CGI services?

[Sheryl Dwinell]

We've been VERY lucky that our ITS Dept. recognizes the need for us to have
secure CGI scripts in the cgi-bin directory on the campus server, where our
library Web site is located. For a number of reasons, we don't need a
separate library server. I worked out an agreement with the person who
maintains the university Web server, and have access to the cgi-bin
directory and can add/remove/change CGI scripts as I see fit. Of course,
that arrangement is based on a GREAT deal of trust. As for other
departments on campus, they give their scripts to the person in charge of
the server and he puts them into the cgi-bin directory for them. As far as
I know, there is no policy against putting user-developed CGI scripts on
our campus Web server. In the past, folks were putting CGI scripts in their
departmental directory, but there was a crackdown on that. Our previous
Webmaster had told many people they could do that, even though it was
incredibly insecure.

Why does this policy work here? I can only surmise that there aren't a huge
number of folks developing scripts. I think we in the library have
developed the largest number on campus. It could also be that the demands
of adding scripts to the server isn't a major inconvenience for the server
administrator. 


Sheryl Dwinell * Cataloger/DBM Librarian/Webmaster
Memorial Library * Marquette University
P.O. Box 3141 * Milwaukee, WI 53201-3141
414-288-3406 * dwinells at vms.csd.mu.edu