# WASD Hypertext Services - Technical Overview

## 23 - Utilities and Facilities

> 23.1 - Echo Facility
> 23.2 - Hiss Facility
> 23.3 - Where Facility
> 23.4 - Xray Facility
> 23.5 - Apache Bench
> 23.6 - CALogs
> 23.7 - HTAdmin
> 23.8 - HTTPd Monitor
> 23.9 - MD5digest
> 23.10 - QDLogStats
> 23.11 - SECHAN Utility
> 23.12 - Scrunch Utility (obsolete)
> 23.13 - StreamLF Utility
> 23.14 - WASD Bench :^)
> 23.15 - Server Workout (obsolete)

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Foreign commands for external utilities (and the HTTPD control functionality) will need to be assigned from the adminstration users' LOGIN.COM either explicitly or by calling the HT_ROOT:[EXAMPLE]WASDVERBS.COM procedure.

      $ AB == "$HT_EXE:AB"
      $ HTTPD == "$HT_EXE:HTTPD"
      $ HTTPDMON == "$HT_EXE:HTTPDMON"
      $ MD5DIGEST == "$HT_EXE:MD5DIGEST"
      $ QDLOGSTATS == "$HT_EXE:QDLOGSTATS"
      $ SECHAN == "$HT_EXE:SECHAN"
      $ STREAMLF == "@HT_EXE:STREAMLF"
      $ WB == "$HT_EXE:WB"

###
23.1 - Echo Facility

Ever had to go to extraordinary lengths to find out exactly what your browser is sending to the server? The server provides a request echo facility. This merely returns the complete request as a plain-text document. This can be used for for checking the request header lines being provided by the browser, and can be valuable in the diagnosis of POSTed forms, etc.

This facility must be enabled through a mapping rule entry.

      script /echo/* /echo/*

It may then be used with any request merely by inserting "/echo" at the start of the path, as in the following example.

      http://wasd.dsto.defence.gov.au/echo/ht_root/

###
23.2 - Hiss Facility

The hiss facility provides a response stream made up of random alpha-numeric characters (a sort of alpha-numeric white-noise). No response header is generated and the stream will continue (by default) up to one megabyte of output, or until the client closes the connection.

This facility must be enabled through a mapping rule entry.

      script /hiss/* /hiss/*

Usage details are described in 7.8 - Site Attacks.

###
23.3 - Where Facility

Need to locate where VMS has the HTTPd files? This simple facility maps the supplied path then parses it to obtain a resulting VMS file specification. This does not demonstrate whether the path actually exists!

This facility must be enabled through a mapping rule entry.

      script /where/* /where/*

It may then be used with any request merely by inserting "/where" at the start of the path, as in the following example.

      http://wasd.dsto.defence.gov.au/where/ht_root/

###
23.4 - Xray Facility

The Xray facility returns a request's complete response, both header and body, as a plain text document. Being able to see the internals of the response header as well as the contents of the body rendered in plain text can often be valuable when developing scripts, etc.

This facility must be enabled through a mapping rule entry.

      script /Xray/* /Xray/*

It may then be used with any request merely by inserting "/xray" at the start of the path, as in the following example.

      http://wasd.dsto.defence.gov.au/xray/ht_root/

###
23.5 - Apache Bench

This server stress-test and benchmarking tool, as used in the Apache Distribution, is included with the WASD package (sourced from http://webperf.zeus.co.uk/ab.c), within license conditions.

      Copyright (c) 1996 Adam Twiss, Zeus Technology Ltd.
      Copyright (c) 1998 The Apache Group.

Apache Bench will only compile and run for Alpha, IA64 or VAX systems with VMS 7.n or greater available. Also see the WASD analogue, 23.14 - WASD Bench :^). Apache Bench is a simple but effective tool, allowing a single resource to be requested from a server a specified number of times and with a specified concurrency. This can be used to benchmark a server or servers, or be used to stress-test a server configuration's handling of variable loads of specific resquests (before exhausting process quotas, etc.)

