualHost

 
 Options

@@ -3170,6 +3171,30 @@ resource 

+
MergeSlashes Directive

+

+Description:Controls whether the server merges consecutive slashes in URLs. 

+Syntax:MergeSlashes ON | OFF

+Default:MergeSlashes ON

+Context:server config, virtual host

+Status:Core

+Module:core

+Compatibility:Available in Apache HTTP Server 2.4.6 in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

+

+    
By default, the server merges (or collapses) multiple consecutive slash

+       ('/') characters in the path component of the request URL.

+

+    
When mapping URL's to the filesystem, these multiple slashes are not 

+       significant.  However, URL's handled other ways, such as by CGI or proxy,

+       might prefer to retain the significance of multiple consecutive slashes. 

+       In these cases MergeSlashes can be set to 

+       OFF to retain the multiple consecutive slashes.  In these

+       configurations, regular expressions used in the configuration file that match

+       the path component of the URL (LocationMatch,

+       RewriteRule, ...) need to take into account multiple 

+       consecutive slashes.

+

+

 
Mutex Directive

 Description:Configures mutex mechanism and lock file directory for all

diff --git a/include/http_core.h b/include/http_core.h

index c05d06e..76bf5a4 100644

--- a/include/http_core.h

+++ b/include/http_core.h

@@ -465,6 +465,17 @@ typedef unsigned long etag_components_t;

 /* This is the default value used */

 #define ETAG_BACKWARD (ETAG_MTIME | ETAG_SIZE)

+/* Generic ON/OFF/UNSET for unsigned int foo :2 */

+#define AP_CORE_CONFIG_OFF   (0)

+#define AP_CORE_CONFIG_ON    (1)

+#define AP_CORE_CONFIG_UNSET (2)

+

+/* Generic merge of flag */

+#define AP_CORE_MERGE_FLAG(field, to, base, over) to->field = \

+               over->field != AP_CORE_CONFIG_UNSET            \

+               ? over->field                                  \

+               : base->field

+

 /**

  * @brief Server Signature Enumeration

  */

@@ -682,7 +693,7 @@ typedef struct {

 #define AP_HTTP_METHODS_LENIENT       1

 #define AP_HTTP_METHODS_REGISTERED    2

     char http_methods;

-

+    unsigned int merge_slashes;

 } core_server_config;

 /* for AddOutputFiltersByType in core.c */

diff --git a/include/httpd.h b/include/httpd.h

index 176ef5e..a552358 100644

--- a/include/httpd.h

+++ b/include/httpd.h

@@ -1622,11 +1622,21 @@ AP_DECLARE(int) ap_unescape_url_keep2f(char *url, int decode_slashes);

 AP_DECLARE(int) ap_unescape_urlencoded(char *query);

 /**

- * Convert all double slashes to single slashes

- * @param name The string to convert

+ * Convert all double slashes to single slashes, except where significant

+ * to the filesystem on the current platform.

+ * @param name The string to convert, assumed to be a filesystem path

  */

 AP_DECLARE(void) ap_no2slash(char *name);

+/**

+ * Convert all double slashes to single slashes, except where significant

+ * to the filesystem on the current platform.

+ * @param name The string to convert

+ * @param is_fs_path if set to 0, the significance of any double-slashes is 

+ *        ignored.

+ */

+AP_DECLARE(void) ap_no2slash_ex(char *name, int is_fs_path);

+

 /**

  * Remove all ./ and xx/../ substrings from a file name. Also remove

  * any leading ../ or /../ substrings.

diff --git a/server/core.c b/server/core.c

index 0e69f8c..67efd7e 100644

--- a/server/core.c

+++ b/server/core.c

@@ -476,6 +476,7 @@ static void *create_core_server_config(apr_pool_t *a, server_rec *s)

      */

     conf->trace_enable = AP_TRACE_UNSET;

+    conf->merge_slashes = AP_CORE_CONFIG_UNSET;

     return (void *)conf;

 }

@@ -536,6 +537,8 @@ static void *merge_core_server_configs(apr_pool_t *p, void *basev, void *virtv)

                            ? virt->merge_trailers

                            : base->merge_trailers;

+    AP_CORE_MERGE_FLAG(merge_slashes, conf, base, virt);

+

     return conf;

 }

@@ -1673,6 +1676,13 @@ static const char *set_override(cmd_parms *cmd, void *d_, const char *l)

     return NULL;

 }

+static const char *set_core_server_flag(cmd_parms *cmd, void *s_, int flag)

+{

+    core_server_config *conf =

+        ap_get_core_module_config(cmd->server->module_config);

