ScriptAlias in httpd.conf

Hi

I'm trying to add a new scriptalias into the httpd.conf file to add a new cgi directory.

The entry I'm adding looks something like this

ScriptAlias /retail-common-bin/ "X:/path/to/another/folder/on/anther/drive/"

The reason for this is that we (the template developers) want to create cgi-scripts without having to add them to the teamsite installation drive (I don't have access to that). In my case I want to create a logging script that will facilitate logging from with formapi using the callServer method.

When I try to access the cgi-script I get the following error (in access.log)

10.160.197.19 - - [23/Aug/2006:14:12:27 +0100] "GET /retail-common-bin/logger_proxy.ipl HTTP/1.0" 302 0 0 -

10.160.197.19 - - [23/Aug/2006:14:12:28 +0100] "GET /iw-cc/command/iw.base.show_done_page?full_redirect=true&done_page=/retail-common-bin/logger_proxy.ipl HTTP/1.0" 200 13627 1 -

I'm getting back an HTTP 302 - i.e. a redirect to another page.

Does anything else need to be done to the httpd.conf file (I realise, I'll need to replicate these changes to httpd.conf.template)?

FYI, we're running TSD 6.5 on windows (not quite sure what version)

Cheers

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Comments

Valentine

- You modify *.template files, then use iwwebd_conf or iwreset -ui to regenerate the config files

- Most likely your scripts will be handled by the "customer" web server, which is usually running on port 81.

Millie

You've lost me there Valentine. I'm going to ask what you'll think is an obvious question - whats the 'customer' web server? Do you mean the web server that teamsite deploys to when generated files have been approved etc?

I would have expected the same webserver that allows me to fill in DCRs to be the one to perform the logging too.

Adam Stoller

You've lost me there Valentine. I'm going to ask what you'll think is an obvious question - whats the 'customer' web server? Do you mean the web server that teamsite deploys to when generated files have been approved etc?

I would have expected the same webserver that allows me to fill in DCRs to be the one to perform the logging too.

It's an interesting question in this context (although at its base its a standard question that one should understand from training and/or reading the manuals and various forum postings).

Prior to 5.5 - this webserver would have been responsible for handling the TeamSite UI and previewing content.

Currently, the customer web server is the web server that sits on the same machine as TeamSite and is used exclusively for previewing content, while iwwebd (Apache) is used to render the TS GUI.

So - in the case of editing DCRs - which is it? I believe you would be correct with regard to it being iwwebd and thus the configuration files would be the ones found in IWHOME/iw-webd/conf

Which then means that Valentine's initial response is the one of importance - in that you should not modify the *.conf file, you should modify the *.conf.template file and then re-build the conf file from there (making sure that the iwwebd process is also restarted so as to process the newly generated conf files.

So - I think you're concentrating in the right, general, area - but I have no idea whether or not you're making the right changes.

Millie

Thanks for that.

teamsite formal training: none, a case of diving in really.

however I have helped design and build a custom cms in the past.

I realise that I should edit the httpd.conf.template file first and regenerate httpd.conf using iwwebd_conf.ipl.

I suppose I was just trying to get something working quickly before editing the httpd.conf.template. Do you think making the same change to httpd.conf.template and regenerating might be more successul?

In the initial post I said I was adding

ScriptAlias /retail-common-bin/ "X:/path/to/another/folder/on/anther/drive/"

so to the httpd.conf.template, I would add it here

#<IfModule mod_alias.c>

Alias /iw/tsadmin/ "__IW_TS_HOME__/httpd/webapps/tsadmin/"
Alias /iw-cc/ "__IW_TS_HOME__/httpd/webapps/content_center/"
ScriptAlias /iw-bin/ "__IW_TS_HOME__/httpd/iw-bin/"
# my new cgi directory here
ScriptAlias /retail-common-bin/ "X:/path/to/another/folder/on/anther/drive/"
Alias /iw-icons/ "__IW_TS_HOME__/httpd/iw-icons/"
Alias /iw-config/ "__IW_TS_HOME__/local/config/"
Alias /iw/ "__IW_TS_HOME__/httpd/iw/"
Alias /iw "__IW_TS_HOME__/httpd/iw/"
#</IfModule>

the "X:/path/to..." is actually nowhere near the Teamsite server, hence any 'substitutions' made by iwwebd_conf.ipl would have no effect.

Perhaps my question really relates to the nuances of apache configuration.

Does this look like the right place to add it?

Adam Stoller

Perhaps my question really relates to the nuances of apache configuration.

Does this look like the right place to add it?

Well, I'd have to defer to someone with more expertise in the ways of Apache, but - assuming there are spaces between the alias and the path [hard to tell from your post] - it looks right.

Perhaps you need a proxy setting in iw.cfg too? (RTM TeamSite Administrator's manual) - so that directives for /iw-mount/..../retail-common/bin get mapped to just /retail-common/bin - and then the Apache script alias might take effect?

Good luck - please remember to post the details of any resolution you come up with.

Millie

here starts war and peace ...

I've just been over and had a chat with the administrator.

We added the specified line to httpd.conf.template and did an iwreset-ui which duly regenerated httpd.conf.

One thing that I failed to mention before was that the destination of the script mapping was the Y: drive i.e. the virtual drive that represents the teamsite repository.

In addition, Valentine was right. iwwebd is apache (port 80) and customer webserver is IIS (port 81).

When I navigate to the URL of the cgi-script

http://teari0001/retail-common-bin/logger_proxy.pl

(where 'teari0001' is the domain of our teamsite server, 'retail-common-bin' is the new script alias in httpd.conf and 'logger_proxy.pl' is the cgi script) I am redirected to

http://teari0001/iw-cc/command/iw.base.show_done_page?full_redirect=true&done_page=/retail-common-bin/logger_proxy.ipl

which appears to be the teamsite login screen. After logging, I am presented with an IIS error (401 - Unauthorised access). We've set the destination directory so that all users have full control. This still does not make any difference.

After further investigation, we modified the destination of the script alias to be a local drive 'd:\...' and that results in the same message.

We turned off the customer webserver (IIS) and hey presto, we get a 'could not connect message'.

So that leads me to conclude that the apache web server is forwarding my request to the customer web server!

Does anybody know how to tell apache not to do this?!?

mdang

I am not the exact expert on Apache config, but I am pretty sure you need to edit an additional config to make this work. That is rewrite.conf.template located in the same directory as the httpd.conf.template you are changing.

The rewrite.conf take precedence of httpd.conf. It redirects urls to places. You will need a similar line as one of the existing one, for example:

RewriteRule ^/iw$ -

--Michael

Millie

mdang you are an expert!

So to get apache serving a new cgi-script location, I had to do the following

1) add a a script alias to httpd.conf.template

ScriptAlias /retail-common-bin/ "X:/path/to/another/folder/on/anther/drive/"

2) update rewrite.conf.template with a new rule telling apache to serve the cgi-script as opposed to passing it onto the customer webserver:

RewriteRule ^/retail-common-bin/ -

3) update httpd.conf.template to allow access to the directory referred to in the script alias:

Order allow,deny
Allow from all

4) check that the directory in question has the correct file system permissions for apache to access it

5) run iwreset -ui

and hey presto, it works. Now I can do logging from within formapi!

Many thanks to all those who have helped.

Millie

oops

forgot to escape the < and > tags in step 3. It should read

<Directory X:/path/to/another/folder/on/anther/drive/">
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>