Chapter 27

Working with the FrontPage Servers

CONTENTS

In the previous chapter, you learned how to set up and administer your FrontPage webs using the FrontPage Personal Web Server and the Microsoft Personal Web Server for Windows 95. In this chapter, you'll learn more about the FrontPage Server Extensions and the files associated with them. The FrontPage Server Extensions are available for four additional operating systems, covering a good range of commonly used server programs. When you work with FrontPage's Personal Web Server, you are using server extension files similar to those found on servers in other platforms. For your FrontPage webs to use all the features in your Web pages, the server extensions must also exist on the remote server.

The FrontPage Personal Web Server

Throughout this book, you designed your pages while you were offline. You might not realize it, but by having the Personal Web Server installed on your local computer, you can actually connect to the Internet and use your local computer as a Web server while online. The best way to do this is to use a computer that you can dedicate to your Web site and also get a 24-hour connection to the Internet. You also need an extra phone line for that Internet connection if you want it to be permanent.

The Personal Web Server is intended for light usage. It uses only one port at a time (so it doesn't support multihoming) and allows up to 16 child webs to exist on the server. If you need a server that's more robust or one that supports multihoming, this chapter covers the servers and operating systems for which other versions of the FrontPage Server Extensions are available.

The Personal Web Server is installed on your local computer when you choose one of the following installation configurations:

Using the FrontPage Server Administrator

When you install the FrontPage Personal Web Server on your computer, you use the FrontPage Server Administrator to configure your server, install or uninstall the FrontPage Server Extensions, enable authoring for a web, or add server administrators. The steps to perform each of these functions are listed in the following sections.

Uninstalling the FrontPage Server Extensions

When you install the FrontPage Personal Web Server, it is installed to one of the following two ports:

To uninstall the server extensions from a selected port, follow these steps:

  1. Shut down the server.
  2. Start the FrontPage Server Administrator. The FrontPage Server Administrator dialog box, shown in Figure 27.1, appears.
    Figure 27.1 : The FrontPage Server Administrator allows you to install, upgrade, uninstall, and configure your server extensions.

NOTE
The Beta 2 release of Microsoft FrontPage 97 did not contain a Start menu item for the FrontPage Server Administrator. If you install FrontPage 97 using the default settings, you can find the executable file in the following directory:
c:\Program Files\Microsoft FrontPage\bin\fpsrvwin.exe

  1. In the "Select port number" field, choose the port number from which you want to uninstall the server extensions.
  2. To abort the procedure, click Cancel. To uninstall the server extensions, click Uninstall. The Server Administrator notifies you that the server extensions will be removed but that the content files will remain. Click OK to uninstall the server extensions from your current port.

NOTE
When you remove the server extensions from a port, the following changes are made:
The frontpg.ini file, located in your Windows directory, is edited. The section for the selected port is removed.
The _vti_bin directory containing the server extension executables is removed.
The _vti_txt directory that contains the text index for the web is removed.
Content files, such as Web pages, image files, and others, are maintained in the directories in your content folder.

Installing the Server Extensions to a New Port

To change the port number when using the Personal Web Server, you need to shut down your server, uninstall the server extensions from the existing port, and reinstall the server extensions to the new port.

To install the server extensions to a new port on your server, follow these steps:

  1. Change the port number for your server, following the normal procedures provided for that server.

NOTE
Be sure to use a port number higher than 1024. These numbers are reserved for well-known servers.

# Port: The port the standalone listens to. 80 is the network standard.
#
Port 80

  1. Shut down your server. The server cannot be running while you install the server extensions.
  2. Start the FrontPage Server Administrator. The dialog box shown in Figure 27.1 appears.
  3. In the "Select port number" field, choose the port number to which you want to install the server extensions.
  4. Click Install. The Configure Server Type dialog box, shown in Figure 27.2, appears.
    Figure 27.2 : Choose the server type you want to install to the selected port.

  5. Choose your server type from the Server type drop-down menu. The server type must be installed on your system, and its configuration file must exist in a directory on your hard drive. Choose your server type. The following selections are available:
    FrontPage Personal Web Server (provided with FrontPage 97)
    Microsoft Personal Web Server (provided with FrontPage 97 Bonus Pack)
    Microsoft Internet Information Server (Windows NT only)
    Netscape Commerce Server
    Netscape Communication Server
    Netscape Enterprise Server
    Netscape Fast Track Server
    WebSite
  6. Click OK. The Server Configuration dialog box, shown in Figure 27.3, appears.
    Figure 27.3 : Specify your server configuration file in the Server Configuration dialog box.

  7. Enter the path and name of your server configuration file in the Server Config field, or use the Browse button to locate your server configuration file, as shown in Figure 27.4. After you select the file that you edited in step 1, click Open to return to the Server Configuration dialog box.
    Figure 27.4 : You use the Server Config dialog box to locate the server configuration file on your computer.

