Installing Message Boards

[MikeSD]

How does one install message boards that one would like to put in a folder under the cgi-bin directory, like
/cgi-bin/ultimatebb/

I have two boards and need to keep them apart but when I put them in different folders, the cgi-scripts don't execute because they are not in the cgi-bin directory.

I have read somewhere that an override can be given for directories that need script access outside of the cgi-bin. I'm curious how others install boards like this.

Also, in the case of UBB, they have vars_*.cgi in the cgi-directory and require 777 permissions. How is this handled with UBB. I know there are lots of UBB installs on Future Quest and wonder how others are doing this.

[Jeff]

If you are having difficulty with bulletin boards staying separate under different subdirectories of the cgi-bin, like /cgi-bin/forums/ for the first and cgi-bin/ultimatebb/ for the second recheck the config files for each and make sure you have the path set correctly there, and correctly (different) for each. It should not be a problem with any major bulletin board to install two bulletin boards in separate folders under your cgi-bin.

You can also install them outside the cgi-bin, but you do not have to.

For any script that says to chmod to 777, on FutureQuest you chmod it to 755 and it works fine. This is special to FutureQuest.

[Justin]

There are no restrictions on running a script from within a subdirectory of your cgi-bin -- anything inside your bin is considered a script, period.

However, any executable files must be mode 755. The UBB's data files (which is for odd reasons names .cgi) do not matter one bit, and will work in any mode (or in any directory).

Have you tried these same script in the cgi-bin itself? Have you attempted to alter permissions on the subdirectories you created in the cgi-bin (these also need to be 755)?

Finally, does your "hello world" script you mentioned in your support email print out the correct HTTP headers before printing text?

[MikeSD]

I don't know what was happening earlier. Don't know if it is because it is a brand new account or what but I had a simple "hello world" script that I was running in cgi-bin, cgi-bin/ubb, cgi-bin/ikonboard and earlier, it would only run under cgi-bin.

I had 755 permissions on all folders and the scripts. But now when I tried it, it worked fine from all folders. Wierd!

Don't know why it did not run the first couple of times I tried it. I tried it out within minutes of getting my account. Could that have had any bearing on why it would not work from sub-folders?

Oh well, it works now.

Thanks,

[MikeSD]

UBB requires (asks) that vars_*.cgi files be set to 777. I assume this is because the scripts need this access to update the variable files.

FutureQuest says to set permission on scripts to 755, instead of 777 and it will work ok.

Should the permissions on these files, which aren't actually script files, be set to 777 (is that ok) or should they be set to 755?

I assume others have UBB and know the answer to this.

On my previous host, the installation went very smothe. Are there any quirks on this server or should it go just as easy.

Oops! That reminds me of another question. What is the best way to move a board from one server to another, without losing all the data from the old board?

Thanks,

[Justin]

As I mentioned before, typically with the UBB you can just upload all files in ASCII/Text mode and they will work. The FTP server automatically changes scripts to mode 755, and there generally is no reason to have to change them.

The UBB asks for 777 (which means anyone in the world can modify the files) because it assumes you are on a stock installation. Most web servers out-of-the-box run your scripts as a different user from your own, which means you must open up the permissions for that user to write to them.

Any secure configuration (such as ours) will instead run your scripts under your own credentials, so you don't need to have this gaping security hole by having scripts world-writable.

Also mentioned in my email response, the files that the UBB creates can be left as they are. Since they're not scripts, the server doesn't care what mode they are. The UBB will create them with open permissions because it assumes it has to, but it will function just fine either way. No need to worry about them.