A small addition to functionality has been made. The WASD Apache Bench displays a count of the HTTP response categories received (i.e. the number of 2nns, 4nns, etc.) This allows easier assessment of the relevance of results (i.e. measuring performance of some aspect only to find the results showed the performance of 404 message generation - and yes, an annoying experience of the author's prompted the changes!)

The following examples illustrate it's use.

      $ AB -H
      $ AB -C 10 -N 100 http://the.server.name/ht_root/exercise/0k.txt
      $ AB -C 50 -N 500 -K http://the.server.name/ht_root/exercise/64k.txt
      $ AB -C 10 -N 100 http://the.server.name/cgi-bin/cgi_symbols

###
23.6 - CALogs

The Consolidate Access LOGS utility (pronounced similar to the breakfast cereal brand :^) merges multiple HTTP server common and combined format access logs into a single log file with records in time-order. Due to the granularity of HTTP server entry timestamps (one second) the records are sorted to the one second but not within the one second.

It uses RMS and the VMS sort-merge routines to provide it's basic consolidation functionality. An RMS search uses the supplied wildcard log file specification. Matching files are opened and each record read. The date/time field is parsed and a binary timestamp generated. Records with formats or date/time fields that do not make sense to the utility are discarded. When all files have been processed the sort-merge is performed using the timestamp as the key. The sorted records are then written to the specified output file.

$ calogs <log-file-spec> [<output-file-name>] [<qualifiers>]

  /HELP basic usage information
  /NOPROXY discard proxy service records
  /NOWASD discard WASD server status/timestamp entries
  /OUTPUT= alternate method of specifying merged file name
  /PROXY discard non-proxy service records
  /QUIET no messages apart from errors
  /VERBOSE per-file progress messages
  /VERSION display the utility version and copyright message

###
Usage Examples

      $ CALOGS == "$HT_EXE:CALOGS"
      $ CALOGS HT_LOGS:*200205*.LOG 2002_MAY.LOG
      $ CALOGS /VERBOSE HT_LOGS:
      $ CALOGS /NOWASD HT_LOGS:*200206*.LOG_* /OUTPUT=2002_JUNE.LOG
      $ CALOGS /PROXY /NOWASD HT_LOGS:*2002*.LOG 2002_PROXY.LOG

###
23.7 - HTAdmin

The HTAdmin utility assists in with the command-line maintenance of $HTA authorization databases (see 14.3 - Other Authentication and 15.5 - Authorization Sources).

$ htadmin <database> [<username>] [<qualifiers>]

  /ADD add a new record
  /CONFIRM confirm deletion of database
  /CONTACT="<string>" contact information for record
  /CREATE create a new database
  /CSV[=TAB|char] comma-separated listing (optional character)
  /DATABASE= database name (or as command-line parameter)
  /DELETE delete a database or username record from a database
  /DISABLED username record is disabled (cannot be used)
  /EMAIL="<string>" email address for record
  /ENABLED username record is enabled (can be used)
  /FULL listing showing full details
  /GENERATE generate a six character password
  /HELP basic usage information
  /[NO]HTTPS synonym for /SSL
  /LIST listing (brief by default, see /FULL and /CSV)
  /MODIFY synonym for /UPDATE
  /NAME="<string>" full name for username record
  /OUTPUT= alternate output for database listing
  /PASSWORD[=<string>] username record password (prompts if not supplied)
  /PIN generate four-digit "PIN number" for password
  /[NO]READ username can/can't read
  /SORT[=<parameters>] sort the records into a new/another database
  /[NO]SSL user can only authenticate via SSL ("https:")
  /[NO]WRITE username can/can't write
  /UPDATE update an existing username record
  /USER=<string> username
  /VERSION display version of HTADMIN

###
Usage Examples

- To create a new database named EXAMPLE.$HTA (in the current directory)

