404 errors with cgi scripts

We found the problem. We were trying to use perl.exe ( IIS locks down
executables) instead of Pearl for ISAPI which uses DLL function calls to
communicate. We did this by looking at the properties of our website, going
to the
Home Directory Tab, and clicking on the configuration tab. Under the Cache
ISAPI extensions, we made sure the .pl files pointed to the PearlIS dll.

F.Y.I.

We were not "blaming IIS 6.0". We only asked if it could be a permissions
problem....hopefully, if someone else runs into this problem, they might be
helped by what we found.


"David Wang [Msft]" <someone.DeleteThis@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:%23zf6NU6EFHA.936@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
 > CGI scripts are meant to be launched by the web server, not from the
 > commandline. It sounds like this CGI is one of them (it detects that it
 > is
 > missing the correct method and complained), so please configure the CGI
 > correctly on its supported web server and make a POST request.
 >
 > If you need instructions, please refer to the provider of your CGI script
 > for them, in particular their support for running on IIS 6.0 and any
 > additional setup necessary. For security reasons, IIS6 default
 > configuration will refuse to execute CGIs and refuse to allow CGIs to
 > write
 > to the file system -- and it is your responsibility to open up the server
 > correctly (or CGI setup needs to configure its permissions correctly).
 >
 >
 > FYI: Many people have problems running CGI scripts, period, but it does
 > not
 > mean this is a problem with IIS. Often, customers do not know how to
 > configure it correctly and fail to read clear instructions for both the
 > CGI
 > and the web server.
 >
 > Thus, It is no wonder that people have problems configuring CGI and
 > strangely, they blame it as an issue with IIS6. It's as if someone who
 > knows nothing about cars pops open the hood of the car, does some
 > "modifications" under the hood, and when the car fails to start, they
 > blame
 > the manufacturer for not creating a trouble-free vehicle.
 >
 > I don't know about you, but I'm not making any changes to my car unless I
 > am
 > a mechanic, have a mechanic friend, or pay a mechanic to do it.
 >
 > --
 > //David
 > IIS
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang</font" target="_blank">http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang</font</a>>
 > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
 > rights.
 > //
 > "FD" <fd.DeleteThis@nospam.net> wrote in message
 > news:eRGhd83EFHA.1564@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
 > We have created a contact form on a webpage. It has a submit button which
 > writes a text file and then emails the text information via Form Mail.
 > When
 > we ran this cgi program from the command prompt, we get the error that
 > Form
 > Mail did not recognize the Post method. Is it possible that the problem
 > may
 > be related to permissions? We "googled" this and found that other people
 > have problems running cgi scripts on IIS 6.0. Any help with this would be
 > greatly appreciated.
 >
 > FD
 >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: 404 errors with cgi scripts 

Actually, the troubleshooting steps already exist. In F1 help in IIS
Manager UI, top level topic: "Troubleshooting", we have listed many of the
top questions (and troubleshooting steps/answers) that people have
encountered during IIS6 beta.

getting a mysterious 404 is amongst them. You just go to the web log file,
look at if it says 404 0 or 404 2 or 404 3 for the given URL, and act
accordingly.

404 0 -- real file not found. Make sure the URL-to-physical mapping is
correct
404 2 -- fail by Web Service Extension. Check on the extension name from
logged URL and locate the App Mappings dialog (your instructions) and make
sure the Script Engine is correct and enabled as Web Service Extension
404 3 -- fail by missing MIME Type. Check on extension name from logged URL
and locate the MIME Mappings dialog and make sure the extension has a
configured MIME Type that the browser understands.

--
//David
IIS
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang" target="_blank">http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang</a>
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
//
"FD" <fd DeleteThis @nospam.net> wrote in message
news:%23urx9UFFFHA.3984@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
We found the problem. We were trying to use perl.exe ( IIS locks down
executables) instead of Pearl for ISAPI which uses DLL function calls to
communicate. We did this by looking at the properties of our website, going
to the
Home Directory Tab, and clicking on the configuration tab. Under the Cache
ISAPI extensions, we made sure the .pl files pointed to the PearlIS dll.

F.Y.I.

We were not "blaming IIS 6.0". We only asked if it could be a permissions
problem....hopefully, if someone else runs into this problem, they might be
helped by what we found.


"David Wang [Msft]" <someone DeleteThis @online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:%23zf6NU6EFHA.936@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
 > CGI scripts are meant to be launched by the web server, not from the
 > commandline. It sounds like this CGI is one of them (it detects that it
 > is
 > missing the correct method and complained), so please configure the CGI
 > correctly on its supported web server and make a POST request.
 >
 > If you need instructions, please refer to the provider of your CGI script
 > for them, in particular their support for running on IIS 6.0 and any
 > additional setup necessary. For security reasons, IIS6 default
 > configuration will refuse to execute CGIs and refuse to allow CGIs to
 > write
 > to the file system -- and it is your responsibility to open up the server
 > correctly (or CGI setup needs to configure its permissions correctly).
 >
 >
 > FYI: Many people have problems running CGI scripts, period, but it does
 > not
 > mean this is a problem with IIS. Often, customers do not know how to
 > configure it correctly and fail to read clear instructions for both the
 > CGI
 > and the web server.
 >
 > Thus, It is no wonder that people have problems configuring CGI and
 > strangely, they blame it as an issue with IIS6. It's as if someone who
 > knows nothing about cars pops open the hood of the car, does some
 > "modifications" under the hood, and when the car fails to start, they
 > blame
 > the manufacturer for not creating a trouble-free vehicle.
 >
 > I don't know about you, but I'm not making any changes to my car unless I
 > am
 > a mechanic, have a mechanic friend, or pay a mechanic to do it.
 >
 > --
 > //David
 > IIS
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang</font" target="_blank">http://blogs.msdn.com/David.Wang</font</a>>
 > This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
 > rights.
 > //
 > "FD" <fd DeleteThis @nospam.net> wrote in message
 > news:eRGhd83EFHA.1564@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
 > We have created a contact form on a webpage. It has a submit button which
 > writes a text file and then emails the text information via Form Mail.
 > When
 > we ran this cgi program from the command prompt, we get the error that
 > Form
 > Mail did not recognize the Post method. Is it possible that the problem
 > may
 > be related to permissions? We "googled" this and found that other people
 > have problems running cgi scripts on IIS 6.0. Any help with this would be
 > greatly appreciated.
 >
 > FD
 >
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: 404 errors with cgi scripts