How to secure the PSU/LCS VMS Gopher Server for use at your own site Penn State University Library Computing Services 3-December-1993 1.2VMS-1 Gopher Server Welcome to the VMS Gopher Server. This server (release 1.2VMS-1) has been implemented through the coordinated efforts of many individuals at institutions throughout the world, all interested in seeing a good, stable, easy to manage and maintain Internet Gopher Server available for VMS. This server supercedes the VMS Gopher Server 0.6d previously available at the main world-wide gopher hole, . You should *NOT* be using the 0.6d server for VMS, as it is hobbled with minimal functionality, no security and doesn't even work properly with TCP/IP. Efforts continue to improve upon this server. At present, the 1.2VMS patch level 1 server is frozen. Subsequent patches will be applied as attempts to track the Gopher+ model are followed. Gopher+ functionality is hoped for in the next major release of the VMS Gopher Server. I. Securing the software from Penn State University Libraries' Gopher Server ============================================================================ The software itself is contained in a .ZIP archive named GOPHERD.ZIP, which can be retrieved by any gopher client capable of accessing binary (Type=9) files. If the archive did not appear on the same menu this file appeared on, the client you're using probably cannot handle binary files. Choose another client and try again. The archive is designated 1.2VMS-1. Save the .ZIP file into a directory on your VMS system. Make sure you have an UNZIP tool to crack the archive and extract the individual files. If you don't have one, pull the VMS_UNZIP.EXE file located here in the same menu. As with the .ZIP archive file, it's Type=9 binary and will require a gopher client capable of recovering it. Define a foreign command for UNZIP specifying the .EXE you recovered, and then run it against the .ZIP file: $ unzip := $device:[directory]vms_unzip.exe $ unzip device:[directory]gopherd.zip This should extract all files in the archive into your current default directory. You can also secure the same UNZIP program by aFTP to Niord.SHSU.edu. The file UNZIP.EXE can be found in the ANON_DEV:[ANONYMOUS.GOPHER] directory. If you don't already have a client which can handle binary transfers, you can secure the VMS client by aFTP. The client is located at at least these two FTP hosts, Niord.SHSU.edu and boombox.micro.umn.edu. Obviously, if you're reaching by anonymous FTP for the client, you can pick up the server at the same sites: Niord.SHSU.edu: anon_dev:[fileserv.gopher]gopher1_2vms1.zip boombox.micro.umn.edu: /pub/gopher/VMS/Gopher1_2VMS1.zip *** Note: directories & filenames subject to change *** As a last resort, if your site participates in BITNET and you have JNET running on your VAX/VMS system, Email to or and ask me; I'll SEND/FILE/VMS the SERVER.DOC, GOPHERD.ZIP and UNZIP.EXE files. II. Make sure you're up to date =============================== Included in the archive are some important files that aren't source code. One is CHANGES.LOG, which documents the ongoing efforts to produce and maintain a good VMS Gopher Server here at Penn State's Library Computing Services and other porting sites. Each fix and/or enhancement is logged with a date. Another file is IDENT.OPT, a VMS Linker options file which specifies module Name and Ident- ification strings for the server and its ancilliary programs. The identifica- tion string in the distributed IDENT.OPT will always be set to a date which can be traced to an entry in the CHANGES.LOG file. This should match the base release date in the CHANGES.LOG file. Also check for the presense of another archive file, which contains revisions *since* the GOPHERD.ZIP file was created. The primary archive is not recreated every time a change is made, so enhancements and/or bug fixes which post-date the archive will be found in this revised archive. Revised archives are designated by a suffixing letter, such as 1.2VMS-1a or 1.2VMS-1b. The revised archive will contain new CHANGES.LOG and IDENT.OPT files which can be checked for the changes made since the base release. III. Make sure you have the right tools ======================================= The server code maintained @psulias.psu.edu makes several assumptions: The installer is expected to have suitable system management privileges to compile and link the software and place the production files (.exe and DCL command files (named .com, .shell or .script)) into appropriate locations, and to bind to an appropriate port for the server. If you as an installer do not have these privileges, it is advised you work closely with your system manager. You and your site must recognize that gopher servers are not turnkey applications; time and resources must be applied on an ongoing basis. The code itself is targetted at a VAX system with VAX C and VMS and TGV Multinet. Its debugging has been primarily targetted at such an environment. Reasonable success has been reported using AXP DEC C as a compiler, less so far with GNU C. Some individuals have had colleages at other sites with VAX C compile the source code for them, with generally good success. Successful use of the software with UCX and Wollongong has been reported. NETLIB has not been supported because NETLIB does not offer INETD support. IV. Build the executables, start your Gopher Server and populate its data area =============================================================================== Follow the directions in SERVER.DOC. Help is available by subscribing to the VMSGopher-L discussion list (see below). V. Where to find help ====================== The VMSGopher-L discussion list was started in early 1993 by Dennis Sherman of the Triangle Research Libraries Network in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. Most of the discussion between the porters/developers working on this software takes place on that forum. Novice VMS Gophermeisters are genrally welcome to ask questions; virutally all the membership of the list were novices to gopher not that long ago. The list is for VMS users, not Unix users -- Unix users need to realize that we won't have answers to your unique questions as a group, while individuals might have such answers. The list is for GopherMeisters, not client users -- our area of common expertise is in installing and managing the VMS local GopherSpace, not surfing the net for interesting Gopher items. The VMSGopher-L list is archived at its host, TRLN.LIB.UNC.EDU. You can gopher to this site to view the archives. The list itself is hosted on an MXserver. To subscribe, send a mailgram to the address with the body of the message reading SUB VMSGOPHER-L The list is also gatewayed with the VMSNET.INFOSYSTEMS.GOPHER newsgroup. VI. Actively participate in the (VMS) GopherSpace ================================================= When your server becomes operational, please announce it to the membership of the VMSGopher-L list. Most of the VMS Servers now maintain links to other VMS servers as a kind of mutual admiration society. .