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /CREATE

- Delete an existing database

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /DELETE /CONFIRM

- List (briefly) the records

  $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE

- List (briefly) the specific user record DANIEL

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL

- List all detail (132 colums) of the specified user record

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /FULL

- To add the new record DANIEL with default read access

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /ADD /NAME="Mark Daniel"

- Add the new record DANIEL with contact details and read+write access

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /ADD /WRITE /CONTACT="Postal Address"

- Add the new record DANIEL and be prompted for a password, or to specify the password on the command-line, or have the utility generate a password or four-digit PIN style password (which is displayed after the record is sucessfully added)

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /ADD /NAME="Mark Daniel" /PASSWORD
         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /ADD /NAME="Mark Daniel" /PASSWORD=cher10s
         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /ADD /NAME="Mark Daniel" /GENERATE
         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /ADD /NAME="Mark Daniel" /PIN

- To update an existing record

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /UPDATE /EMAIL="Mark.Daniel@wasd.vsm.com.au"

- Update the specified record's password (interactively) then to generate a four digit PIN for a password (which is then displayed)

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /UPDATE /PASSWORD
         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /UPDATE /GENERATE
         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /UPDATE /PIN

- Disable then enable an existing user record without changing anything else

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /UPDATE /DISABLE
         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE DANIEL /UPDATE /ENABLE

- To list the entire database, first briefly, then in 132 column mode (with all detail), then finally as a comma-separated listing

         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE
         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /FULL
         $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /CSV

###
Sort Details

The /SORT qualifier sorts the current database records according to the /SORT= parameters. It can be used with the /LIST qualifier to produce ordered reports or will output the records into another authentication file. By default it sorts ascending by username. Qualifier parameters allow a sort by DATE or COUNT. Each of these allows the further specification of which date or count; ACCESS, CHANGE or FAILURE.

- Generating a listing with specified order

        $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /LIST /SORT=DATE=ACCESS
        $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /LIST /SORT=COUNT=FAILURE /OUTPUT=EXAMPLE.LIS

- Sort descending by username into a higher version of EXAMPLE.$HTA

        $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /SORT

- To sort by username into another .$HTA file

        $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /SORT /OUTPUT=ANOTHER

- List by most-recently accessed

        $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /LIST /SORT=DATE

- List by most-recently failed to authenticate

        $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /LIST /SORT=DATE=FAILURE

- Sort file into order by most frequently authenticated (accessed)

        $ HTADMIN EXAMPLE /SORT=COUNT

###
23.8 - HTTPd Monitor

The HTTP server may be monitored in real-time using the HTTPDMON utility.

HTTPDMON Graphic

This utility continuously displays a screen of information comprising three or four of the following sections:

1. Process Information
   HTTPd process information includes its up-time, CPU-time consumed (excluding any subprocesses), I/O counts, and memory utilization. The "Servers:" item shows how many servers are currently running on the node/cluster. Changes in this count are indicated by the second, parenthesized number.

2. General Server Counters
   The server counters keep track of the total connections received, accepted, rejected, etc., totals for each request type (file transfer, directory listing, image mapping, etc.).

3. Proxy Serving Counters
   The server counters keep track of proxy serving connections, network and cache traffic, cache status, etc.

4. Latest Request
   This section provides the response status code, and some transaction statistics, the service being accessed, originating host and HTTP request. Note that long request strings may be truncated (indicated by a bolded elipsis).

5. Status Message
   If the server is in an exceptional condition, for example exited after a fatal error, starting up, etc., a textual message may be displayed in place of the the request information. This may be used to initiate remedial actions, etc.

