Security

NCSA httpd allows you to control who can access different document trees on your server. It also allows you to define which server functions are carried out in different document trees.

Note that the following methods of access limitation can work independently, or be combined.

• Host Filtering

  Host filtering is used to limit document trees to certain machines, most likely local machines or those directly involved in a project.

  For example, I have some documents which are NCSA only. If you are not from a machine in ncsa.uiuc.edu, you can't access them.

  I have another directory that I don't want NCSA people to read, since they can access it elsewhere.

• User Authentication

  If your browsers are using a browser that supports user authentication, like Mosaic 2.0 for X, you can have browsers authenticate themselves with a user name and a password before they are able to access protected documents.

  For an example, let's create three users.

  • robm password pinhead
  • marca password conehead
  • ebina password bonehead

  I have protected this directory so that only robm can access it.

  I have protected this directory so that only people in the Mosaic X developers group can access it. That means ebina and marca.

  I have protected this directory so that only robm can access it, and only from void.ncsa.uiuc.edu.

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NCSA httpd Development Team