Installing the server

This chapter tells you how to install the Netscape FastTrack Server and begin configuring the server for your needs.

 

Before you begin installation

Before you install the server, you should do the following:

 

Make sure DNS is running

 When you install the Netscape FastTrack Server, you'll be asked for a hostname or an IP address (or multiple entries of the same) as input strings.

As you prepare for installation, make sure DNS is running properly. Otherwise, the server can't resolve (or translate) host names and can't connect to any remote hosts.

 

Create an alias for the server

 If your server will run on one machine among many in a network, you or your system administrator should set up a DNS CNAME record or an alias (such as www) that points to the actual server machine. Later, you can change the actual hostname or IP address of the server machine without having to change all URLs.

For example, you might call the server myserver.anycompany.com and then use an alias like www.anycompany.com. So the URLs to documents on your server would always use the www alias instead of myserver.

 

 

Installation instructions

To install the Netscape FastTrack Server software, use pkgadd(1M).  

What the installation process does

 After you fill out all of the install forms, the actual installation takes place. Before that point, no file outside of the installation working directory is modified. Some temporary files are written to /tmp and removed after installation. No other files or directories are modified.

The installation process places all the files under the /usr/internet/ns_httpd directory. The following directories and files are created under /usr/internet/ns_httpd:

NOTE: If you have previously installed the SCO Netscape Commerce Server, the FastTrack Server will auomatically detect and use the configuration files in the /usr/internet/ns_https directory. 

Troubleshooting installation

 This section describes the most common installation problems and how to solve them.

I cannot access the Server Manager forms.
Log in as root or with the server's user account. In the admserv directory, edit the ns-admin.conf file. There's a line for allowed hosts or allowed addresses. Use wildcard patterns, or modify the lines to include your host and address, save the file, and then restart the administration server.

Clients can't locate the server.
First, try using the host name. If that doesn't work, use the fully qualified name (such as www.domain.dom), and make sure the server is listed in DNS. If that doesn't work, use the IP address.

The port is in use.
Most likely, you didn't shut down a server before you upgraded it. Shut down the old server, then manually start the upgraded one.

The port might also be used by another installed server. Make sure the port you've chosen isn't already being used by another server.

The server is slow and transfers take too long.
Check the number of threads. You might need to increase the number of threads the server uses.

If you log files to SYSLOG, you might encounter reduced performance. Switch to using the server's error log files instead. The server machine might need more RAM, or if there are other applications on the machine, they might be using CPU cycles, which degrades server performance.

I've forgotten the administration user name and password.
In the admserv directory in your server root directory, edit the admpw text file, which contains a line of text similar to the following:

admin:lnOVeixulqkmU
The text before the colon is the administration user name (in this case, admin); the text following the colon is the password, which is encrypted.

Delete everything after the colon and save the file. Shut down the administration server, and restart it. When prompted for the administration password, don't give one. You should be able to access the administration server now. Be sure to create a new password for the administration server. For more information on changing the administration server password, see "Configuring your administration server" in Chapter 3.