Upgrading NCSA httpd

New Features, Improvements, and Dead Bugs

• Documentation rewritten

  You should find the documentation improved. I'd suggest going through it even if you read the last docs. They're much clearer now.

• User Authentication

  User Authentication using the Basic scheme is now supported. Set it up in access.conf.

• POST scripts introduced

  The POST method for decoding forms is supported. This requires writing POST scripts, a new form of script.

• Configuration file overhaul

  httpd.conf has been split into two files: the server configuration file and the resource configuration file.

  access.conf has been reformatted. The old brace-style declarations have been replaced with HTML-like tags, to make parsing easier for me. The Method directive has been renamed to Limit to clarify its function. You now have finer control over what .htaccess files can and can't do.

  The config files are now case insensitive, but sorry, they still choke on extra whitespace. Next release, I promise.

  There are truckloads of new directives, including TimeOut, Redirect, AddType, and DefaultType. The example config files distributed in the .tar files are now named foo.conf-dist so they don't overwrite your old ones.

• Script interface tweaked

  Scripts must now do all argument decoding. Support code and programs provided to make revision simple.

  Scripts can now have extra path data at the end of the URL. If you don't understand, read about it.

  Several environment variables with server-specific information are now available to the scripts.

  Multiple script directories are now allowed thanks to the ScriptAlias directive, which replaces BinDir and BinAlias.

  Access control now applies to scripts.

  You should be able to use system() in your C scripts now (thanks Arjan!).

• Improved Imagemap

  The clunky old Imagerect script has been thrown into the bit bucket and a new one supporting polygons, rectangles, and circles has replaced it! No more need for those damn symlinks, either. The configuration file had to be redone, though. The old script is still provided to ease migration.

• Dead Bugs

  Bad clients who don't send a method no longer log a weird message.

  The DirectoryIndex directive now makes a difference. It didn't before. Hehe. Oops.

  The infamous access control bugs of 1.0a3* have been fixed.

  An unexecutable script now returns a 403 Forbidden error instead of a blank page.

• Headers

  HEAD method now supported, and returning Last-modified and content-length in header.

  Header scans from scripts are case insensitive.

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