  8. Click OK to install the server extensions. The Confirmation Dialog shown in Figure 27.5 appears. It lists the server type, server configuration file, port, and document root for your server.
    Figure 27.5 : The Server Administrator confirms your selections before the extensions are installed.

  9. Click OK to install the extensions and return to the FrontPage Server Administrator. Click Cancel to cancel the installation.

Upgrading the Server Extensions

If you're upgrading FrontPage from a previous release, you need to update the server extensions in your existing webs. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Shut down your server.
  2. Start the FrontPage Server Administrator. The dialog box shown in Figure 27.1 appears.
  3. Choose Upgrade. The FrontPage Server Administrator informs you that the port will be upgraded with the currently installed FrontPage server extension software.
  4. Click OK to upgrade the extensions or Cancel to return to the FrontPage Server Administrator. If you click OK, the new version of the server extensions is copied to your server and you are informed that the upgrade was completed successfully.
  5. Click OK to return to the FrontPage Server Administrator.

Checking Your Server Configuration

If you're having problems with your server configuration, you can check the installation from the FrontPage Administrator. This application checks to see whether all the required DLLs and configuration files exist on your computer. To check your installation, follow these steps:

  1. Shut down the server.
  2. Start the FrontPage Server Administrator. The dialog box shown in Figure 27.1 appears.
  3. Choose Check. If you are notified that the check completed successfully, all the required files exist on your system. However, if the check isn't successful, you might need to reinstall the FrontPage Server Extensions from the installation disks or CD-ROM.

Enabling or Disabling Authoring

To enable or disable authoring on your server, use the Authoring button in the FrontPage Administrator. The steps are as follows:

  1. Start the FrontPage Server Administrator. The dialog box shown in Figure 27.1 appears.
  2. Choose Authoring. The Enable/Disable Authoring dialog box, shown in Figure 27.6, appears.
    Figure 27.6 : Enable or disable authoring for your webs with the Enable/Disable Authoring dialog box.

  3. To enable authoring, click the Enabled radio button. To disable authoring, click the Disabled radio button.
  4. Select the Require SSL for Authoring checkbox to configure FrontPage to check whether the Connect Using SSL option is selected by the author when he or she creates, opens, or publishes a web from the FrontPage Explorer.

NOTE
The Web server must be configured to use the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) in order for the Require SSL for Authoring checkbox to work properly.

  1. Choose OK to change authoring status or Cancel to abort the procedure.

Configuring Security

You can add an administrator's password and restrict his or her IP address by using the Security button in the FrontPage Server Administrator. To configure security, follow these steps:

  1. Start the FrontPage Server Administrator. The dialog box shown in Figure 27.1 appears.
  2. Choose Security. The Administrator name and password dialog box, shown in Figure 27.7, appears.
    Figure 27.7 : Enter the administrator's name and password in the Administrator name and password dialog box.

  3. Enter the name of the Web site you want to add the administrator to in the Web name field.
  4. Enter the administrator's name in the Name field. The name cannot contain any spaces or punctuation marks.
  5. Enter the administrator's password in the Password field, and confirm it in the Confirm password field.
  6. Click the Advanced button to optionally limit administrator access to FrontPage webs, based on an administrator's IP address. The Internet address restriction dialog box, shown in Figure 27.8, appears.
    Figure 27.8 : Enter the administrator's IP address (optional) in the Internet address restriction dialog box.

  7. Enter the IP address you want to restrict and click OK, or click Cancel to return to the Administrator name and password dialog box.
  8. Click Cancel to abort the procedure, or click OK to add the administrator to the Web site. The Server Administrator confirms that the administrator has been added to the Web site you selected.

Using FrontPage with Proxy Servers and Firewalls

If your Web server uses firewalls and proxy servers, you can configure FrontPage to use the same configuration. Proxies are used any time the FrontPage Explorer or FrontPage Editor is used to access any Web pages outside your server:

Specifying a Proxy Server for a Web

To use a proxy server with FrontPage, choose the Proxies tab in the Options dialog box to assign the server.

To specify a proxy server, follow these steps:

  1. In the FrontPage Explorer, choose Tools | Options. The Options dialog box appears.
  2. Select the Proxies tab, shown in Figure 27.9.
    Figure 27.9 : Enter your proxy server and the list of servers within your firewall in the Proxies tab of the Options dialog box.

  3. In the HTTP Proxy field, enter the name of the proxy server and its port.
  4. In the "List of Hosts without Proxy (host:port, É)" field, enter the names of the servers you want to use inside the firewall. The port number is optional. Separate the entries in the list with commas.
  5. Check the "Do not use proxy server for local (intranet) addresses" option to disable use of proxy servers when connecting to local intranet addresses.
  6. Click OK to apply the settings or Cancel to abort the procedure.

