[cobalt-users] Failure to conform to CGI standards ???

["Michael D. Schleif" <mds-resource@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

cobalt'ers ==>

Please, notice that following four (4) URL's demonstrate a serious
problem with the configuration of one of Tera-Byte's servers:

	#1 <http://www.helices.org/~helices/tmp/test5.pl>
	#2 <http://www.helices.org/~helices/tmp/test5.pl?tmp=pictures>
	#3 <http://www.helices.org/~helices/tmp/test5.pl/tmp/pictures>
	#4
<http://www.helices.org/~helices/tmp/test5.pl/tmp/pictures?tmp=pictures>

To wit, neither:

	PATH_INFO nor
	PATH_TRANSLATED

conform to CGI standards as set forth in:

	INTERNET-DRAFT
	draft-coar-cgi-v11-03.{html,txt}
	The WWW Common Gateway Interface
	Version 1.1
	<http://CGI-Spec.Golux.Com/draft-coar-cgi-v11-03.txt>

Notice that _6.1.6. PATH_INFO_ states:

``The PATH_INFO string is the trailing part of the <path> component of
the Script-URI (see section 3.2) that follows the SCRIPT_NAME portion of
the path.''

``Servers MUST make this URI component available to CGI scripts.''


Notice, also, that _6.1.7. _PATH_TRANSLATED_ states:

``PATH_TRANSLATED is derived by taking any path-info component of the
request URI (see section 6.1.6), decoding it (see section 3.1), parsing
it as a URI in its own right, and performing any virtual-to-physical
translation appropriate to map it onto the server's document repository
structure.''

``If the request URI includes no path-info component, the
PATH_TRANSLATED metavariable SHOULD NOT be defined.''


Please, notice that *none* of these quoted requirements is met on one of
Tera-Byte's servers for the four (4) examples given, above.


I cannot be certain; but, it appears that a portion of this problem
originates from /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf:

NameVirtualHost 216.234.189.108
<VirtualHost 216.234.189.108>
ServerName www.helices.org
ServerAdmin site99
DocumentRoot /home/sites/site99/web
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}                !^216.234.189.108(:80)?$
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}                !^www.helices.org(:80)?$
RewriteRule ^/(.*)                      http://www.helices.org/$1 [L,R]
RewriteOptions inherit
AliasMatch ^/~([^/]+)(/(.*))? /home/sites/site99/users/$1/web/$3
# AddHandler chiliasp .asp
# AddHandler chiliasp .asa
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php4
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
AddHandler cgi-wrapper .cgi
AddHandler cgi-wrapper .pl
AddHandler server-parsed .shtml
AddType    text/html     .shtml
</VirtualHost>


We wonder, what is the purpose of this section:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}                !^216.234.189.108(:80)?$
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}                !^www.helices.org(:80)?$
RewriteRule ^/(.*)                      http://www.helices.org/$1 [L,R]
RewriteOptions inherit

What would happen, if this section was *not* present ???

Or, another thing to try would be to combine these:
        RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}                !^216.234.189.108(:80)?$
        RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}                !^www.helices.org(:80)?$
to:
        RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}               
!^(216.234.189.108(:80)?|www.helices.org(:80)?)$

Tera-Byte responds:

``we use standard cobalt raq servers and their configuration if your not
satisfied with this current configuration  you can either contact cobalt
networks about getting it changed (we cant change it)or you may exersice
your 30 day money back guarantee''

What do you think?

Please, advise . . .

-- 

Best Regards,

mds
mds resource
888.250.3987

"Dare to fix things before they break . . . "

"Our capacity for understanding is inversely proportional to how much we
think we know.  The more I know, the more I know I don't know . . . "