www.grootersnet.nl

WASD - configuration

Configuration

This can be the hard part.

First, you'll need to know how you configure your site: just one entry point, or do you host multiple sites ? (called Virtual Services in WASD, the equivalent of Virtual Hosts in SWS (Apache))? Is authentication required, and if so, what type: Against SYSUAF (with, or without SYSPRV privilege), LADP, of WASD-Local? How are your sites organized, what mapping do you need? What should be accessable by default, and what should be blocked?

Again, the manual is quite extensive and the abilities of the server are immense. Too much to grasp in short.

The best approach is to have each web on a rooted directory of it's own, define the logicals /SYSTEM/TRANSLATION=CONCEALED and use these in the specifcations, it will make your life a lot easier. Do the same for applications you intend to access over the web.

For example, this web is rooted on WEB_DISK2:[PUBLIC], another one on WEB_DISK2:[GENEALOGY], but you will access them as www.grootersnet.nl and genealogy.grootersnet.nl by the mapping I applied.

In HTTPD$CONFIG.CONF you will need to specify the services that you deliver, and optionally you can add a page that tells the world the requested service does not exist (but is available under DNS!). A matter of service, in stead of having them wait until a 404-page pops up! (try this)

This is how www.grootersnet.nl is defined:

# -SERVICE-

[Service]

http://www.grootersnet.nl:80

HTTPD$MAP.CONF will hold all mappings, for all services. All services must have their entry there, of you have to specify [ALL] for the rules that apply to alll services. This I found a nuisance, because the location of the rules is critical, and sometimes, the rules for one site may contradict rules of another site. Luckily, you can avoid a lot of trouble: give each site it's own configuration file and include that in HTTPD$MAP.CONF. And includes can be nested!

I have taken out parts of the original file (which is stated to be an example!) and put them in separate files: wll that's BASIC, some parts are more general but should not be accessible on all sites, and some are really specific.

Each site now has it's own configuration file in which I included the configuration files needed (BASIC, and more specific ones) and all that is specific for that site.

# Mapping per service

# standard web: www.grootersnet.nl

[IncludeFile] HT_ROOT:[LOCAL]www.conf

# special web: genealogy.grootersnet.nl

[Includefile] ht_root:[local]genealogy.conf

and so on. That's all that is in HTTP$MAP.CONF, except for the last line, to protect thet server files:

fail /ht_root/*

If access to something in here is needed, it will be specified in each of the web-configurations where that access is possible.

For speed, best you have most accessed webs mentioned on top, and less frequently accessed morre to the end. Each mapping will follow the list, though it will skip what's not appropiate, you will win at least some cycles each time it's walked through.

For each web, it's configuration files holds includes that specify more or less generic rules, and rules that are specific for that web. Of course, you need to mention the service for which it's appropiate.

# This is the service as stated in HTTPD$CONGIG.CONF
[[www.grootersnet.nl:80]]

# BASIC

# allow all basic mappings and VMS help (which relies on the
# basic mapping, so the order does matter!

[IncludeFile] HT_ROOT:[LOCAL]basic.conf
[IncludeFile] HT_ROOT:[LOCAL]help.conf

...

# Public web

pass /* /webroot/public/*
pass / /webroot/public/
exec /cgi-bin/* /cgi-bin/*

set * map=root=/web_disk2/public/

#-- EOF

BASIC.conf contains what's 'normally' used - just copied it from WASD's example configuration (that works) and help.conf contains just those lines required to access VMS help.