Macintosh Internet Server Implementation
Mike Baker
Carolyn Walsh Carter
Dennis Lutero
Jackie Meese
Suvit Nopachai
Maurya L. Schweizer
Jeff Stuart
David Carter-Tod, Graduate Assistant
Abstract
This paper describes a classroom activity which consists of setting up an Internet server and developing web-based instructions for the server set up. This instructional process would be useful to instructors planning to teach similar material. The web-based materials serve as a reference and a tutorial (http://www.aca.vt.edu/webspinners/webserv.html) to complement that instruction. The web-based tutorial contains six modules: Web Server Setup, Web Server Security, FTP/Gopher Server, AppleSharing, E-Mail and Mailing List server, and CGI Applications. The paper describes course administration, including: pre-requisite skills, hardware and software requirements, objectives, instruction received, design of the web-based tutorial, classroom considerations, and technical problems encountered.
Introduction
This project as developed as a requirement for EDCI 5774: Advanced Telecommunications, an intensive eight day seminar, which was held July I - 10, 1996 at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The class was composed of master's students, doctoral candidates and classroom teachers with widely varying skill levels in computer usage. Based on a HTML/basic computer survey, the most highly proficient students were selected to participate in advanced instruction to set up and maintain a variety of Internet services.
Prerequisite Skills
The six students selected all possessed the following competencies:
1. Skilled in either a Windows-based or Macintosh environment
2. Basic skills in developing HTML documents
3. Basic skills in Netscape/web browsing and search engines
4. Familiarity with Internet concepts such as e-mail, listservs, ftp/gopher services, downloading and telecommunications terminology.
5. Familiarity with concepts of network topology
Hardware and Software Needs
Although the project was developed on Power Mac 7500/lOOs, the minimum hardware requirement is Macintosh running System 7 with a 68030 processor and a permanent Internet connection. The software used to set up the Macintosh Internet Server consisted of shareware used only for the duration of this project and freeware downloaded from the Internet.
Objectives of Assignment
1. Individually implement an Internet server consisting of web server, ftp and gopher server, mail and list server and Common Gateway Interface (CGI) application in a Macintosh environment.
2. Design and develop a web site to deliver instructions for setting up an Internet Server.
Instruction Received
The Internet server group received instruction in setting up Internet web servers from David Carter-Tod, the graduate assistant responsible for maintaining the servers for the College of Human Resources and Education at Virginia Tech (http://www.chre.vt.edu/). This instruction was delivered via demonstration followed by hands-on instruction over a five day period.
Objective 1 - Each student was assigned to a Macintosh workstation and set up their own web server on that workstation. This was accomplished by demonstrations followed by hands-on guided practice for each element of the Internet server. The students downloaded shareware programs from Macintosh ftp archives to use as the server programs. The programs downloaded were:
MacHTTP 2.2 - web server
NetPresenz 4.0.1 - ftp and gopher server
Macjordomo 1.0SbS and AIMS 1.1 - mail and list server
A CGI application Count Webula 1.2 - a program which counts hits on a web page.
Objective 2 - The process of setting up an Internet server was broken down into six parts. Each student was responsible for writing the HTML document explaining how to implement a particular part. The parts were as follows:
1. WEB SERVER SETUP: The basics of web server installation, set up. and maintenance, using MacHTTP 2.2
2. APPLESHARE/USERS &GROUPS SETUP: The basic setup procedures for the AppleShare/Users & Groups features in the Macintosh Control Panel, which are ital to file security when running an ftp or gopher server.
3. WEB SERVER SECURITY: The various ways of ensuring security for web sites, including userid/password identification and separate web servers for restricted access areas, using MacHTTP2.2.
4. FTP/GOPHER SERVERS: The basics of ftp/gopher server installation and set up using NetPresenz 4.0.1.
5. MAIL/LIST SERVERS: The basics of mail and list server installation. set up, and maintenance, using Apple Internet Mail Server (AIMS) and Macjordomo. Discusses the interrelationship between these two applications and how they work together.
6. CGI (COMMON GATEWAY INTERFACE APPLICATIONS): The purpose and use of CGIs, including how to acquire and set up a counter CGI.