The following shows example output (after WWWRKOUT server testing):

       WASD:: 1         HTTPDMON v2.0.0 AXP        Saturday, 12-MAY-2001 11:26:18

     Process: HTTPd:80  PID: 2020022F  User: HTTP$SERVER  Version: 7.2
          Up: 0 21:05:51.88  CPU: 0 07:34:19.99  Startup: 1
     Pg.Flts: 3526  Pg.Used: 37%  WsSize: 6402  WsPeak: 4729
         AST:  196/200   BIO: 1003/1020  BYT: 202270/202720  DIO: 498/500
         ENQ: 1989/2000  FIL:  298/300   PRC:    100/100      TQ:  26/30

     Request: 184865  Current:16  Throttle: 0/0/0%  Peak: 29
      Accept: 178212  Reject:0  Busy:0  SSL: 17
     CONNECT: 0  GET: 164717  HEAD: 20148  POST: 0  PUT: 0
       Admin: 0  Cache: 48/39992/0  DECnet: 3327/6655  Dir: 6670
         DCL: CLI:16730 CGI:9987 CGIplus:13310/13182 RTE:16/15 Processes: 168/5
        File: 3384/0  IsMap: 0  Proxy: 64911  Put: 0  SSI: 16657  Upd: 9988

         1xx: 0  2xx: 157816  3xx: 3  4xx: 18496 (403:27)  5xx: 1864  (none:0)
          Rx: 19,762,345  Tx: 1,053,847,437  (bytes)

       Proxy: enabled
     CONNECT: 0  GET: 58720  HEAD: 6191  POST: 0  PUT: 0
         Not: Cacheable Request:14555 Response:23786
     Network: Rx:118,463,055 Tx:7,208,716 (29%)  Accessed: 38356
      Lookup: Numeric:19 DNS:21 Cache:38317 Error:1
       Cache: Rx:2,863,617 Tx:320,164,012 (71%)  Read:26554/3 Write:10
      Device: DKA0: 4110480 blocks (2007MB)  Space: available
              2171744 used (1060MB 53%), 1938736 free (946MB 47%)
       Purge: 18 00:00:54, 98 files (2254/2412), 0 deleted (0/0)

        Time: 12 11:25:11  Status: 200  Rx: 95  Tx: 34479  Duration: 0.2400
     Service: beta.dsto.defence.gov.au:80
        Host: beta.dsto.defence.gov.au (131.185.250.201)
     Request: GET /ht_root/exercise/64k.txt

The "/HELP" qualifier provides a brief usage summary.

The server counter values are carried over when a server (re)starts (provided the system has stayed up). To reset the counters use the online Server Administration facility (18 - Server Administration).

If [DNSlookup] is disabled for the HTTP server the HTTPDMON utility attempts to resolve the literal address into a host name. This may be disabled using the /NORESOLVE qualifier.

###
23.9 - MD5digest

From RFC1321 ...

" The [MD5] algorithm takes as input a message of arbitrary length and produces as output a 128-bit "fingerprint" or "message digest" of the input. It is conjectured that it is computationally infeasible to produce two messages having the same message digest, or to produce any message having a given prespecified target message digest. "

The MD5DIGEST utility is primarily provided with WASD for verifying kits as unchanged from the originals released. With the proliferation of mirror sites and other distribution resources it has become good practice to ensure kits remain unchanged from release, to distribution, to installation site (changes due to to data corruption or malicious intent - as remote a possibility as that may seem). Of course it may also be used for any other purpose where the MD5 hash is useful.

For verifying the contents of a WASD release connect to the original WASD distribution site, refer to the download page, and make a comparison between the release MD5 hash found against the list of all archive hashes and the MD5 hash of your archive. That can be done as follows

      $ MD5DIGEST == "$HT_EXE:MD5DIGEST"
      $ MD5DIGEST device:[dir]archive.ZIP

The result will look similar to

      MD5 (kits:[000000]htroot710.zip;1) = 404bbdfe0f847c597b034feef2d13d2d

Of course, if you have not yet installed your first WASD distribution using the MD5DIGEST utility that is part of it is not feasable. The original site can provide kits and pre-built executables for this purpose.