Server Configuration Files

Three server configuration files are installed in your server directory when you install the FrontPage Server Extensions. These files are located in the \FrontPage Webs\server\conf directory on your computer, and you can open them with a text editor, such as Notepad or WordPad. The settings in each file are described in the following sections. It's best not to edit them unless you understand what the settings are there for.

ACCESS.CNF Configuration File

The access configuration file contains global access configurations. You assign access permissions to the directories in your webs in this file.

HTTPD.CNF Configuration File

The main server configuration file for the Personal Web Server has commands similar to those found in NCSA Server version 1.3R. The configuration file contains a URL you can use when changing the settings in this file. In this file, you can modify the following for your server:

Server root directory
The port the server uses
Timeout values
E-mail address of the server administrator
The location of the server's error log file
The location of the transfer log file
A host name sent back to clients if it's different from what the program would get (for example, using www.myserver.com instead of the value returned in the TCP/IP check)
The command-line template for CGI WinExec

SRM.CNF Configuration File

The server resource configuration file settings control document layout and the files you want to make visible to users. Path defaults listed in this file are those related to the server's installation directory and should be given in UNIX format, using a forward slash instead of a backslash.

The following configurations are specified in this file:

Document (content) root directory
The default name of your index page
The default name of the access file permissions file
Aliasing and redirection names
MIME types
Automatic directory indexing
Files that the directory index should ignore

FrontPage 1.1 Server Extensions: Other Platforms

If you're looking for a service provider that has the FrontPage Server Extensions installed, Microsoft keeps a list of them at the following URL: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/wpp/list/

If your service provider doesn't have the server extensions installed, good news is in store. The FrontPage 1.1 Server Extensions are available for other platforms and operating systems. FrontPage contains built-in support for the FrontPage Personal Web Server, O'Reilley and Associates WebSite 1.1 running on Windows NT and Windows 95, Netscape Communications Server version 1.12 (Windows NT), and Netscape Commerce Server (Windows NT). Version 1.1 of the FrontPage Server Extensions does not provide SSL support when running with Netscape Commerce Server.

NOTE
At the time of this writing, the FrontPage 97 Server Extensions are available in beta only. Instructions to download those server extensions follow in the next section of this chapter.

The FrontPage 1.1 Server Extensions are primarily intended for use by Internet service providers or those who are using FrontPage on corporate intranets. The server extensions are available for UNIX, BSDi, and Windows NT platforms.

General information on the server extensions and Web hosting can be found at the following URLs on Microsoft's Web site:

Microsoft FrontPage Web Presence Providers Information
http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/wpp.htm
FrontPage WPP Primer
http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/wpp/kit/primer.htm
FrontPage Server Extensions
http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/fs_fp_extensions.htm

The FrontPage 1.1 Server Extensions are available for Microsoft Internet Information Server, running on Windows NT Server 3.5.1 or higher.

For UNIX platforms, they are available for Apache, CERN, NCSA, Netscape Commerce Server (without SSL support), Netscape Communications Server, and Open Market Web Server, on the following platforms:

BSD/OS 2.1 (BSDi UNIX on Intel Architecture)
HP/UX 9.03 (Hewlett-Packard Computers)
IRIX 5.3 (Silicon Graphics Computers)
Solaris 2.4 (Sun Workstations, SPARC Architecture)
SunOS 4.1.3 (Sun Workstations, SPARC Architecture)

Obtaining and Installing the Server Extensions

To obtain and install the FrontPage 1.1 Server Extensions, you can download them from Microsoft's site as follows:

  1. Complete the user agreement form at the following URL:
    http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/agreement.htm
  2. Download the appropriate README file for your platform. The required file is listed in the sections that follow.
  3. Download the server extensions file for your platform, listed in the sections that follow.
  4. For servers running on UNIX platforms, download the installation script located at the following URL:
    http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/scriptslic.htm
  5. Install and configure the FrontPage Server Extensions as outlined in the README files.

Windows NT Server 3.5.1 (or Higher)

For Windows NT Server users (version 3.5.1 or higher), the Microsoft FrontPage 1.1 Server Extensions are available for the Microsoft Internet Information Server. You can download the Internet Information Server from the following URL: 


http://www.microsoft.com/windows/common/contentNTSIAC02.htm

Download the IISReadMe.txt file, which contains general information about installing the FrontPage Server Extensions: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/IISReadMe.doc

Download the server extensions from the following URL: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/Fpiis11.exe

BSD/OS 2.1 (BSDi UNIX on Intel Architecture)

Download the server extensions from the following URLs. The vt11.bsdi.tar file is 6MB, and the vt11.bsdi.tar.Z file is 3.8MB: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/vt11.bsdi.tar

http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/i.tar.Z

HP/UX 9.03 (Hewlett-Packard Computers)

