Serving Files

Summary of Steps

1. Identify a TCP socket, the location of its server root domain, and (optionally) the contact information for the server root domain.
2. If VM:Webgateway is using SSL Feature and want to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) when serving files, turn SSL on.
3. Store the files you want to serve.

Steps in Detail

1. Identify a TCP socket, the location of its server root domain, and (optionally) the contact information for the server root domain.

   To perform this step from a web browser, use the Add option on the Configure TCP Sockets configuration form. To perform this step from VM, enter the CONFIG SOCKET command from a VM userid.

   You can define more than one TCP socket for VM:Webgateway to use. Each TCP socket is associated with only one server root domain.

   Select one of the following locations for the server root domain:

   Minidisk	All files must reside on a single minidisk. The VM:Webgateway SVM must have read access to the minidisk. Benefit: VM:Webgateway serves only the files you identify in DIRMAP files. The URLs that web browser users use to request data are case insensitive. Disadvantages: You must identify each file you want to serve in one or more DIRMAP files. (You can use pattern matching.) You cannot publish data from a PC-based web authoring tool (for example, Microsoft FrontPage or Netscape Composer) to a minidisk.
   SFS Directory	All files must reside on a single directory, and optionally, its subdirectories. The VM:Webgateway SVM must have the authority to read files you want to serve. Benefits: You do not have to identify each file you want to serve in a DIRMAP file. You can publish data from a PC-based web authoring tool to an SFS directory. The URLs that web browser users use to request data are case insensitive. Disadvantages: VM:Webgateway serves all files on the directory or subdirectory that it has authority to read if a web browser user can identify a file with a URL. You can prevent this situation by defining access control for your files. If you publish data from Microsoft FrontPage, pages that are created with the FrontPage Wizard or that use FrontPage Themes do not display correctly when published to an SFS directory.
   BFS Directory	All files must reside on a single BFS directory, and optionally, its subdirectories. VM:Webgateway requires the following permissions: Read and search permissions to the BFS directory and its subdirectories Read permission to static files you want VM:Webgateway to serve Read and execute permissions to CGI programs you want VM:Webgateway to serve Benefits: You do not have to identify each file you want to serve in a DIRMAP file. You can publish data from a PC-based authoring tool to a BFS directory. If you publish data from Microsoft FrontPage, pages that are created with the FrontPage Wizard or that use FrontPage Themes will display correctly when published to a BFS directory. Disadvantages: VM:Webgateway serves all files and CGI programs on the directory or subdirectory that it has the permissions to access if a web browser user can identify the file with a URL. You can prevent this situation by defining access control for your files. Because BFS is a case-sensitive file system, web browser users requesting data from BFS directories must make sure that the character casing they use in the URL to specify directory and file names exactly matches the character casing the directories and files have on VM. You cannot serve CGI programs that run in Webshare compatibility mode (CGI environments SVMWEBSHARE and WORKERWEBSHARE) from a BFS directory. The URLs that web browser users use to request data are case sensitive.

   CMS search order

   All files must reside on one or more minidisks and SFS directories that are accessed by the VM:Webgateway SVM. Benefits: VM:Webgateway serves only the files you identify in DIRMAP files. If you have more than one version of a file with the same filename and filetype, you can change which version is served by reorganizing how the minidisks and directories are accessed. The URLs that web browser users use to request data are case insensitive. Disadvantages: You must identify each file you want to serve in one or more DIRMAP files. If a minidisk or directory is accidentally released, files you want to serve become unavailable. A CGI program that runs on the VM:Webgateway SVM can alter the CMS search order by accessing or releasing minidisks and directories. This can cause the wrong files to be available for VM:Webgateway to serve. If you change a file in a minidisk or DIRCONTROL SFS directory, you must reaccess the minidisk or directory in the VM:Webgateway SVM for VM:Webgateway to recognize the changes. The number of minidisks and directories from which you can serve is limited by the number of available access modes on the VM:Webgateway SVM. You cannot publish data from a PC-based web authoring tool (for example, Microsoft FrontPage or Netscape Composer) to a server root domain defined to use CMS search order.

   The contact information you can provide consists of a person's or group's name and e-mail address.
   VM:Webgateway will display this contact information on configuration forms and in certain communications to users. Examples of such communication are:
   • Messages stating the product's configuration was successfully updated.
   • Output generated by a CGI programmer.
   • Error documents that VM:Webgateway serves when it encounters problems serving files from the server root domain. VM:Webgateway uses the e-mail address to include a mailto: URL. With the contact information in an error document, the web browser user who receives the error document can report the problem to someone who can fix it.
   If you do not provide a contact name, VM:Webgateway will not include a contact name on configuration forms or in its communications. If you do not provide a contact e-mail address, VM:Webgateway will not include a mailto: URL on configuration forms or in its communications.

2. If VM:Webgateway is using SSL Feature and want to use SSL when serving files, turn SSL on.

   If you do not turn SSL on, VM:Webgateway serves data from both the server root domain and user pages without using SSL. If you turn SSL on, VM:Webgateway serves data from both the server root domain and user pages using SSL.

   Benefits of using SSL:

   • Allows the web browser to authenticate the web server
   • Prevents eavesdroppers from reading or changing data during transit

   Disadvantages of using SSL:

   • Requires the use of an SSL-compatible web browser to access data
   • Requires additional setup and maintenance, in particular, for managing certificates
   • Requires additional system resources to perform the SSL handshake and to encrypt and decrypt data

3. Store the files you want to serve.

   Refer to Serving Files from a Minidisk, Serving Files from a Directory, or Serving Files Using CMS Search Order in the side bar for specific instructions.