Web Services on OpenVMS

[Archimar Mattoso Prati]

How could I create a Web Service on OpenVMS ?

[Heinz W Genhart]

Hi Archimar

First of all Welcome to the HP OpenVMS Forum.

You can install the apache Webserver for OpenVMS.
You can find the descriptions and the required Kits here: http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/products/ips/apache/csws.html

Hope that helps

Regards

Heinz

[Steven Schweda · Accepted solution]

Some Web server options are listed in the
FAQ.

http://www.hoffmanlabs.com/vmsfaq/
http://www.hoffmanlabs.com/vmsfaq/vmsfaq.txt

Look for "Web Servers:".

[Archimar Mattoso Prati]

Hi Heinz

Thanks for your soon answer. I'll try to download and test.
Have you ever used that ? It really works well ?

[Archimar Mattoso Prati]

Thanks for your help.

I'll you look for informations on these documents.

[Heinz W Genhart]

Hi Archimar

I'm actually using Apache on OpenVMS.
If you or somebody else is interested, I can send you the URL of my Webserver. Because I don't like to publish this adress here, please send a Email to the following address: heinz.genhart@gawnet.ch
I will then reply and send the URL to you

Regards

Geni

[Steven Schweda]

> Have you ever used that ? It really works
> well ?

So far as I know, all the major Web servers
available for VMS work well. Apache on VMS
looks much like Apache anywhere else, so
knowledge of it may be more portable than
knowledge of the others. Antinode.org has
been using "Server: Apache/1.3.20 (OpenVMS)
mod_ssl/2.8.4 OpenSSL/0.9.6g" for some years
with few significant problems. (I don't do
much non-trivial stuff with it, however.)

[Hoff]

A web service is usually viewed as being distinct from and different from a web server.

Web servers are the foundation here, and field the incoming http connections and serve up the http responses.

Web services are the glue that connects applications. One of the HP folks was fond of the phrase "middleware for the web". These are the pieces that receive and process and transmit the application requests.

A web service on OpenVMS might involve gSOAP (don't know if that's fully over as yet) or Tomcat or J2EE/J2SE or other such tools, running in conjunction with a web server.

What you might use to create a web service depends on what particular task(s) you might be addressing. At its simplest, a static service might involve static HTML. More dynamic content might involve one of the packages mentioned earlier, or a php, perl or python environment or similar such.

And to add to the list of web servers discussed for OpenVMS, there's WASD and OSU, both of which can serve quite well. I haven't seen a LightTPD port around, however.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs LLC

[Richard J Maher]

Hi Archimar,

I can't think of why Hoff neglected to mention HP's own and fully supported solution -"WSIT". Here a reference for you: -

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/products/ips/wsit/

Of course if HP is continuing to pour resources (dollars, manpower, and facilities) into WSIT's direct competitor (gSOAP) then it maybe prudent to seek official clarification before committing to WSIT and Axis2 on VMS.

You wouldn't want to end up like Bridgeworks would you?

Cheers Richard Maher

[DECxchange]

Hello,
I'm using the Apache Secure Web Server software that came with the OpenVMS 8.3 CD kit. It works extremely well. You can take a look at my web site at www.decxchange.com. It is not always up because I am using dynamic IP addresses over an AT&T DSL line and it keeps resetting my IP address at least once per day, it varies.
I would recommend using OpenVMS 8.3 with Apache as the earlier versions don't seem to work as well. I'm not sure if this is a VMS OS issue or an Apache version issue. I just know that it works best for me running OpenVMS 8.3.

Good luck with it.

[John Travell]

In truth what you need to do is better define exactly what you want to achieve. Creating such a definition may make the solution exceedingly obvious.
If it is a web server rather than a service that you wish to implement, I can only recommend WASD. The only downside is that WASD is VMS specific, and scripts and knowledge are not as readily portable to or from lesser OS's.
It offers far better performance than any other server on VMS, with a much lower overhead. My server is not a good example for performance due to a trivial workload, so go look at the information about Malaga university.
JT:

[Willem Grooters]

I can only second John Travell's recommendation for WASD. Scripots designed for Apache work well under WASD and vice versa - you may have to do REALLY minor adjustmants - most will do without change. It IS faster (own exprience), far more tunable than Apache and therefore harder to master - but it offers some greate extra's that makes your life a whole lot easier. Those that know WASD know WATCH and RunTime encvironments ;).

Apache is UNIX based - which is both an advantage and disadvantage, depending what your is your major concern.

What I consider the biggest drawback of Apache and it's modules, it taht is is way behind the originals - one more than the other - and there is no timescale for updates available.

Besides the webserver, you'll need to consider what you want to use. If you want to use AXIS (take the lates version!), or WSIT (a great product but you'll need an Itanium for one part (to ease your life), you'll need Java, and I would highly recommended to stay away form that if your system contains less than 1Gb of memory AT LEAST.
If you can do your own development and are concerend about efficiency, think of other possibilities. You do not have to use SOAP or other XML based interfacing if your application is not used to expose your data to unknown others. You can think of PHP and PERL - but there agian: the engines used for that, as published by HP, are way behind the official releases.

[Archimar Mattoso Prati]

Thanks for everybody

I'll compile and study all recommendations and choose a way.

Once more I apreciate your comments.

Archimar

[Alex Chupahin]

Lighttpd port is available for OpenVMS now.
Alpha,I64 and VAX are supported.
It has *beta* status today, for static content only. But porting is in active development and fastcgi will be coming soon.

[Jan van den Ende]

@Alex:

any download address?

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

[Hoff]

The LightTPD port site? Here:

http://vms-porting.dyndns.org/lighttpd/

Also look to get yourself an RSS reader and register the feed off of OpenVMS.org and off of various other OpenVMS web sites (with RSS feeds). RSS is one of the better ways to keep current on the discussions and announcements around OpenVMS. (Surprisingly, HP seemingly hasn't implemented an RSS feed for their OpenVMS updates, but you can usually pick up on those indirectly from the responses and postings at other sites; at the sites that do serve RSS,)

[twhjr]

Greetings,

I have used both WSIT and gSoap. If you want to use secure services use gSoap in fact, just use gSoap. My expirence with WSIT and TOMCAT where somewhat less than stellar. gSoap is easy to use and supports most of the WS-Security you could ever want.

IMHO

Have Fun,
twhjr