Subj : Re: CGI questiuon
To   : Jasen Betts
From : Scott Adams
Date : Fri Dec 12 2003 07:14 am

 -=> Quoting Jasen Betts to Scott Adams <=-

 
 JB>> I want to serve a binary files to an HTTP client (like wget) from
 JB>> a CGI script, is that posssible?
 
 JB>> The plan is to have one/some of my machines requesting files over
 JB>> the network and have the CGI script on the server coordinating
 JB>> the cd-draw to change discs depending on the path the script
 JB>> gets.
 
 SA> There could be some serious security issues if its done wrong for
 SA> the network.  I'm not a network person myself so couldn't help you
 SA> on the details but what id o know if a script is involved just
 SA> have to be very very careful :)

 JB> I've got the CGI working now but I wimped out of using perl and ended
 JB> up doing it in about 30 lines of bash, it doesn't do any URL
 JB> traslaition or anything fancy, it just grabs a CD name from $PATH_INFO
 JB> in the environment and the filename from the query string
 JB> (command-line)
 
 JB> spits out the CD if it's not the one it wants and uses  "wall" to
 JB> hassle anyone nearby (IOW me) to feed it the apropriate disk.
 JB> and once satisfied responds with a "location" message that points the
 JB> server (apache at the moment) at a symlink to the cdrom drive's mount
 JB> point

 JB> so far "the network" is three PCs within arm's reach of me but one of
 JB> them's going into the spare room later this month.

 JB> I'm not planning on opening port 80 to the world for a while yet. and
 JB> if I do I'll put an IP address check near the start of the script and
 JB> give foreigners a 404

 JB> hmm speaking of 404s... you get to give a text (or html etc) message
 JB> for interactive users to read... I wonder if I could grab the output
 JB> of 
 JB> /usr/games/fortune bofh

     That might work never thought of that.

 JB> (which emits BOFH excuses for computer problems)

 JB> and insert that into the error page :)
 
     Yep.  Well sounds like your on the right track.


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