Re: NCSA Server (1.3) and ScriptAlias problems

At 11:01 AM 5/11/95, David Robinson wrote:
>>The issue is how to deal with a ScriptAlias that is serving up multiple
>>HTML files, e.g.:
>>
>>        ScriptAlias /bgc/ /xxx/bgc/access/
>>        ScriptAlias /bgc /xxx/bgc/access/
>>
>>In particular, the problem is that the script can't tell the difference
>>between being invoked with or without the trailing slash, and the
>I think you are using ScriptAlias in a way the authors of the NCSA server
>did not envisage, and hence are encountering a bug.

I'm not sure how they could fail to envision that usage and have it work at
all, but okay.

>This has been fixed in the Apache server (which is derived from the NCSA 1.3
>code):
> ScriptAlias /bgc /xxx/bgx/access
>would do exactly what you want.

Great. BTW, I recently reported to NCSA that they don't check the number of
aliases and if the number overflows the default (20 total Aliases and
ScriptAliases) they overwrite memory randomly. Do you know if that is fixed
in Apache?

>>3. The script can do one of two things when faced with a directory name
>>with no index.html. It can't do a redirect to the index.html file (which
>>takes up a fair amount of time, and of course additional server resources),
>>or it can just server up the file.
>I won't assert what you _should_ do, but common practice is to return
>the file without doing a redirect.

Right, and certainly would if I could. Apache soulds like an excellent
solution, but it does require getting our site providers to switch to it.

>BASE tag will work for the vast majority of your users. (N.B. but not
>necessarily browsers.)

I don't see the distinction there.


Kee Hinckley      Utopia Inc. - Cyberspace Architects    617/721-6100
nazgul@utopia.com                               http://www.utopia.com/

I'm not sure which upsets me more: that people are so unwilling to accept
responsibility for their own actions, or that they are so eager to regulate
everyone else's.

Received on Thursday, 11 May 1995 10:04:27 UTC