Hi, and thanks for trying out this BETA. The full package is scheduled for release during November 2000 (to coincide with the closing of submissions for the OpenVMS Freeware CD v5).
It seems pretty stable, and is in use on a number of internal and local sites I have access to but it's when it gets into the wider world and environments and uses I've never thought of, that the real testing begins. This fourth BETA contains completely reworked scripting process creation and management code. It now allows detached and non-server account scripting (on VMS versions 6.2 and later). I have expanded the Scripting Overview Introduction to describe these new features and to provide more technical detail on how WASD script processes output.
Thanks again and looking forward to your comments ;^)
Search the new Technical Overview
Updates from 7.0 documentation includes numerous minor revisions and clarifications and a new Chapter 8, "Service Configuration ".Search the new Scripting Overview
Major revision from the 7.0 documentation is the new scripting process environment in Chapter 1, "Introduction", an extended Chapter 2, "CGI", and new Chapter 4, "Run-Time Environments".Originally the main objectives for this version was Run-Time Environment (RTE) support (search for "RTE") and multi-server-per-node/cluster aware directives (search for "/ALL"), although rather late in the cycle I have added detached process and non-server account scripting (search for "detached" and search for "non-server").
The RTE is ultimately intended to be used to support a Java Servlet engine, but initially provides a very promising, persistent Perl engine, which on the test-bench and loading CGI.PM module improves throughput by some twenty-five times! The other/perlrte.html page provides some basic information on how to configure and test this.
Check the changes.html page for other features have been added.
Example scripts and a cluster-aware HTTPDMON are located in the other/ directory.
No significant changes to a site's environment are required to support this BETA. Hence it is possible to swap a site back and forth fairly rapidly between the 7.0 and 7.1 HTTPD.EXE.
There are some new HTTPD$CONFIG configuration directives, new mapping rules to support the example RTE environment, and an optional new HTTPD$SERVER configuration file. If/when returning to v7.0 that version will just ignore them (although report as warning - unknown).
Build
To reduce the amount of work required by myself and ease the supply of fixes as problems are reported and fixed no object code modules with these BETAs. You will be required to build the server using DECC v5.n or v6.n (if this is an issue for any site that really wants/needs to try the BETA then contact me). Then an INSTALL of the new image and restart is all that's required. It is recommended to rename the existing server image to facilitate a simple and rapid movement between the two as necessary.
$ RENAME HT_EXE:HTTPD.EXE;* HT_EXE:HTTPD_700.EXE;* $ SET DEFAULT HT_ROOT:[SRC.HTTPD71] $ @BUILD_HTTPD $ SET DEFAULT [.OTHER] $ @BUILD_HTTPDMON $ @BUILD_RTE_EXAMPLE $ @BUILD_PERLRTE $ MCR INSTALL REPLACE HT_EXE:HTTPD.EXE - /PRIVILEGE=(ALTPRI,DETACH,PRMMBX,PSWAPM,SYSLCK,SYSPRV,SYSNAM,WORLD) $ HTTPD == "$HT_EXE:HTTPD" $ HTTPD/DO=RESTART
or for an SSL image (using the current OpenSSL 0.9.5)
$ RENAME HT_EXE:HTTPD_SSL.EXE;* HT_EXE:HTTPD_SSL_700.EXE;* $ SET DEFAULT HT_ROOT:[SRC.HTTPD71] $ @BUILD_HTTPD SSL $ SET DEFAULT [.OTHER] $ @BUILD_HTTPDMON $ @BUILD_RTE_EXAMPLE $ @BUILD_PERLRTE $ MCR INSTALL REPLACE HT_EXE:HTTPD_SSL.EXE - /PRIVILEGE=(ALTPRI,DETACH,PRMMBX,PSWAPM,SYSLCK,SYSPRV,SYSNAM,WORLD) $ HTTPD == "$HT_EXE:HTTPD_SSL" $ HTTPD/DO=RESTART
When the final release is installed the [.HTTPD71] subdirectory tree can then just be deleted.
Other
There have been some changes to the way authorization rules are applied to a request. By default it is now applied to the mapped (resultant) path. Previously it was always to the request path. This is now available as a backward-compatible behaviour by adding the following directive to the HTTPD$CONFIG file
[AuthRequestPath] enabled
It is strongly recommended this be done for existing installations. There may be subtle changes in authorization otherwise.
As indicated in the build description above it will be necessary to add the DETACH (for detached scripting processes) and possibly SYSLCK privileges (for cluster-wide administration). This can be done manually as
$ MCR INSTALL REPLACE HT_EXE:HTTPD[_SSL].EXE - /PRIVILEGE=(ALTPRI,DETACH,PRMMBX,PSWAPM,SYSLCK,SYSPRV,SYSNAM,WORLD)
and in the STARTUP.COM procedure with
$ INSTALL ADD 'HTTPD_EXE' - /PRIVILEGE=(ALTPRI,DETACH,PRMMBX,PSWAPM,SYSLCK,SYSPRV,SYSNAM,WORLD)
As always, a big vote of thanks to my long-suffering spouse who makes all of this possible.