GoServe: Remote control of GoServe

Remote control of GoServe

GoServe filters (see "Filter programs") can request that GoServe perform certain actions, instead of just returning files or other data. These requests may be used to control GoServe remotely (from another machine or from another process on the same machine). Control requests can return a document containing one or more response lines, either showing successful completion of the request or indicating an error.

Specifically, if the CONTROL command is used without the VAR option (either from within the filter program or by being returned by the filter) then the command action is performed and the result string is returned to the client as a document.

More sophisticated control is possible by using the EXTRACT and SET commands to inspect and alter a wide variety of GoServe's internal settings.

The sample pages (GOR*.HTM) and the remote control filter (GOREMOTE.80) filters included in the package use these commands to duplicate the functions available locally via the Options settings notebook. All the information and settings available in the Options notebook (except the response time graph) are available remotely.

Please note that for the Apply button to work on the remote control settings pages, you must first provide and enable a password in the "authorize:" subroutine in the main GOFILTER.80. See that subroutine for instructions.

The sample main filter also includes examples of using control commands initiated from standard menus or documents; these actions can be triggered remotely using a Gopher or Web client, as appropriate. Rexx programs can also use the OS/2 TCP/IP RxSock library (included in the UN64092 CSD, August 1994, and also available from most OS/2 software sources) to send a specific request to a GoServe server. A sample command, MOVEAUD.CMD, is included in the GoServe package as an indication of how this is used.

The filter mechanism provides flexibility in how control requests are accepted and passed to GoServe, including the possibility of modification so that only clients with certain addresses would be able to use these options. The sample Web filter includes an example of how this might be done, and the sample GOREMOTE.80 shows a mostly-generic example of forms processing.

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