Dr. Hedaya Mahmood Alasooly - Configuration of Apache Server to Support ASP

1. OVERVIEW:

The paper aim is to configure Apache Server to support ASP. Two methods were tested. The first, by installing Bundle::Apache::ASP, and the second, by installing SUN ONE ASP Server. Two possible options for connecting to a Microsoft Access database with Sun ONE ASP for UNIX or Linux, using the using SequeLink, and using the Sun ONE ASP Database Publisher tool to migrate an Access database to MySQL, were studied. The paper is composed from the following parts,

1. Setting up working environment when working with CodeCharge Studio program, software for building web applications.
2. Connecting to databases in ASP.
3. ASP program example.
4. Configuring apache server to support ASP by installing Bundle::Apacahe::ASP.
5. Configuring apache server to support ASP by installing Sun ONE ASP.

2 SETTING UP WORKING ENVIROMENT WHEN WORKING WITH CODECHARGE STUDIO PROGRAM (SOFTWARE FOR BUILDING WEB APPLICATIONS):

The CodeCharge Studio is a good program for building web application. Considering that there are several different programming languages that CodeCharge Studio generates, plus upwards of a dozen possible databases, there are obviously many configurations that could be used. Each combination of language and database has its own unique merits.

2.1 PHP SETUP:

A common configurations for the development of PHP applications is as follows:

Development Environment (for the development and testing of applications):

A Windows desktop computer with an installation of CodeCharge Studio:

• Local or remote MySQL database.
• MyODBC driver (required during the design mode, but not during run-time).
• Apache Web server.
• PHP 4.0b3 or higher.

Server Environment (for hosting the final application):

• A Linux server.
• MySQL database (local or remote).
• Apache Web server.
• PHP 4.0b3 or higher.

Note that the MyODBC driver is needed only during the application design stage. The generated code can access the database directly without an ODBC driver. You can obtain the MyODBC driver from www.mysql.com.

For PHP, the following table provides a list of applicable operating system, web server, database, and language version options.

PHP Setup

Server Operating System

Unix/Linux, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP

Web Server

Apache, Internet Information Services (IIS) 4.0 or 5.0, Personal Web Server

Scripting Engine/Language

PHP 4.0b3 or higher

Database Server

MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Access, MS SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, FoxPro, or other database via ODBC

The following is a list of steps that should be performed to setup and test the environment where the PHP pages will be published.

1. Install and configure the web server software:

The PHP engine can be installed on a wide variety of web servers including IIS, PWS, and Apache. The procedure for installing the PHP engine varies depending on the web server that you are going to use. The PHP engine can be downloaded from http://www.php.net where you will also find information on how to perform the installation. You can also download the free Apache web server along with its documentation from http://www.apache.org.

2. Test the Web Server

After installing the web server software, you should run a test to make sure that the server is functioning properly. For a server that has been installed on the local machine, the root URL http://localhost/ or http://127.0.0.1/ can be used to test the server.

3. Setup the Database

It is common to use the MySQL database when publishing in PHP. You can download MySQL from http://www.mysql.com where you will also find documentation for the database as well as a link to download the MyODBC driver which can be used to make an ODBC connection to a MySQL database during design time.

4. Create and Test a CodeCharge Project

CodeCharge Studio comes with a number of example projects which you can easily generate and publish as a way of testing that you have a functional setup.

2.2 PERL SETUP:

A common configuration for the development of Perl applications is as follows:

Development Environment (for the development and testing of applications):

A Windows desktop computer with an installation of CodeCharge Studio:

• Local or remote MySQL database
• MyODBC driver
• Apache Web server
• Perl 5.0 or higher

Server Environment (for hosting the final application):

• A Linux server
• MySQL database (local or remote)
• Apache Web server
• Perl 5.0 or higher

Note that the MyODBC driver is needed only during the application design stage. The generated code can access the database directly without an ODBC driver. You can obtain MyODBC driver from www.mysql.com

For PERL, the following table provides a list of applicable operating system, web server, database, and language version options.

PERL Setup

Server Operating System

Unix/Linux, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP.

Web Server

Apache, Internet Information Services (IIS) 4.0 or 5.0, Personal Web Server.

Scripting Engine/Language

PERL 5.0 or higher (i.e., some popular distributions of PERL include ActiveState PERL, Mod_PERL for Apache, and Indigo PERL).

Database Server

MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Access, MS SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, FoxPro, or other database via ODBC.

The following is a list of steps that should be performed to setup and test the environment where the Perl pages will be published.

1. Install and configure and test the web server software

The Perl language comes in many distributions as shown in the table above. Among the most popular are ActivateState Perl and Indigo Perl. You can also find more distributions at http://www.perl.com. Depending on the distribution of Perl you decided to use, the accompanying documentation should contains information on how to install, configure and test the server. Note that the Perl distribution is installed on top of a web server such as Apache or IIS.

2. Setup the Database

Database connections in Perl require special modules known as database interfaces. It is common to use the MySQL database when publishing in Perl. You can download MySQL from http://www.mysql.com where you will also find documentation for the database as well as a link to download the MyODBC driver which can be used to make an ODBC connection to a MySQL database.

3. Create and Test a CodeCharge Project

CodeCharge Studio comes with a number of example projects which you can easily generate and publish as a way of testing that you have a functional setup.

2.3. ASP SETUP:

A common configuration for the development of ASP applications is as follows:

Development Environment (for the development and testing of applications):

• A Windows desktop computer with an installation of CodeCharge Studio
• A local MS Access database (or a copy of a remote MS Access database) or a local or remote SQL server