WASD Hypertext Services - Technical Overview

This chapter provides a quick guide to getting your WASD package installed, configured and serving.  This covers initial installation.  As of v5.1 an installation DCL procedure simplifies the initial setup. 

1. Unzip Package

   Install the files following the guidelines in 4 - Installation and Update.  Note that more than one archive may be needed (4.1 - Source Archive, Object Module Archives). 

2. INSTALL Package

   Server installation is performed using the INSTALL.COM DCL procedure, see 4.3 - Installation DCL Procedure. 

   • Build Package

     Compile and link, or just link supplied object files to produce VMS executables for the system's version of VMS. 

   • Check Package

     Using the installation procedure check the operation of the basic package as recommended in 4.5 - Quick-Check. 

   • Directory Protections

     This section checks for correct directory protection in the HT_ROOT:[000000] tree and prompts to change it to WORLD:RE if it appears incorrect. 

   • Create Server Account

     Using the installation procedure create the server account.  For further information see 5.1 - VMS Account. 

   • Disk Quota

     Check if quotas are enabled on the target disk.  Provide an ambit allocation for the server account.  Review this at some stage. 

   • Copy Server Support and Configuration Files

     Using the installation procedure copy the example server support and configuration files as discussed in 5.2 - Account Support Files. 

3. Configure Package

   Following the execution of the INSTALL.COM procedure the package should require only minor, further configuration. 

   Initially two files may require alteration. 

   1. The startup file, possibly to set the local HTTPD$GMT logical.  Consider using the STARTUP_LOCAL.COM file for other site-specific requirements.  Information is provided in 5.2 - Account Support Files. 

   2. The only configuration that should require immediate attention will be to the mapping rules, see 10 - Mapping Rules. 

   More generally server runtime configuration involves the considerations discussed in 4.9 - Organizing Documents along with the following aspects:

   • Configuring the HTTP server run-time characteristics, see 6 - Server Configuration. 

   • Mapping request paths to the VMS file system, and to other things such as scripts, see 10 - Mapping Rules. 

   • Customizing some messages (or all if non-English language environment), see 9 - Message Configuration. 

   • Establishing an authentication and authorization environment, see 12 - Authentication and Authorization. 

4. Start Server

   Execute the startup procedure.  Get your browser and connect! 

5. Find Out What's Wrong :^(

   Of course something will not be right!  This can happen with the initial configuration and sometimes when changing configuration.  The server provides information messages in it's run-time log, look in HT_ROOT:[LOG.SERVER]

   Remember, the basic installation's integrity can always be checked as described in 4.5 - Quick-Check.  This uses the configuration files from the [EXAMPLE] directory, so provided these have not been altered the server should execute in demonstration mode correctly. 

   Can't resolve it?  See 4.10 - Reporting Problems.