###
23.10 - QDLogStats

Quick-and-Dirty LOG STATisticS is a utility to extract very elementary statistics from Web server common/combined format log files. It is intended for those moments when we think "I wonder how many times that new archive has been downloaded?", "How much data was transfered during November?", "How often is such-and-such a client using the authenticated so-and-so service?", "How much has the mail service been used?" ... and want the results in a matter of seconds (or at least a few tens of seconds ;^) It is available at the command-line and as a CGI script.

For QDLOGSTATS to be available as a CGI script it must have authorization enabled against it (to prevent potential ad hoc browsing of a site's logs). The following provides some indication of this configuration, although of course it requires tailoring for any given site.

      [VMS]
      /cgi-bin/qdlogstats ~webadmin,131.185.250.*,r+w ;

It could then be accessed using

      http://the.host.name/cgi-bin/qdlogstats

The initial access provides a form allowing the various filters and other behaviours to be selected. The CGI form basically parallels the command-line behaviour described below.

###
Filters

A number of filters allow subsets of the log contents to be selected. These filters support the same string matching expressions as the server (11 - String Matching).

A knowlege of the format and contents of the common and combined log formats will assist in deciding which and to what purpose filters should be used. Record filtering is done in the same order as is finally displayed, so method would be processed before user-agent for instance. Normally a record match terminates on the first non-matched filter (to expedite processing). To compare and report each filter for every record apply the /ALL qualifier. To view records as they are processed use the /VIEW qualifier. This by default displays all matched records, but the optional =ALL or =NOMATCH parameters will display all records, or all those but the matches.

$ QDLOGSTATS log-file-spec [pattern qualifiers] [other qualifiers]

  /ALL compare and report on all supplied filters
  /AUTHUSER= pattern (any authenticated username)
  /BEFORE= log files before this VMS date/time
  /CLIENT= pattern (client host name or IP address)
  /DATETIME= pattern ("11/Jun/1999:14:08:49 +0930")
  /DECODE[=keyword] URL-decode PATH, QUERY, REFERER before match
  /METHOD= pattern (HTTP "GET", "POST", etc.)
  /OUTPUT= file specification
  /PATH= pattern (URL path component only)
  /PROGRESS show progress during processing
  (a "+" for each file started, a "." for each 1000 records processed)
  /QUERY= pattern (URL query component only)
  /REFERER= pattern (HTTP "Referer:" field, COMBINED only)
  /REMOTEID= pattern (RFC819 file)
  /RESPONSE= pattern (HTTP response code)
  /SINCE= log files after this VMS date/time
  /SIZE[=keyword] response size (in bytes) MIN=integer MAX=integer
  /USERAGENT= pattern (HTTP "User-Agent:" field, COMBINED only)
  /VIEW[=type] display matching log records (ALL, NOMATCH, MATCH)

###
Usage Examples

- Records from September 1999.

        $ QDLOGSTATS HT_LOGS:*1999*.LOG /DATE="*/SEP/1999*"

- Records where the browser was an X-based Netscape Navigator

          $ QDLOGSTATS HT_LOGS:*.LOG /USERAGENT=*MOZILLA*X11*

- Records of POST method requests

          $ QDLOGSTATS HT_LOGS:*.LOG /METHOD=POST

- Records requesting a particular path

          $ QDLOGSTATS HT_LOGS:*.LOG /PATH="/cgi-bin/*"

- Select proxy records requesting (a) particular site(s)

          $ QDLOGSTATS HT_LOGS:*8080*.LOG /PATH="http://*.compaq.com*"
          $ QDLOGSTATS HT_LOGS:*8080*.LOG /METHOD=POST /PATH="http://*sex*.*/*" /VIEW

- Records where the request was authenticated

          $ QDLOGSTATS HT_LOGS:*.LOG /AUTHUSER=DANIEL

###
23.11 - SECHAN Utility

The SECHAN utility (pronounced "session") is used by [INSTALL]SECURE.COM and its associated procedures to make file system security settings. It is also available for direct use by the site administrator. See SECHAN Utility.

###
23.12 - Scrunch Utility (obsolete)

> SCRUNCH Obsolete with 7.2

> Changes with server-internal SSI document handling have made the SCRUNCH utility obsolete for WASD versions 7.2 and later. Previously SCRUNCHed documents will continue to be processed without needing to be explicitly UNSCRUNCHed.

###
23.13 - StreamLF Utility

This simple procedure used the FDL facility to convert files to STREAM_LF format. The WASD HTTPd server access STREAM_LF files in block/IO-mode, far more efficiently that the record-mode required by variable-record format files.

NOTE: The server can also be configured to automatically convert any VARIABLE record format files it encounters to STREAM_LF.

###
23.14 - WASD Bench :^)

WASD Bench - an analogue to Apache Bench (23.5 - Apache Bench) Why have it? Apache Bench only compiles and runs on VMS 7.n and later. This version should compile and run for all supported WASD configurations. It also has the significant performance advantage (looks like ~25%) of using the underlying $QIO services and not the socket API, and is AST event driven rather than using the likes of select(). It is not a full implementation of AB (for instance, it currently does not do POSTs). The CLI attempts to allow the same syntax as used by AB (within the constraint that not all options are supported) so that it is relatively easy to switch between the two (perhaps for comparison purposes) if desired.

The following examples illustrate it's use.

      $ WB -H
      $ WB -C 10 -N 100 http://the.server.name/ht_root/exercise/0k.txt
      $ WB -C 50 -N 500 -K http://the.server.name/ht_root/exercise/64k.txt
      $ WB -C 10 -N 100 http://the.server.name/cgi-bin/cgi_symbols

WASD Bench also has an exercise option, functionality is not found in Apache Bench. It is basically to supercede similar functionality provided by the retired WWWRKOUT. The exercise functionality allows WASD Bench to be used to stress-test a server. This behaviour includes mixing HEAD (~5%) with GET requests, and breaking requests during both request and response transfers (~5%). These are designed to shake up the server with indeterminate request types and client error behaviours. The best way to utilize this stress-testing is wrap WASD Bench with a DCL procedure providing a variety of different requests types, quantities and concurrencies.

      $!(example "wrapper" procedure)
      $ IF P1 .EQS. "" THEN P1 = F$GETSYI("NODENAME")
      $ WB = "$HT_EXE:WB"
      $ SPAWN/NOWAIT WB +e +s +n -n 100 -c  5    http://'p1'/ht_root/exercise/0k.txt
      $ SPAWN/NOWAIT WB +e +s -k -n  50 -c  5 -k http://'p1'/ht_root/exercise/64k.txt
      $ SPAWN/NOWAIT WB +e +s    -n  50 -c  2    http://'p1'/cgi-bin/conan
      $!(delay spawning anymore until this one concludes)
      $              WB +e +s    -n 100 -c  5    http://'p1'/ht_root/*.*
      $ SPAWN/NOWAIT WB +e +s +n -n 100 -c  1    http://'p1'/ht_root/exercise/16k.txt
      $ SPAWN/NOWAIT WB +e +s    -n  10 -c  1    http://'p1'/cgi-bin/doesnt-exist
      $ SPAWN/NOWAIT WB +e +s -k -n  50 -c  2    http://'p1'/cgi-bin/conan/search
      $!(delay spawning anymore until this one concludes)
      $              WB +e +s    -n  50 -c  2    http://'p1'/ht_root/src/httpd/*.*
      $!(etc.)

###
23.15 - Server Workout (obsolete)

> WWWRKOUT Obsolete with 8.0

> As the WASD Bench :^) Utility now provides much of the stress-test functionality the WWWRKOUT utility supplied with earlier version of WASD has been declared obsolete.

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