Improved mod_frontpage allows you to use advanced features of the FrontPage client with the Apache HTTP Server. See http://home.edo.uni-dortmund.de/~chripo/ for more information about Improved mod_frontpage and http://www.rtr.com/fpsupport/index.html for the FrontPage Server Extensions
Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions
You can download the Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions SR 1.2 for UNIX platforms at RTR software. http://www.rtr.com/fpsupport/fp2000license.htm Do not get them directly from Microsoft, since they are dynamically linked, and the fpsrvadm.exe *will* segfault. The RTR binaries are statically linked and should work with any Linux distribution/version. Register and select the gzipped tar file for Linux, it will start the download of a file named "fp40.linux.tar.gz". After downloading, do a: # cd /usr/local and untar the FrontPage Server Extensions there by hand: # gzip -dc /path/to/downloaded/fp40.platform.tar.Z | tar xf - Notice: If you have tried to install the FrontPage Server Extensions before, it is a good idea to remove the old "/usr/local/frontpage" directory completely BEFORE untarring the "fp40.platform.tar.Z" file: # cd /usr/local # rm frontpage -Rf After that you will have a "/usr/local/frontpage" directory which contains the FrontPage Server Extensions. The owning user and group should both be "bin". This is the default FrontPage Server Extensions Unix user/group, which I will use later in this document. When using the FrontPage client for administering or authoring a web on your server later, the Apache HTTP Server will execute the FrontPage CGI programs which are right now located in the "/usr/local/frontpage/version4.0/exes" directory. Notice: It is possible to copy the whole "/usr/local/frontpage" directory tree to another location: # mv /usr/local/frontpage /some/other/path In this case, you have two options: - either you can create a symbolic link in "/usr/local", which points to the new position of the "frontpage" directory (recommended): # cd /usr/local # ln -s /some/other/path/frontpage frontpage Before you install the FrontPage Server Extensions, you should think about the login name and password of your FrontPage Administrator, which will be created in the process. This user will have full administration rights in the web you install the FrontPage Server Extensions to, if he is using the FrontPage client. I will use the login name "fpadm" and password "test" in the example below. Now use the "fpsrvadm.exe" utility, which is part of the FrontPage Server Extensions, to install the FrontPage Server Extensions to the root web on your new Apache HTTP Server: # /usr/local/frontpage/version4.0/bin/fpsrvadm.exe Notice: If you get a Segmantation Fault when running fpsrvadm.exe, make sure you have the statically linked version from RTR and not the dynamic version from Microsoft which was linked against a previous version of the C libraries. Notice: Please use "apache-fp" (key 1 on your keyboard) as the "server type" when installing the FrontPage Server Extensions to ANY web of your server! Notice: The UNIX username "fpsrvadm.exe" will ask you for is your Website Content User. The UNIX group is your Website Content Group, accordingly. As an example I will use user "customer" and group "firm". You might want to use the user and group "apache" for the main content. Please note that user "customer" must have a UID greater than 500 and group "firm" must have a GID greater than 100 in this example! Choose the following options when prompted: Please enter command: 1) install Please enter server type: 1) apache-fp Enter server config filename: /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf Enter host name for multi-hosting []:Enter UNIX username []: customer Enter UNIX group []: firm User name to add to FrontPage group "administrators" [administrator]: fpadm Password for user "fpadm": test (you will see nothing) Confirm password: test (you will see nothing) Note that the "htdocs" directory containing your server's content should be chowned by the "fpsrvadm.exe" utility to the UNIX username/groupname of your Website Content User/Group (user "customer" and group "firm"). Sometimes, this does not work, so please make sure everything is OK by yourself: # cd /path/to/installed/apache # chown -R customer htdocs # chgrp -R firm htdocs This user/group must NOT be privileged, else you will be unable to open your new FrontPage Web with the FrontPage client and Improved mod_frontpage will report errors in your Apache's error logfile or in "fpexec_log". Notice: By choosing server type "apache-fp", the Frontpage CGI programs will not be copied to the "_vti..." directories below the "htdocs" directory. This is definitely wanted and no error of the fpsrvadm.exe program. They will remain in /usr/local and be shared by every frontpage web. Notice: You can use command line switches with the "fpsrvadm.exe" utility. Try running it with "-help" for more information.
Try to open the FrontPage web with the FrontPage client
When prompted, use the FrontPage Administrator account that was created during the last step (in the example this was user "fpadm" with password "test"). You should be able to: - open your FrontPage Web - create and delete new FrontPage extended subwebs (e.g. discussion webs) - create/modify/delete FrontPage users with the FrontPage client now.
Per-Server Configuration (optional)
Improved mod_frontpage supplies a per-server configuration option which allows you to determine which virtual servers the FrontPage Server Extensions are to be enabled on. In your "httpd.conf" file, add the lines: FrontpageDisable or FrontpageEnable to disable or enable the FrontPage Server Extensions on a per-server basis (inside acontainer) or globally. By default, the FrontPage Server Extensions are enabled on all servers.