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@@ -0,0 +1,266 @@ +RX: X Remote eXecution +---------------------- + +The remote execution (RX) service specifies a MIME format for invoking +applications remotely, for example via a World Wide Web browser. This +RX format specifies a syntax for listing network services required by +the application, for example an X display server. The requesting Web +browser must identify specific instances of the services in the request +to invoke the application. + +The distribution contains a helper program (xrx) and a Netscape Naviga- +tor plug-in (libxrx) that demonstrate this protocol. The plug-in +requires Navigator 3.0. + +We have only been able to test the plug-in on HP-UX, IRIX, Digital Unix, +and Solaris2. Netscape Navigator binaries for other platforms are +either not available at all or were not available in time to be included +in the testing for this release. + +The specification for the RX mime type is in xc/doc/specs/RX/RX.mif +(FrameMaker interchange source) and xc/doc/hardcopy/RX/RX.PS.Z +(compressed PostScript). + +The following section describes the procedure to set up your environment +and try the examples provided in this distribution. + + +1. Preparing Your Web Server + + +In order to demonstrate the RX helper program and the RX Netscape plug- +in you need to have access to an HTTP server to install ``common gateway +interface'' (CGI) scripts. While CGI programs can be written in any +compiled or interpreted language, the sample CGI programs in the distri- +bution are written in perl. + +If you don't currently have a web server the NCSA server is a good one +to try. Binaries for various systems are available at: + + http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/setup/PreExec.html + +If you don't have perl you can get the source code from: + ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu/perl-4.036.tar.gz + +You need to install the HTML, RX, and CGI sample files into your +server's HTML and CGI directories. The process can be partially +automated by adding the following definitions to your site.def or +host.def file: + + +WebServer defines the hostname and port of your web server, for + example + + #define WebServer www.myorg.org:8001 + +HtmlDir defines the path at which HTML and RX documents are + installed, for example + + #define HtmlDir /usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs + +CgiBinDir defines the path at which CGI programs are installed, for + example + + #define CgiBinDir /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin + +ProxyManager defines the transport scheme, hostname, and port for CGI + programs to contact the Proxy Manager. See the proxymngr + man pages for further details. Typically the proxy + manager host will be the same as your web server, for + example: + + #define ProxyManager tcp/www.myorg.org:6500 + +Then make the Makefiles and build the directories with the following +command sequence: + +cd xc/programs/xrx/htdocs +xmkmf ../../.. programs/xrx/htdocs +make +make install +cd ../cgi-bin +xmkmf ../../.. programs/xrx/cgi-bin +make +make install + + +These directories are not automatically built or installed by the top +level Makefile because they install outside the ProjectRoot. + +You also need to configure your web server so that files with the exten- +sion name ``rx'' are of the MIME type ``application/x-rx''. See your +HTTP server's configuration documentation for the right procedure to do +so. + + +2. The RX Helper Program + + +The helper program, xrx, may be used with any Web browser to interpret +the new RX document type. + +The RX helper program is installed in <ProjectRoot>/bin (e.g. +/usr/X11R6.3/bin/). You will need to configure your web browser to use +it for RX documents by adding a line to your $HOME/.mailcap: + + application/x-rx; /X11/bin/xrx %s + +You may need to refer to your web browser's documentation for exact +instructions on configuring helper applications. + +The helper program is activated by your browser as soon as you retrieve +any document of the MIME type application/x-rx. All you need to do is to +point your browser at the URL: + http://your.web.server/xload.rx + +The application (i.e. xload) should appear on your DISPLAY as a new +top-level client. The client will be running on your web server host +and connected to your X server. If your X server supports the SECURITY +extension the client will be running as an untrusted client. + + +3. The RX Netscape Navigator Plug-in + + +The Navigator plug-in supports all the functions of xrx and in addition +uses the new XC-APPGROUP extension, if your X server provides it, to +cause the remotely launched application to be embedded within the +browser page from which it was launched. + +The HTML page links to an RX document via the EMBED tag, a Netscape +extension to HTML. The RX document provides the plug-in with the list +of services the application wants to use. Based on this information, +the plug-in sets the various requested services, including creating +authorization keys, and passes the relevant data to the application +through an HTTP GET request of the associated CGI script. The Web +server then executes the CGI script to start the application. + +To be able to