+    return ap_set_flag_slot(cmd, conf, flag);

+}

+

 static const char *set_override_list(cmd_parms *cmd, void *d_, int argc, char *const argv[])

 {

     core_dir_config *d = d_;

@@ -4216,6 +4226,10 @@ AP_INIT_ITERATE("HttpProtocolOptions", set_http_protocol_options, NULL, RSRC_CON

 ,

 AP_INIT_ITERATE("RegisterHttpMethod", set_http_method, NULL, RSRC_CONF,

                 "Registers non-standard HTTP methods"),

+AP_INIT_FLAG("MergeSlashes", set_core_server_flag, 

+             (void *)APR_OFFSETOF(core_server_config, merge_slashes),  

+             RSRC_CONF,

+             "Controls whether consecutive slashes in the URI path are merged"),

 { NULL }

 };

diff --git a/server/request.c b/server/request.c

index 4eef097..cba3891 100644

--- a/server/request.c

+++ b/server/request.c

@@ -167,6 +167,8 @@ AP_DECLARE(int) ap_process_request_internal(request_rec *r)

     int file_req = (r->main && r->filename);

     int access_status;

     core_dir_config *d;

+    core_server_config *sconf =

+        ap_get_core_module_config(r->server->module_config);

     /* Ignore embedded %2F's in path for proxy requests */

     if (!r->proxyreq && r->parsed_uri.path) {

@@ -191,6 +193,12 @@ AP_DECLARE(int) ap_process_request_internal(request_rec *r)

     }

     ap_getparents(r->uri);     /* OK --- shrinking transformations... */

+    if (sconf->merge_slashes != AP_CORE_CONFIG_OFF) { 

+        ap_no2slash(r->uri);

+        if (r->parsed_uri.path) {

+            ap_no2slash(r->parsed_uri.path);

+        }

+     }

     /* All file subrequests are a huge pain... they cannot bubble through the

      * next several steps.  Only file subrequests are allowed an empty uri,

@@ -1383,20 +1391,7 @@ AP_DECLARE(int) ap_location_walk(request_rec *r)

     cache = prep_walk_cache(AP_NOTE_LOCATION_WALK, r);

     cached = (cache->cached != NULL);

-

-    /* Location and LocationMatch differ on their behaviour w.r.t. multiple

-     * slashes.  Location matches multiple slashes with a single slash,

-     * LocationMatch doesn't.  An exception, for backwards brokenness is

-     * absoluteURIs... in which case neither match multiple slashes.

-     */

-    if (r->uri[0] != '/') {

-        entry_uri = r->uri;

-    }

-    else {

-        char *uri = apr_pstrdup(r->pool, r->uri);

-        ap_no2slash(uri);

-        entry_uri = uri;

-    }

+    entry_uri = r->uri;

     /* If we have an cache->cached location that matches r->uri,

      * and the vhost's list of locations hasn't changed, we can skip

@@ -1449,7 +1444,7 @@ AP_DECLARE(int) ap_location_walk(request_rec *r)

              * terminated (or at the end of the string) to match.

              */

             if (entry_core->r

-                ? ap_regexec(entry_core->r, r->uri, 0, NULL, 0)

+                ? ap_regexec(entry_core->r, entry_uri, 0, NULL, 0)

                 : (entry_core->d_is_fnmatch

                    ? apr_fnmatch(entry_core->d, cache->cached, APR_FNM_PATHNAME)

                    : (strncmp(entry_core->d, cache->cached, len)

diff --git a/server/util.c b/server/util.c

index f9e3b51..4eac462 100644

--- a/server/util.c

+++ b/server/util.c

@@ -561,16 +561,20 @@ AP_DECLARE(void) ap_getparents(char *name)

         name[l] = '\0';

     }

 }

-

-AP_DECLARE(void) ap_no2slash(char *name)

+AP_DECLARE(void) ap_no2slash_ex(char *name, int is_fs_path)

 {

+

     char *d, *s;

+    if (!*name) {

+        return;

+    }

+

     s = d = name;

 #ifdef HAVE_UNC_PATHS

     /* Check for UNC names.  Leave leading two slashes. */

-    if (s[0] == '/' && s[1] == '/')

+    if (is_fs_path && s[0] == '/' && s[1] == '/')

         *d++ = *s++;

 #endif

@@ -587,6 +591,10 @@ AP_DECLARE(void) ap_no2slash(char *name)

     *d = '\0';

 }

+AP_DECLARE(void) ap_no2slash(char *name)

+{

+    ap_no2slash_ex(name, 1);

+}

 /*

  * copy at most n leading directories of s into d