[MacPerl] Rx for hanging CGI scripts (Re: Banished server)

[Edouard Lagache <elagache@weber.ucsd.edu>]

Hi John (and the rest of MacPerl faithful :-)

>	Macperl is hanging my server - no matter which script I use from the most
>complicated to the easiest screen-reply scripts. Many scripts stay open (in
>the finder menu) on the server's HD for hours or days and just sit there
>doing nothing. When the sysadmin goes to shut them down, often he cannot
>and has to restart the machine.

I got on this listserv less than a month ago with the same question.  
What I've discovered is that you need to make sure that the server waits 
for your CGI script to complete processing before doing anything else.  
On most servers this means using the '.cgi' filename extension instead of 
'.acgi'  I am using both Net Presenz and Quid Pro Quo, I get exactly the 
same results with either one.  I thought I was being a good netizen by 
freeing up the server - Wrong answer!  I tried going back to the .acgi 
extension last night with just a tiny CGI script to display Perl programs 
on the web - my lecture was ruined! :-\.  In contrast, my class web site 
- which used to constantly hang - has been rock solid stable.

The gurus on this list (and, heaven forbid, the server documentation) 
report that Apple Events can get hung up if it takes to long for the net 
to respond.  So my recommendation is that all folks doing Mac CGI just 
stick to '.cgi' and pay the performance penalty.  It is a very small 
price to pay for good reliability!

Thanks to everyone who offered me advice on this one!!

Peace, Edouard :-)
==================
Edouard Lagache, Lecturer
U.C. San Diego, Extension
elagache@weber.ucsd.edu

***** Want to unsubscribe from this list?
***** Send mail with body "unsubscribe" to mac-perl-request@iis.ee.ethz.ch