Unix Version History
This is very technical, but details exactly what changed between
releases of the Unix httpd. The list is in reverse chronological order.
Please note that some of these features are not in the Windows version.
1.1
- Introduced experimental PEM/PGP based encrypted user authentication
- Improved directory indexing
- Cleaned up error output and fixed horrible output when
server-side include error occurred
- Fixed slight bug in buffering code
- Directory indexing for user-supported directories fixed
- Retrieval of user supported directory with no trailing slash
issues redirect again
- Now supports RFC931 identd for logging purposes
- stderr for scripts and server side includes now sent to error_log
- Fixed bug in NCSA script code which would cause Location: to be
ignored for local files
- Removed misfeature wherein Location: url's were being escaped by
the server
- Args to INC SRVURL escaped to avoid unpleasant surprises
- Location: /cgi-bin/foo?arg now works
- HEAD only for CGI scripts now ignores body put out by stupid scripts
1.0
- CGI script interface introduced
- Fixed bug in AddType
- NCSA POST scripts now have REMOTE_HOST set
- Output now buffered in 1K chunks
1.0a5
- Fixed horrible bug in 1.0a4
1.0a4
- Introduced user authentication (Basic scheme)
- Multiple script directories now supported
- Fixed bug in http_request.c related to clients not sending a method
- Fixed bug in http_request.c which caused DirectoryIndex to be
ignored and index.html to be used anyway
- Added overrule for mime types in srm.conf and access config. so
the user doesn't have to edit mime.types
- Requests for directories which do not come with a trailing slash
and will return a prewritten index are now redirected to the same
URL with a trailing slash
- The HEAD method is now supported
- Fixed a getline call which was hardcoded to 1024 instead of
HUGE_STRING_LEN
- Fixed problem in which a user could GET /~user/../../../ and gain
access outside of DocumentRoot
- httpd.conf split into two files: a server configuration and a
document configuration file
- Introduced Redirect directive which allows you to redirect
clients to documents' new locations
- Introduced htpasswd program for managing user authentication
- Fixed problems in http_access.c where certain .htaccess files
were ignored and some symlinks were being followed when they
shouldn't have
- Distribution now places config files as foo.conf-dist instead of
foo.conf so it doesn't write over your old files
- Config files now case insensitive
- MIME header scans are now case insensitive per the RFC
- Added server config. diretive Timeout to control the timeouts
when listening to or writing to a client
- Script execution now uses execl() instead of system() to
eliminiate extra tmp files and to allow system() from scripts.
- New document config. directive DefaultType for type of files
which cannot be typed from filename
- Script arguments now not touched: Added support program to decode
them for shell scripts
- Added support for the post method of accessing forms
- Added support for "extra path" in script name
- Fixed so that an un-executable script now returns FORBIDDEN
instead of blank page
- Spaces in content type returned from scripts no longer included, so
include files now work from imagerect script.
- Thanks to Arjan de Vet, script execution no longer uses system() or
popen(), reducing chroot requirements as well as allowing scripts to use
system().
- Added DefaultType directive to define what type a document
with an unknown or missing extension should be
- Added Timeout directive to allow servers to choose the length of time a
client is given to send a request and to recieve the data.
- Added preliminary support for POST scripts, or more importantly,
support for scripts which interpret the new form submission methods.
- Scripts now do all of their own URL decoding, which can be done either
with provided C code, or with the support program
unescape
- Scripts may now have extra path information after the script name, so
allowing filters
- Improved Imagerect Script
- Allowed non-URL location returns from script to allow access control,
user authentication, and typing (great idea, Ari).
- Returning content-length and last-modified headers
1.0a3
- .htaccess files now affect subdirectories
- Added option FollowSymLinks for security
- Fixed MAJOR bug in init_mime function
- Enhanced Makefile and httpd.h for people compiling httpd themselves
- Added env. vars DOCUMENT_ROOT and SERVER_NAME for scripts
1.0a2
- Introduced support for HTTP/1.0 3xx redirection from server scripts
- Introduced per-directory access by host and options control
- Added flags for BSD 4.2 compatibility (no killpg and no setsid)
- Enhanced documentation
- Introduced support for server restart through SIGHUP
- Fixed bug which caused system not to return port when httpd is done
- Fixed bug which caused server to go into infinite spin with GET /htbin
- Bug in directory indexing repaired (thanks to neal@ctd.comsat.com).
- Added timeout while sending data to client so as to alleviate
zombie servers laying around when the client drops.
1.0a1
- Introduced server scripts
- Server scripts for a variety of UNIX commands like archie added
- Server-side forms handling scripts added
- Image rectangling scripts added
- Introduced more extensible configuration file format
- Server now replies to HTTP/1.0 clients in HTTP/1.0 format
- Introduced MIME data type determination on the fly
- Improved logging of client access as well as server errors
- Major internal reworking
- Added timeout for clients that disconnect
- Added server include files
Version 0.5
- Introduced standalone support
- Final release for gopher support and experimental group annotation support
- No reported outstanding bugs
Beta Version 0.4
- Introduced experimental group annotation support
- Introduced access logging
- Introduced HTTP/1.0 tolerance
- Handling of full hostnames added
- Bug fixed with index.html not being recognized without a trailing slash
- Fixed bug with extraneous character being added to the end of the
data stream
- Fixed bug handling directory URL's with trailing slashes
- Made a little more friendly to Ultrix's brain death
Beta Version 0.3
- Introduced drop-in gopher support
- Fixed security hole
- Not being able to find the config file does not send back a path
Beta version 0.2
- Two security holes fixed
- Double slashes in index of root fixed
- Not being able to find error files no longer hangs the server
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