use the RX plug-in you need Netscape Navigator 3.0. +Binaries for various systems can be found at: + + http://home.netscape.com/comprod/mirror/client_download.html + +To complete the installation of the Netscape plug-in, find the file +named libxrx.so.6.3 or libxrx.sl.6.3 (or similar, depending on your +platform) in <ProjectRoot>/lib (e.g. /usr/X11R6.3/lib) and copy it to +either /usr/local/lib/netscape/plugins or $HOME/.netscape/plugins. Do +not install the symlinks libxrx.so or libxrx.sl; they may confuse +Netscape. + +You should remove or comment out the line you may have previously added +in your mailcap file to use the RX helper program, otherwise the plug-in +will not be enabled. (The usual comment character for mailcap is +``#''.) + +If you are already running Netscape Navigator, you need to exit and res- +tart it after copying the plug-in library so the new plug-in will be +found. Once this is done you can check that Navigator has successfully +loaded the plug-in by checking the ``About Plug-ins'' page from the Help +menu. This should show something like: + + + RX Plug-in + + File name: /usr/guest/netscape/plugins/libxrx.sl.6.3 + + X Remote Activation Plug-in + + Mime Type Description Suffixes Enabled + application/x-rx X Remote Activation Plug-inxrxYes + + +The plug-in will be activated by Netscape Navigator as soon as you +retrieve any document of the MIME type application/x-rx. Several sam- +ples are included in the distribution. The most basic one is xload. All +you need to do is point your browser at the page: + http://your.web.server/xload.html + +If something goes wrong check on the all the previous steps listed above +and try again. Once xload is working you can try some of the other +examples in the distribution such as bitmap.html or dtcm.html. + + +4. Trying Embedding With an Old X Server + + +The Netscape Navigator plug-in, libxrx, will work with an X server that +does not contain the application group or security extensions. The +application will be started as a separate top-level client. + +If you wish to try out the embedding facilities without replacing your +desktop X server, you may use the Xnest server. + +A typical Xnest session would look like the following: + +% Xnest :11 +% xterm -display :11 + + +These two commands start a ``nested'' server and a terminal emulator +within that server. Your favorite window manager and Netscape Navigator +can now be executed from the nested xterm window. You may wish to first +disable access control in the nested server by running ``xhost +'' in +the nested xterm. + + +5. Setting Up Your Own Applications To Run Over The Web + + +Based on the examples provided in the distribution it should be easy to +set up your web server to run your own applications. Every application +requires 3 additional files to identify it to Web browsers: + +myapp.html An HTML page to present the application embedded +myapp.rx The RX document describing the application +myapp.pl The CGI script to start the application + +Note that the separate ``.rx'' file could be omitted by implementing the +CGI script such that if it is invoked without a QUERY_STRING it will +return the RX content. We decided not to do so in the distributed exam- +ples for purpose of clarity. + +The xload demo provides a good starting point. Simply make a copy of +each of the files xload.rx, xload.html, and xload.pl. Then look inside +them for every instance of ``xload'' and change it to whatever is +appropriate for your application. + +You will not be able to run the dtcm demo unless you have dtcm (a CDE +component) installed on your web server host. This example shows how a +CGI script would look when an X Print server is requested. The script +dtcm.pl is, for that reason, slightly more complicated than other exam- +ples. + + +------------------------------------------------------------------------------ +This text originally came from "X Window System, Version 11, Release 6.3 +Release Notes", which were covered by the following notice: + +Copyright 1996 X Consortium + +Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a +copy of this software and associated documentation files (the +"Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including +without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, dis- +tribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit +persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the fol- +lowing conditions: + +The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included +in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. + +THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS +OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABIL- +ITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT +SHALL THE X CONSORTIUM BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABIL- +ITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, +OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS +IN THE SOFTWARE. + +Except as contained in this notice, the name of the X Consortium shall +not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use or +other dealings in this Software without prior written authorization from +the X Consortium. + +X Window System is a trademark of X Consortium, Inc. + + |