Remote access of files from the Posix shell is not implemented
at this time.  Hopefully that will change down the line somewhere.
I tried to get around it by using CI file equates back referenced
to a previously opened dsline, but all I got for my trouble was
an "UNIMPLEMENTED FUNCTION (FSERR 49)" error.  This
limitation is documented in the "New Features of MPE/iX: Using
the Hierarchical File System" manual (mine's dated April 94, so
that's why I tried anyway.  I was hoping things had changed in 5.5).

  Two other things come to mind:

I)  Run another server on the machine with the data, and basically
   distribute the actual work among all of the appropriate systems.
   In essence, it would look like this:
   . Client 1 makes a call to System A
   .   CGI on System A performs local functions
   .   CGI on System A calls a CGI on System B
   .      CGI on System B performs local functions
   .      CGI on System B returns data to CGI on System A
          (possibly emulating the HTML; FORM METHOD=POST data transfer ?)
   .   CGI on System A accepts the returned data and processes it accordingly
   .   CGI on System A creates some HTML and returns the page to Client 1
   . Client 1 displays/processes the HTML data

II)  Write a MPE CI program to do the remote file access, and use IPC files (one
    of several methods) to communicate with it from the shell.  The shell CGI could
    write the request information to the IPC from which the MPE CI program is a
    reader.  This program performs the remote file access, and writes the resultant
          information out to another IPC file from which the CGI would be the reader.  The
          CGI then formats the page and sends it back to the client.

I personally would opt for the second method since the first method would be inherently
slower (in the second method, the MPE CI program would already be executing, and the
files open before the CGI request comes in, so all of that overhead is past).  The system
where the actual data resides isn't hit as hard either since you wouldn't constantly be
creating new processes to deal with the requests.
  I'm sure there are other methods too, but these are the ones that popped into my head
at this hour of the morning.  {I think I'm going to go to bed now :) }

Regards,
Michael L Gueterman
Easy Does It Technologies
email: [log in to unmask]
http://www.editcorp.com
voice: (509) 943-5108
fax:   (509) 946-1170
--






----------
From:  Hsing Jung Du[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:  Monday, January 20, 1997 2:28 PM
To:  [log in to unmask]
Subject:  [HP3000-L] Remote hello in CGI script

Hi!
        I tried to use 'dsline' and 'remote hello' in a CGI script, but
it seemed not work. I need to access the database on a remote HP3000
node
and don't want to duplicate those data onto the node where the web
server
located.
        Could anyone provide some suggestions?
        Thanks!

--
Hsing-Jung Du
Computer Center
Orient Semiconductor Electronics, Limited
Taiwan, R.O.C.