<H1><IMG SRC="images/world" ALIGN=ABSMIDDLE> General Program Information</H1>
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<A NAME="messages"><H2>Messages and Errors</H2></A>
<P>Messages and Errors are not reported in the standard Wimp error box but instead in a multitasking <I>pop-up</I> box, so that the desktop (and hence the server) may continue operating. It is important that the error box does not halt the server, as if one connection fails, other connections will usually still work. The pop-up box typically looks like this :</P>
<P>When Netplex receives a request for an object, it has to pass through several conversions and checks to see if it's a valid object on the server, and whether it actually exists.</P>
<P>Firstly the URL named in the request is decoded and converted to the equivalent RISC OS object name. This involves converting all of the dots '.' to slashes '/' and slashes to dots. Encoded characters identified by '%hh', where 'h' is a hex character, are also converted.
<P>The search procedure for directories is different, as when they are referenced purely by their name, the 'index' file in the specified directory is served. E.g. '/texts/biology/' will serve the file '/texts/biology/index' (where 'index' is your configured default page name).</P>
<P>Requests for directories without a trailing slash will be automatically redirected to the name of the directory with a trailing slash. So a request for '/texts/biology' will be redirected to '/texts/biology/', which will then serve the file '/texts/biology/index'.</P>
<P>Again, the search procedures for image files (e.g. SparkFS archives, DOSFS partitions) is different. A request for '/text/maths' (where 'maths' is an image file) will serve the image file as a <B>file</B>, sending the whole file to the client. A request for '/text/maths/' will treat the image file as a <B>directory</B> and consequently look for the file '/text/maths/index' inside the image file.</P>
<P>In all of these cases, if the file that is finally found is a Netplex Configuration file it will be acted upon.</P>
<A NAME="naming"><H2>Page Naming</H2></A>
<P>In order to ensure consistency and to avoid clashes with various filing systems, Netplex requires that the names of the objects to be served do <B>not</B> contain any of the following characters :</P>
<P>The only ones you really need to avoid are < and >, as the others are all unavailable in RISC OS filenames.</P>
<A NAME="quitactive"><H2>Quitting with Active Connections</H2></A>
<P>If you attempt to shut down Netplex while there are connections active, you will be prompted via a dialogue box to choose whether you really do want to quit.</P>
<P>One of the points about running a server is that you are effectively sharing your machine and Internet bandwidth with other people. Once people start using the server, you may notice your machine beginning to '<I>drag</I>' slightly. This effect shouldn't be too noticeable when serving files normally as they are sent in small pieces. However, some CGI programs will cause your machine to freeze for a few moments while they run, although this depends on exactly what the program is doing.</P
<P>Upon starting Netplex on certain Internet setups, you may see a message indicating that the Internet <I>host name</I> of your computer could not be determined. If you see this and you know what your host name should be, then you should ensure that the CGI$ServerName system variable is set to the fully qualified name of your computer - or at least its dotted-IP address - before starting Netplex.</P>
<P>If this variable is not set then any parts of the server which reference it may fail. This includes anything that does dynamic redirection, including the imagemap program.</P>