Download the UNIXReadMe.txt file, which contains general information about installing the FrontPage Server Extensions: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/unixreadme.txt

Download the server extensions from the following URLs. The vt11.hp700.tar file is 10.1MB, and the vt11.hp700.tar.Z file is 5.1MB: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/vt11.hp700.tar

http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svr700.tar.Z

IRIX 5.3 (Silicon Graphics Computers)

Download the UNIXReadMe.txt file, which contains general information about installing the FrontPage Server Extensions: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/unixreadme.txt

Download the server extensions from the following URLs. The vt11.sgi.tar file is 13.8MB, and the vt11.sgi.tar.Z file is 5MB: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vtar.Z

Solaris 2.4 (Sun Workstations, SPARC Architecture)

Download the UNIXReadMe.txt file containing general information about installing the FrontPage Server Extensions: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/unixreadme.txt

Download the server extensions from the following URLs. The vt11.solaris.tar file is 8.2MB, and the vt11.solaris.tar.Z file is 4MB: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vsolaris.tar.Z

SunOS 4.1.3 (Sun Workstations, SPARC Architecture)

Download the UNIXReadMe.txt file that has general information about installing the FrontPage Server Extensions: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/unixreadme.txt

Download the server extensions from the following URLs. The vt11.sunos.tar file is 8.3MB, and the vt11.sunos.tar.Z file is 4.3MB: 


http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextns/vt11/vt11.sunos.tar

http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage/softlib/svrextnsnos.tar.Z

The Server Extension Files: Where They're At and What They're For

The main executable file for the FrontPage 1.1 Server Extensions can be found in the \FrontPage Webs\Server directory and is named vhttpd32.exe. In addition, there are three executable CGI files. When you install FrontPage on your server, the files and directories in the following list are installed. For the Personal Web Server, these files are in subdirectories beneath the \FrontPage Webs\Server directory. For UNIX systems, the files are installed in the /usr/local/frontpage directory.

_vti_bin/_vti_adm/admin.exe The CGI executable file that controls all administrator operations.
_vti_bin/_vti_aut/author.exe The CGI executable file that controls all author operations.
/_vti_bin/shtml.exe The CGI executable file that controls all browse-time behavior. All forms using WebBots refer to this file.

The content directories (located in \FrontPage Webs\Content for Windows users) contain the following files and directories:

/_private Used to store pages that aren't usually visible to browsers.
/cgi-bin For executable pages and custom CGI scripts.
/images The directory for storing Web images.

Each Web content directory also has the following subdirectories:

/_vti_cnf/A corresponding .htm file exists for each page in the web. These files are named the same as the pages contained in the web. They contain the name/value pairs (such as author's name and registered users). If the file is not present, it is re-created when necessary.
/_vti_pvt/_x_todo.htmThe web's To Do list.
/_vti_pvt/_x_todoh.htm The web's To Do list history.
/_vti_pvt/deptodoc.btrDependency database for the web.
/_vti_pvt/doctodep.btr Dependency database for the web.
/_vti_pvt/service.cnf Meta information for the web, including the information set with the Tools | Web Settings command.
/_vti_pvt/services.cnfLocated in the root web only, contains a list of subwebs.
/_vti_shm/For each page that contains WebBots, two files are kept in this directory. The source file is kept here. An expanded version is located in the parent directory (the web directory).
/_vti_txt/Text indexes for the pages in the Web site are placed in this directory.

Workshop Wrap-Up

You now know some of the basics about the FrontPage Server Extensions. For additional information, visit Microsoft's site, where the most recent information about the server extensions is kept.

In this chapter, you learned how to configure the FrontPage Personal Web Server, how to enable and disable authoring, how to assign server administrators, and how to add proxy servers. You also learned about the other platforms and servers for which the FrontPage Server Extensions are available.

Next Steps

To learn more about the FrontPage Server Extensions, refer to the following chapters:

Q&A

Q:If my service provider doesn't have the FrontPage Server Extensions, do I have to keep all those other files and directories on my computer?
A:You probably should, especially if you use the FrontPage bots in your web. The server extensions keep track of bot configurations. If you don't keep the server extension files in your web directories, your bots lose all the configuration information and will need to be reconfigured.
Q:If my service provider uses the FrontPage Server Extensions, do I need any files from their version on my local computer?
A:No, you don't. The server extension files serve the same functions platform to platform, except that they're unique to the operating system used. You have everything you need on your system to make them work properly.
Q:When I transfer my web to my service provider's site, will my server extensions overwrite theirs?
A:No. When you copy a web to your remote site, the only files transferred are those in the /Content directories (your web pages, images, and other related files in your web). The server extensions aren't part of the transfer.