$Id: README,v 2.2 1993/07/08 00:10:51 sanders Exp $

This is the README file for the Plexus perl HTTPD server.

This server is provided ``as is'', and without warranty.  However, if you
have a suggestion or comment (bug fixes preferred) please feel free to
send them to sanders@bsdi.com.  If you write a server module I'll be happy
to look at it for inclusion in the release.

To install this server there are four basic things you need to do:

 o  Edit src/plexus.conf and src/site.pl and configure everything for
    your site.  The default server location ($http_root) is /usr/local/www
    and is defined in `plexus' but you can override it by setting the
    $HTTPD environment variable (or you can change `plexus').  You can
    also directly override the location of the config file by setting
    $HTTP_CONF (by default it is server/plexus.conf).

    Note that items in the site.pl file might need to be changed for
    your site and I highly recommend that you install the required
    system header files using perl's h2ph.  Plexus will use built-in
    defaults if they don't exist but the defaults might not be right
    for you system (though they are ok for most systems).

 o  Edit Makefile.config, then type ``make install''.

 o  Setup the $http_root directory with whatever data you intend to
    serve.  This will be covered more in a future release, for now
    I just assume you have a pretty good idea of what you want to do.
    (Hint: You'll need an index.html to start with).

 o  Setup your system so it starts the server at boot time (e.g., add
    `/usr/local/www/server/plexus &' to /etc/rc.local or equivalent).

If you edit the Makefile's in the various directories they will do the
install for you assuming you want the default setup (use make install).

If you are going to run the finger gateway you'll need to configure
finger.pl.  I don't recommend installing the finger gateway in general
but it's a nice demo for how to do more complex gateways.  The siks, neuro,
npindex, sunman and sunmanindex parts came with the code from cs.indiana.edu
(though I've tried to keep them up with changes I've made I have not tested
them) and will probably need work if you are going to use them.  I'm just
passing them along for informational purposes.  Here is a pointer to the
original code:

    http://cs.indiana.edu/perl-server/intro.html

If you are going to serve files to the Internet (even if you aren't it's
still a good idea) you should setup a generic hostname (e.g., www.company.com).
That way you are free to move the server around without disrupting the
Web.  You should also add a ``webmaster'' alias to point to the server
administrator.  It may be tempting to put these off at first (after all
your just playing around right) but it's worth it.

I have tried to make the server run without requiring perl versions of
the system header files (like stat.ph, sockets.ph, etc) but if you have
problems that would be the first place I would look.

Here are some pointers to Web documents you might find interesting:

    The World Wide Web project
        http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html

    How to put your data on the web
        http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Provider/Overview.html

    Etiquette for information poviders
	http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Provider/Etiquette.html

    A Beginner's Guide to HTML
        http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/demoweb/html-primer.html

    Style Guide for Online Hypertext
        http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Provider/Style/Overview.html

    HyperText Mark-up Language: Overview
        http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/MarkUp/MarkUp.html
