Authentication and monolithic fcgi programs

ruby-talk
1

fastcgi’rs-

i have the following situation

#!/usr/local/bin/ruby

FCGI.each do |cgi|
authmode = cgi[‘authmode’]

case authmode
  when 'insecure'
# generate html
  when 'secure'
# authenticate
# generate different html
end

end

i’m using the apache pam module and .htaccess file for access/auth control.
my thoughts are that something like

./index.cgi

./secure/index.cgi → …/index.cgi
./secure/.htaccess

may work. huh you say? i mean that by having one fastcgi program but also
having a soft link to the same cgi in a directory which contains an
…htaccess file may allow me to provide two urls for the same fastcgi program:

  • one which does not require auth since it lives in a non-htaccess directory
  • one which does require auth since it lives in a htaccess protected
    directory

my concern is this: will mod_fastcgi start two process if a fastcgi program
is accessed via two different urls - eg. does mod_fastcgi ‘follow links’ to
determine what is running, or will i end up with two (pools) of fastcgi
processes: one running securely and one running insecurely?

of course, there may be solutions to this (authentication for part of a
fastcgi process) problem that i have not considered and i would be happy for
any suggestions. perhaps something exists in the fastcgi api i am unaware of?

thanks.

-a

···

–

Ara Howard
NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory
Information and Technology Services
Data Systems Group
R/FST 325 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80305-3328
Email: ara.t.howard@noaa.gov
Phone: 303-497-7238
Fax: 303-497-7259
~ > ruby -e ‘p(%.\x2d\x29…intern)’
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