FrontPage

Answers to questions you may have about using Microsoft's FrontPage on our UNIX Servers.

NOTE: For specific information on How to use the FrontPage software, please consult the program's documentation or Microsoft Technical Support.

Support for FrontPage

According to Microsoft's documentation for FrontPage Web Presence Providers, "Installing the FrontPage Server Extensions gives your customers full support for all of the features of FrontPage. This includes remote authoring, threaded discussion groups, full-text search, and surveys."

Peanet supports Microsoft FrontPage in several ways:

Peanet DOES NOT provide direct technical support related to the use of your FrontPage software. User issues are referred to Microsoft's Technical Support Team.

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Server Extensions

FrontPage Extensions are CGI programs which provide the server side implementation of FrontPage. FrontPage communicates with the extensions via HTTP using a Remote Procedure Call (RPC). When the server sees the "POST" request addressed to the FrontPage server extensions it simply directs the request to the appropriate CGI program. The extensions implement authoring (uploading/downloading documents, ToDo Lists), administration (setting end-user, author, and administrator privileges), and dynamic content (browse-time WebBot components).

Without the FrontPage Server Extensions you will not be able to take advantage of the WebBots that are available through FrontPage. Also, without the extensions you cannot author and administer your web using the tools provided as part of the FrontPage Editor/Explorer package.

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Getting the extensions installed

To have the FrontPage server extensions installed on your site, send an email request to support@pea.net with the following information:

On existing sites, the installation will generally be done within 24 hours.

Upgrading

Effective 4/6/98 all FrontPage extensions were upgraded to FrontPage ver 3.0.2.1330 per Microsoft. Peanet no longer installs or supports earlier versions.

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Charges

There is no charge for installing the server extensions. Peanet will also reinstall corrupted extensions free of charge*.

*Note: There are certain precautions that MUST be taken when publishing and maintaining your site with FrontPage.

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Limitations

There are some issues which potential FrontPage users should consider:

  1. Web size -- This seems to be most critical when a "searchable event" is present in the web (Search, Discussion Forum and Table of Contents). The lengthy process of updating the indices for these functions can lead to the connection timing-out (HTTP 500 Error or 'Server has timed-out').
  2. Disk Usage -- You may create and publish as many child webs as your disk storage space allows. However, for each child web you publish, FrontPage duplicates certain information into indices and hidden files. This adds "overhead", increasing the storage space required for your files. Microsoft's documentation notes, "FrontPage 97's optional full-text search indexes can take up to the same amount of disk space as your textual content."
  3. PRECAUTIONS

    There are several precautions which need to be taken to protect the FrontPage extensions on your  site if it is housed on the UNIX servers:

    a) Do NOT use the Edit Access or File Manager features found in your Control Panel to set passwords, limit access, set file permissions or delete directories or files in a FrontPage web. This should only be done through the options in FrontPage Explorer.

    b) Do NOT use regular FTP (such as WS_FTP) to upload files to the server when FrontPage extensions are installed. This may corrupt the extensions, disabling the interactive features available with FrontPage.

    NOTE: The exception to this is when loading custom scripts to the cgi-local directory on your site. Instructions for uploading custom  CGI scripts is included in the notice you will receive when the extensions are installed.
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Bots

WebBots are the mechanism for invoking many of the interactive features built into FrontPage. These features are added to your web through the FrontPage Editor | Insert WebBot Component

Some, such as Include and Subsitution allow elements of the web to be entered once and included in any or all of the pages by inserting the Bot component referencing that element (e.g. a logo or navigation bar). Changes made to the "master" element are made automatically to any page containing the referencing Bot.

Other Bots, such as Search, Table of Contents and Timestamp, control dynamic browse-time features. These Bots work behind the scenes to keep the web up-to-date for visitors.

The Page Counter Bot, which is available from the FrontPage CD-ROM or Microsoft web-site will not work on Peanet's UNIX servers.

For more information on using the Bots, see the documentation provided with FrontPage or contact Microsoft Technical Support.

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Features

Since FrontPage was created for developing web-sites in the Windows environment, some features are only available when the site is hosted on an NT Server.

*FrontPage sites hosted on the UNIX Servers may use SSL by sending output from forms through cgiemail.

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Other Resources

You may also find answers on many user issues at Microsoft's web-site, from newsgroups and, of course, in books on FrontPage.

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