FirstSearch via WWW: automatic login?

[Prentiss Riddle]

> From web4lib at library.berkeley.edu  Thu Apr  4 15:19:28 1996
> Date: Thu, 4 Apr 1996 13:15:18 -0800
> From: David Wuolu <wuolud at cda.mrs.umn.edu>
> Subject: FirstSearch via WWW: automatic login?
> 
> Has anyone implemented OCLC's WebScript software to 
> authenticate IP addresses and log users into FirstSearch Web?
> 
> The process described on 
> 
> http://www.oclc.org/oclc/software/fsauto.htm
> 
> didn't work.  Would anybody be willing to help me get
> this running?

I got it working a few weeks ago.  I found some errors in the
documentation, which may be what is giving you trouble.  Here are the
comments I passed on to OCLC.  I have yet to receive an acknowledgement.

If these comments don't clarify matters, let me know more specifically
what your problem is and I'll see if I can help.

-- Prentiss Riddle ("aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada") riddle at rice.edu
-- RiceInfo Administrator, Rice University / http://is.rice.edu/~riddle
-- Home office: 2002-A Guadalupe St. #285, Austin, TX 78705 / 512-323-0708
-- Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer.
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>From riddle at rice.edu Tue Mar 19 15:08:20 1996
Subject: Comments on FirstSearch WebScript instructions
To: epub at oclc.org, tkac at oclc.org
Date: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 15:08:20 -0600 (CST)

I've just installed WebScript for use with FirstSearch here at Rice.
It's working great, but I thought I'd make a couple of comments on your
documentation at:

        http://www.oclc.org/oclc/software/fsauto.htm

(I'm not sure who this message should go to because the web page in
question is unsigned.  Please pass these comments on.)

(1) Several places you refer to installing the WebScript program in a
secure CGI directory.  In fact the WebScript program need not be
installed in a CGI directory at all; what you call the WebScript
"script" (e.g., the fs.scr file) is what needs to go in the CGI
directory, and it in turn invokes the WebScript program, which can be
almost anywhere.  In fact, your sample fs.scr script shows the
WebScript program as being at "/usr/local/bin/WebScript".

(2) There is, however, one constraint on the location of the WebScript
program which you don't mention.  In order for the magic of the csh
"#!" syntax in the WebScript script to work, the full pathname of the
WebScript program must be under 30 characters (at least under SunOS
4.1.3).  In my case that means it *can't* be in the CGI directory
because its pathname is too long!

(3) You say that it is necessary to "limit access to the Web page
containing the link to FirstSearch" in order to limit FirstSearch
access to your institution's servers.  Unless I'm mistaken, this is
incorrect -- what is necessary is to limit access to the CGI directory
containing the WebScript script (fs.scr).

-- Prentiss Riddle ("aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada") riddle at rice.edu
-- RiceInfo Administrator, Rice University / http://is.rice.edu/~riddle
-- Home office: 2002-A Guadalupe St. #285, Austin, TX 78705 / 512-323-0708
-- Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer.