cgi bin

i am not allowed to create a cgi bin

[mikey888]

hi guys i am new here and am very impressed with the helpfulness of the regulars and the lack of hostility towards newbies compared to other forums.

here's my query

my virtual host rules say i may not create a cgi bin
why is this

[brotherhood of LAN]

some hosts are paranoid about the scripts you run, and sometimes only offer limited pre-made scripts that can be used

If you want good hosting you gotta pay :)

[SmallTime]

Hi and welcome to WWM. Have you talked to tech support at your host? Often they will have default scripts that may do what you want, or will enable a cgi folder for you on request. Security is the usual concern. If not, there are plenty of hosting companies out there..

[mikey888]

wow that was fast guys

if i had a dedicated server with the same host, would i be able to have a cgi bin
BTW the host is [*bleep* -no names, please. rcj].

(edited by: rcjordan at 11:51 pm (utc) on Mar. 13, 2002)

[rcjordan]

Welcome to WebmasterWorld, mikey.

>lack of hostility towards newbies compared to other forums.

Noticed that, did you? Well, thanks. If any of the more seasoned members get uppity we send them over to littleman's forum [webmasterworld.com] and he gives them a long list of really obscure spiders to identify. That humbles you reaaaal fast.

(edited by: rcjordan at 11:25 pm (utc) on Mar. 13, 2002)

[engine]

Hi Mikey888, welcome to wmw.

it's really up to the hosting company - they've got to maintain the server.

brotherhood_of_LAN andSmallTime are correct, check with the host - if they can't help, change ISPs. BTW - you should not need to create the cgi-bin.

[mole]

Mikey,

you don't need a dedicated server, just an ISP who is prepared to CGI-enable the hosting package they're seeling to you.

It all comes down to what you get for your money from different ISPs

[mikey888]

it looks like i will miss out on the whole scripting side of web development if i stay with this host but they are cheap $200 for 2 years domain registration and hosting.

[EliteWeb]

CGI can be a huge insecurity esp. for system administrators who can not handle security they just decide to block the whole world out from doing anything internally and externally.

Find a new host that offers cgi-bin, they're not hard to come by. Hell try making yer own cgi-bin directory and chmod it to whatever the permissions are and put stuff in there ;) may piss of the administrator hehehe

[mole]

yeah, $200 for ****-all

change your ISP man !

[volatilegx]

sometimes you can make your own cgi-bin directory.

make a file called .htaccess

In this file should be a line like below:

Options ExecCGI

Put the .htaccess file inside the directory you want to execute CGI scripts from.

If your host didn't specifically configure the server to disallow Options directives, then this should work.

Your host will probably catch on eventually, though.

[Air]

>make a file called .htaccess

- heheheh, while you're at it, add "Includes" to the ExecCGI and give yourself SSI cabability too. At this rate you might actually start to get $200 worth of hosting.

>...for 2 years domain registration and hosting.

I know you didn't ask, but be careful if they own the domain instead of you.

[mikey888]

Thanks for all the help guys

[Key_Master]

I'd be interested to know if volatilegx's suggestion worked (assuming you tried it). If it did work I'd be real sceptical about their server security.

[pat_s]

Really the best thing you can do is try to get a refund if you paid the whole 200 up front. It's not such a bad price, but should include cgi, ssi, php and/or asp, good support and quite a few other things.