Design of the Web Site
After the third day of instruction, the students met as a group and assigned a leader/coordinator for the project. At this point, web server development was di ided into six units and each student took responsibility for designing the HTML document for a unit. It rapidly became apparent that a standard format was needed to insure visual continuity and consistent links between the units. The students met again as a group to standardize the document.
Standard file naming system
All students were given rights to a common "Webspinners" folder on the server in which to store their work. A file naming system was developed to insure that no files were accidentally overwritten. As the project developed, a separate folder was created for graphics. Initially, for ease of access and because of server instability due to high usage, students chose to save their work on their own workstations and/or floppy diskettes and ftp it to the server for testing and final compilation.
Introductory page
The students decided an introductory page was necessary to provide an overview of each topic and link to the student's personal homepage as part of the overall course requirement.
Unit titles
The students assigned short descriptive unit titles to each section in order to maintain consistency across units and to create uniform navigational links. These titles were listed in Objective 2 above.
Visual Format
The students created visual consistency between units by standardizing wording. font type and size, and horizontal rules on the top and bottom of each page.
Credits and "mailto " address for each section
Each individual unit contained the author's name with a "mailto" link for receiving comments on the unit.
Frames
A sub-objective, part of the regular course requirements, for each student was the inclusion of a frame in their HTML documents. The group chose an opening frame used to navigate between sections of the instruction to furfill this requirement.
Navigational links
Textual links were established at the bottom of each page to alleviate navigational problems for users Nvith browsers which do not support frames.
Creation of the Web-based Instruction
A requirement of the class was that HTML code be entered manually without the help of an WYSIWYG editor. Netscape was used as the browsing program to view HTML documents and test links. Students downloaded materials such as graphic files, and FlashIt, a utility used to capture screen images, which were subsequently used to illustrate the instruction. In addition, students browsed the Internet for supporting documentation to include as hot links in their respective sections.
Presentation of Materials
Classroom presentation
The students presented the web-based instructional materials in a two-hour session to the entire Advanced Telecommunications class. Each student presented his/her own section and described the steps involved in implementing the Internet server.
Electronic poster session
The opening screen of the original document has been redesigned for a more professional appearance for presentation at the electronic poster session of the Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference, Mufreesboro, TN, April 6 - 8, 1997. Links to the student's personal homepages have been removed. The frame has been redesigned and the closing credits have been mod)fied to include the names of the graduate assistant, David CarterTod, and Suvit Nopachai, an unofficial class member and the Macintosh troubleshooter for the group. The mailto address at the bottom of each page has been changed to a common listserv address to which all members subscribe.
Classroom Considerations
The division of the class into server and regular groups was beneficial to both groups. The beginning group benefited from the presentation and materials developed by the server group and the server group was free to explore more advanced telecommunication features. While the basic concept and instruction were excellent, there were several instructional considerations for future implementation of the project:
1. There was no presentation equipment available for demonstrating setting up the server. This was primarily because the beginning group was as using the classroom which contained the presentation equipment.
2. There was little planning or practice time between the instruction and the web -page development. a common problem in intensive summer courses. This problem was offset to a certain extent by the lab hours 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM, and the availability . Of the instructors during most of this time.
3. Due to the inchoate nature of the web server project, handouts and instructional materials were unavailable to the group and instructions were mainly verbal. Another rationale was as that the instructor felt that the net resources available to the students were far more copious than anything he could provide. The web site developed by the group could serve as a resource to future classes.
4. The server group was as expected to complete all assignments given to the regular group as well as the server implementation and web pages. This required the students to rapidly shift between the instruction and assignments the regular students were given and their server assignments, fragmenting their efforts and causing a lack; of concentration and lack of cohesiveness within the group.
Technical Problems Encountered
A few technical problems were encountered during the week.
1. The server group should have used separate folders for each unit/group member within the "W ebspinners folder on the server to protect against accidentally overwriting files and for organizing the project.
2. Many of the archive sites necessary for setting up the servers were inaccessible or v very slow due to traffic.
3. The college experienced a major hardware failure for a short period of time and only a limited number of connections could be made at once.
Conclusion
Tools for managing and maintaining Internet services are evolving rapidly, and more recent versions of the software mentioned in this paper already have been released. However, we believe that the basic services, the client-server model, and the underlying instructional model described here will ill not change so quickly. Much was learned from the hands-on nature of the course. The consensus of the group was that the project was beneficial and would be worth replicating in future classes.