Web Server

8.1 Introduction

"Rainmail Server" includes Apache Web server which is one of the most popular web servers in the world. You can place your web documents in "/var/www/html" and any client in the LAN can see these documents using their web browser. A document called "index.html" placed in this place can be accessed using the UR L http://server/index.html. CGI Scripts can be placed in "/var/www/cgi-bin" and these can be accessed by any user in the Intranet.

8.2 RIS Default page

By default, "Rainmail Server" places a page with links to various resources about your server in your intranet. This can be accessed using the URL http://server from anywhere in your LAN. It will bring up the following page:

[Image]

8.3 User Pages

In addition to modifying the global home page, Users can create their own pages in "Rainmail Server". Any home page created by users in "Rainmail Server" will be accessible using the URL, http://"Rainmail Server Name"/~"Username" for example, http://192.168.1.4/~uma

To create a user page, users can upload their files (using FTP) onto the "public_html" directory in their home directory in "Rainmail Server".

8.4 Publishing pages using FTP

The goal of an FTP program is to move files from your computer to a remote host (in this case, your web page host's computer), and vice versa. After creating your Web pages, you can publish them to your web space using an FTP-based application such as Cute FTP which can be downloaded from http://www.cuteftp.com/ . Make sure you have the following information:

To upload a file is to send ('copy') a file from your computer to your host's computer (the remote host). To download a file is to retrieve ('copy') a file from your host's computer to your computer.(The terms of uploading and downloading apply to other forms of Internet communications, not just FTP. You download a file someone sends you via e-mail, and you upload a file when you attach one to an e-mail you send out, although we usually don't call it uploading, instead we call it attaching.) FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol.

Before you can start FTP'ing, you need FTP software.WS-FTP or CuteFTP is available for Windows users.

You'll need to gather a few pieces of information from your host before you can upload your HTML files and graphics to your web site.

You will need:

Once you have installed your FTP software, and you start it, you should be prompted with a server profile screen (in WS_FTP, it says session profile). It has areas ('fields') to type your remote host address/name, your username and password, and there is an area to enter your remote directory (In WS-FTP, it's in the Startup tab).

Type in your host's name and your username. You can include your password now, or leave it blank. Leaving it blank will require you to type it every time you connect with FTP, and will prevent someone else with access to the computer you use from changing your web site.

If your host's documentation specifies a remote directory ('path') enter the name in that box. Otherwise, leave that area blank.

Now, you can choose connect to log on.If all your setting are correct, the files in the right-side window (in WS-FTP, in other programs it probably says remote host somewhere) should show files that are on your server (there might be no files in this directory in you've never logged on before with FTP), and the left-side window (in WS-FTP, in other programs it probably says local host somewhere) show show files on your computer.

You may need to navigate in the local host window to get to the directory where you've placed your HTML files on your computer. You may see two periods ('..'). If you click that, it will take you one level back in your directory tree. (Example: If you are in /Docs and you've placed your HTML files in /WebPage, one click on '..' will take you from /Docs to /, and then you will see a directory called /WebPage [you may have to scroll down]. You can then click WebPage, and you'll be in the right directory.)

Once you have the correct directory loaded on the local host side, and the correct directory loaded on the remote host side, you can begin to upload (and download) files.

To upload a file from your computer to your host, select your file in the left side by clicking it once, and then press the arrow to the right towards the remote host side. This will copy that file from your computer to your host. (It will also replace an old file with the same name if you have one on your host. Example: You are uploading index.htm. You have an index.htm on the remote host side of your FTP program. Once you click the arrow towards remote host, you will lose the old file on your server. I only warn you about this because if you set up multiple directories, you may at one time or another accidentally overwrite a file because you were in the wrong directory. Happens to all of us when we are just starting out!)

If you want to copy a file from your web host to your computer, select the file you want in the remote host side of the FTP program and click the arrow left towards the local host side.

Note: You may see a selection in your FTP software (WS-FTP included) for ASCII mode, binary mode, and auto mode. If auto is available, check it. Otherwise, select ASCII mode when you transfer HTML files, and binary mode when you transfer graphics and music files.

You should be on your way to FTP'ing successfully now. Once the files are transferred, your pages can be accessed anywhere on the Intranet using the URL http://<Rainmail Server name or ip>/~<username>.

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