Website Server Tips

Build-up of CGI Residue

Files used by CGI Applications are stored in the CGI-TEMP folder. After the script or application is executed, the files used by them are automatically deleted. However, when one selects the API/CGI Execution tracing option, these files remain in the directory. This option is used for debugging and should be unchecked when the server is running.

Faster than CGI

DLLs (Dynamic Link Library) are loaded at the start-up of the web server when O’Reilly WebSite Application (WSAPI) is used. This reduces the overhead required in CGI to build and tear down processes, as WSAPI is faster than CGI.

Adding more IPs (Internet Protocols) to your NIC

Windows NT does not permit you to assign more than five IP addresses to a single Network Interface Card (NIC). However, there is a short cut if you tweak the Registry. Go to "Hkey_Local_Machine" and find the primary entry for the Ethernet card. The secondary card's Linkage sub-keys point to the primary card. Open the primary key for the card and locate the TCP/IP key under Parameters. Double-click the name IPAddress and append the additional IPs, each on a separate line. Reboot the server. If the TCP service doesn't start, remove an IP address and reboot until the service does start.

Log and Surf

Having a log file is important to keep the server Website running. If the server cannot maintain a log, it shuts down. Make sure you keep the log file on a reliable server if you don't store it locally.

Choose Your HomePage

When one tries to run a WebView on a multi-homed site that has lots of content, the memory usage increases as WebView creates a window for each domain. One can solve this by Opening the Registry and going to “Hkey_Local_Machine/Software/Eit/Webview/Currentversion” and changing the value for HomePageURL to the domain and page on your site from which you want to see a tree.

Counter Resetting

The easiest way to reset counters is to delete them. Before proceeding to delete the ctrs file, create a batch file. This can be scheduled to run at a certain time with the at command. A new ctrs is created when the batch file is run.

Server Self-Test

By running the WebSite server self-test, you can troubleshoot the server. Launch your browser and type http://localhost/wsdocs/32demo. A checklist for this test is given in the manual.

How to start without a password?

By setting WebSite to service, you can skip entering the password. Click on certs in Server Properties/Identity and enter the password. Click on Change Database Password and uncheck “Require password for server startup.” You will not be prompted for a password the next time you reboot the server.

Stopping Security Loss

Upgrading to WebSite Pro 1.1g or 1.1h causes SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to stop working due to a problem with the install shield. To solve it, start the Server Admin (Properties) and click on the Identity tab. If your server is not multi-homed, type your certificate's common name (this should be your domain name) in the field labelled Certificate, then restart WebSite. For multi-homed servers, select the IP address of the site you're using your certificate with and then follow the above steps.

Trick Your Server

Start Server Admin, click on the Mapping tab and go to Content Type Mapping. Here, you can change the extension recognised as SSI (server-side include) from html-ssi to anything else (such as htm or html).