Additional NetWare 6.5 Web Services

NetWare 6.5 includes several other pieces to the Web services puzzle, including MySQL database, OpenSSH, and scripting support through Perl and PHP. Although an in-depth discussion of these utilities is beyond the scope of this book, a brief introduction to these services and their capabilities is in order.

MySQL

MySQL is an open source SQL (Structured Query Language) database. It is easy to install and use, but offers exceptional power, security and scalability. In fact, because of its small size and speed, it is an ideal platform for delivering database capabilities to your Web sitesand because it's an open source application, and free with NetWare 6.5, the potential return on investment (ROI) doesn't get much better.

MySQL runs on a wide variety of operating systems other than NetWare, making it ideal for today's heterogeneous network environments. You don't have to learn different database systems just because you have different platforms. MySQL platforms include, in addition to NetWare, Microsoft Windows NT/2000, Linux, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX, FreeBSD, OS/2, and others.

MySQL can be installed during the NetWare 6.5 installation, or anytime thereafter through iManager or the GUI server console.

OpenSSH

OpenSSH is an open source encryption service that has been integrated with NetWare 6.5. It leverages the Novell International Cryptographic Infrastructure (NICI) to provide a secure shell suitable for both administrators and users who need to access their NetWare servers in a way that provides secure access and data transmission.

For example, network admins can use OpenSSH to copy files to and from any server in their networks. Users can securely access and copy files to and from their home directories, or any other directory to which they have rights. OpenSSH makes all of this possible without using a Web browser or any NetWare-specific client.

To do this, OpenSSH provides secure versions of several common file transfer protocols that use unencrypted transmission channels and clear text passwords that pose a significant security risk. OpenSSH offers SFTP to replace FTP, SSH to replace Telnet and Rlogin, and SCP to replace RCP. There are several SSH-compatible client utilities that you can choose from, including PuTTy, RedHat Linux OpenSSH clients , Absolute Telnet, and MindTerm, to name a few.

OpenSSH can be installed during the NetWare 6.5 installation, or anytime thereafter through iManager or the GUI server console. Novell recommends that you install Apache Web Server on your NetWare 6.5 server prior to installing OpenSSH.

Perl and PHP Scripting Support

Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripting is the most common way for a Web server to interact with users. It provides the capability to create dynamic content and increase the sophistication and functionality of your Web pages.

In addition to the Web application, scripting is also a valuable tool for automating network administrative functions and parsing and generating reports based on network activities. Because of this, Novell offers multiple scripting languages with NetWare 6.5, with the goal of not making you learn yet another coding method in order to get your job done.

The most commonly recognized of Novell's scripting languages, outside of the NetWare world, are Perl (Practical Extraction and Report Language) and PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor).

Perl is an open source language that was originally created specifically to process text. Because of this, it is particularly good at text parsing and report generation. It is also very good at Web page generation and task automation.

PHP is a server-side HTML-embedded scripting language. It can be used to create dynamic Web pages, collect form data, and receive cookie information. It can also be used for talking to other services through protocols such as IMAP, SNMP, and HTTP. PHP supports a wide range of Web servers and databases, but is most commonly used with Apache Web server and MySQL. This makes it a natural choice for the NetWare 6.5 Web services environment.

Both Perl and PHP support for NetWare 6.5 is provided in the Novell Developer Kit (NDK) that is included with NetWare 6.5. For more information on the NDK, see the NetWare 6.5 online documentation, and visit http://developer.novell.com/ndk.