[Info-vax] Apache Plugins for OpenVMS?

[Jan-Erik Soderholm]

Neil Rieck skrev den 2015-03-15 15:12:
> On Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 2:05:25 PM UTC-4, dodecah... at gmail.com
> wrote:
>> On Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 12:48:47 AM UTC+11, Neil Rieck wrote:
>>> The OpenVMS authentication module in Apache (MOD_AUTH_OPENVMS) is
>>> getting a little long in the tooth so I have been contemplating
>>> writing my own which would perform a lookup on an indexed RMS file.
>>> Many of the examples you see online ( https://modules.apache.org/ )
>>> require source files from:
>>>
>>> 1) a UNIX distribution of httpd-2.0.63 (easy to find) 2) an
>>> installed version of APR (apache portable runtime) which I am
>>> assuming I would first build under GNV
>>>
>>> Has anyone (other than Compaq + HP) ever attempted this on OpenVMS?
>>> I welcome comments from anyone including Compaq + HP.
>>>
>>> Neil Rieck Kitchener / Waterloo / Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
>>> http://www3.sympatico.ca/n.rieck/
>>
>>
>> If you don't have to have Apache, you could look at the excellent web
>> server called WASD
>>
>> It is OpenVMS cluster aware and has a wealth of stuff built
>> specifically for OpenVMS including authentication using OpenVMS
>> authentication techniques
>>
>> It runs on all 3 generations of architecture
>>
>> http://wasd.vsm.com.au/
>>
>> It is vigorously updated and maintained. Often issues raised are
>> replied to by the producer within mins to hours!
>>
>> It is looked after by a Mark Daniel, who works for the ADF (Australian
>> defense force) as WASD was developed there, so this guy is somewhat
>> security bent on maintaining a tight ship, so to speak
>>
>> Mark also produces some other goodies, such as 'dclinabox' which
>> allows you to use a web browser as a VT terminal and 'soymail', which
>> is a web browser interface to VMS mail. He's also written websocket
>> interfacing into WASD as well
>>
>> All in all I think it's a much better webserver than Apache, although
>> it's not 'Apache' so some will frown upon it
>>
>> Just be warned however, the documentation is extensive! (not that this
>> is a bad thing)
>
> I just checked your site...

The side belongs to Mark Daniel, not the poster you replied to. :-)


> for the first time. Like most things from
> Australia, it appears to be a professional offering -AND- it appears
> very fast.

At least twice as fast when run against CSWS. And extremely stable.
It is one of those things that starts at boot and then just runs
until the system is shutdown.

> I didn't see gSOAP in your docs but noticed it when browsing
> the directory tree. We are currently using a professionally written
> gSOAP offering from Brett Cameron (he's from New Zealand; there must be
> something in the water down-under) so that would have been a show
> stopper for us.

I do not understand here. We uses SOAP services on our Alpha built
using the gSOAP kit from Brett, and it runs through WASD. WASD realy
doesn't care that the client and the server process talks SOAP, it
is just a server process just as any other CGI process.
Where is the "show stopper"?

Then there is also a *persistent* gSOAP module for WASD. That is,
if you have a higher load and do not want the process creation at
each client call, you can use that. In our case that was never
an issue, so we get a new client process each time.

We do use the persistend Python module, since that has a much
higher initilization overhead. With the persistent module, it
runs very well with low overhead.

Have fun! WASD works well and it also has been following the
latest technologes for networking and security issues.

Jan-Erik.


> Everyone reading this already knows that CSWS is based upon Apache
> httpd-2.0.63 which is getting long-in-the-tooth -AND- 2.0 is no longer
> supported by Apache. I have no idea if HP or VSI intends to do a new
> port based upon the latest offering which is 2.4 but an HP-supported web
> server is the only thing keeping us on OpenVMS (only developers and
> sys-admins use telnet these days).
>
> That said, I'm going to download a copy of WASD tomorrow then install it
> on one of the junk Alpha's in the back room. I think a good case could
> be made for moving to WASD if CSWS stays stuck back in time.
>
> Neil Rieck Kitchener / Waterloo / Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
> http://www3.sympatico.ca/n.rieck/
>
>