Guide to installing Microsoft's 'FrontPage 98 Server Extensions' for Netscape's 'Communications Server' v 1.12 on IRIX 6.2
This page is a guide to installing Microsoft's 'FrontPage 98 Server Extensions' on an Indy running IRIX 6.2 with the Netscape 'Communications server' v 1.12.
There is a companion guide on installing Microsoft 'FrontPage 98 server extensions' for Netscape's 'Fasttrack server' v 2.01 on IRIX 6.5.
Obtaining the programs:
Microsoft's 'FrontPage 98 Server Extensions' are used to enable 'clients' running 'Microsoft's FrontPage 98' on PCs elsewhere, to access, read and updated 'webs' running on a Netscape 'Server'. 'FrontPage 98' is one of the best web authoring packages available at present, in my humble opinion. I have found it to be an ideal tool for preparing web pages on my notebook PC. The 'Extensions' on the Indy running IRIX 6.2, enable me to create and administer 'webs' which are 'served' from the Indy, which is available permanently on Internet.
The 'Communications Server' is first installed using the Silicon Graphics CD called "WebForce to Serve 1.12' which was released on 1 November 1995. You have to buy this CD from Silicon Graphics.
The free (and latest) version of the Microsoft 'FrontPage Server Extensions for IRIX' software is called fp30.sgi.tar.Z. Download it from Microsoft's web site http://www.eu.microsoft.com/frontpage and save it in /tmp. Do not use the IRIX version on Microsoft's 'FrontPage 98' CD, as it is out of date. Then download the 'shell script' fp_install.sh from http://www.eu.microsoft.com/frontpage to /tmp. You will use it to install the software. The version number and date of fp_install.sh is shown in the first few lines of the shell script. Currently, it is version 1.43 of 19 October 1997.
The 'fp_install.sh' script is written in 'perl'. Ensure that you have 'perl' on your system by typing in a shell: 'where perl'. This should show you that perl is in '/usr/bin/perl' and possibly other directories. If it is not there, then you have to get it from one of the IRIX free software ftp sites, before you can start to install the Extensions.
Installing Netscape's 'Communications Server' v 1.12
Use software manager 'swmgr' to install 'ns_httpd' and 'ns_admin' v 1.12 from the CD you obtained from Silicon Graphics. It sets up a web server on port 80 (http://my.web.server:80) and an 'administration Server' is also setup on port 81 (http://my.web.server:81). It places the 'web server' files and the 'administration server' files in the '/usr/ns-home' directory and below. The 'document root' for the server is /var/www/htdocs'. This is where the 'root' web's HTML files will go. The users' 'web' HTML documents will be in ~user/public_html.
I recommend that you become competent at administering the 'Communication Server' before you install the FrontPage Server Extensions. To do this, start the 'Administration Server' using the script '/usr/ns-home/start-admin', as superuser. Then use a web browser to access the administration server (http://my.web.server:81). Use the options boxes to set up the 'Communications Server' in the way that you want. There is lots of information available to you, while using this 'Administration Server' setup resource.
Note that the 'root' web is set to be owned by owner 'nobody' with group '60001' but the 'user' is my login name 'cspry'. This is because I will be administering the root web. My personal web is in ~cspry/public_html. I (cspry) belong to user group 'mygroup'. I am also the administrator of the Indy as 'root', of course, and I have set up the Communications Server so that I have personal web pages in ~'myhomedirectory/public_html' and my URLs are served out as 'http://myserver/~cspry/URLs'. I repeat all that so there is no doubt about these complexities :)
Installing Microsoft's 'FrontPage Server Extensions' for IRIX 6.2
Ensure that you have 'fp30.sgi.tar.Z' and 'fp_install.sh' in /tmp. Check that there is a 'configuration file' for the 'Communications Server' called '/usr/ns-home/httpd-80/config/magnus.conf', and also a file called d '/usr/ns-home/httpd-80/config/obj.conf'. They are both used by the installation script. Unfortunately, the path to '/usr/ns-home/httpd-80/config/obj.conf' has to be edited manually into '/usr/ns-home/httpd-80/config/magnus.conf'. If you do not put the path into obj.conf, there will be an error that it 'does not exist'.
The following steps list the places where you type or respond (shown in red).
In a UNIX shell and as 'Superuser':
- cd /tmp
- ./fp_install.sh
- Are you satisfied with your backup of the system (y/n) [N]? y
- FrontPage Extensions directory [/usr/local/frontpage/]: /usr/local/frontpage/
- Would you like to be prompted interactively for each webs owner/group (y/n) [Y]? y
- Who should own web root web on port 80 [cspry]: nobody
- What should the group for web root web on port 80 be [mygroup]: 60001
- Do you want to install a root web (y/n) [Y]? y
- Server config filename: /usr/ns-home/httpd-80/config/magnus.conf
- FrontPage Administrator's user name: cspry
- User name of the owner of this new web:[cspry] cspry
- Group of this new web:[] mygroup
- What type of Server is this: 6
- Which local character encoding does your system support: [1] 1
- What should the default language be: [1] 1
- Install new sub/per-user webs now (y/n) [Y]? y
- Enter the web name (CTRL-D if no more webs): ~cspry (Continue to add '~usenames' for all your users who have webs).
- FrontPage Administrator's user name: cspry
- Group of this new web:[] mygroup
- Enter user's password: mypassword
- Confirm password: mypassword
- Enter the web name (CTRL-D if no more webs): ^D
- Do you want to install Virtual Webs (y/n) [Y]? n
- Installation completed! Exiting...
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