Article 4844 of cmu.cs.scs:
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!usenet@cs.cmu.edu
From: Jack McClary Prevost <visigoth@olivier.pc.cs.cmu.edu>
Newsgroups: cmu.cs.scs,cmu.edrc
Subject: CS webserver to be upgraded September 30th
Date: 16 Sep 1996 15:26:31 -0400
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, School of Computer Science
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As part of upgrading our webservers from Sparcstation 5's running
SunOS to Ultrasparc 1's running Solaris, we will be switching from the
NCSA server to Apache on September 30th.  Because of some incompatible
changes in how the new system handles access control, some documents
which were accessible via the old server may not be accessible via the
new server.

We have a list of directories in AFS which will be affected by the
changes, and will get in touch with affected people via email.  You
can also check your pages using http://diagb.fac.cs.cmu.edu/{your-url}
until the servers are installed.  If there's a problem, this server
will let you know what it is.

The largest change is that the .anonr file will no longer be supported
for access control.  Because .anonr is a CMU-local standard, support
would need to be added to any new server we support.  .htaccess files,
on the other hand, are becoming fairly standard (although there is
some variability in the content accepted.), and their functionality is
a nearly a superset of the function of .anonr files.  We intend to add
.htaccess support to the anonymous ftp servers in the near future.

You can run /afs/cs/project/fac-www/bin/anonr2htaccess on any
directory with an .anonr file in order to create appropriate .htaccess
files.  (It will not touch existing .htaccess files.)  Please note
that since .htaccess files only affect directory permissions, files
referenced in .anonr files may not end up exported--the script will
warn about such cases.

A second change is that an empty .htaccess file will no longer mean a
directory is public access.  This is an artifact of changes in how
access lookups are performed.

Third, access checks on symlinks will be handled in a more secure
manner.  Previously, a symlink in one directory pointing to a second
would get its access controls from the first directory.  With the new
server, access controls occur on the far end of the symlink.  This
will cause some new .htaccess files to be needed.

If you have questions or problems converting your .anonr files into
.htaccess files, please send mail to help@cs.

John Prevost,
SCS Facilities.


