Configuration

Program Control through File tdbengine.ini

The ini file is searched for in these directories:

1. Folder of the .prg - file
2. Folder of the (executable) tdbengine(.exe)
3. Folder /etc/tdbengine

Under Windows step 3 does not apply.

The file tdbengine.ini is organized in the format of Windows configuration files, which contains lines of the form "key=value" in compartments. These compartments are defined by expressions in square brackets.

The first of these compartments [globals] contains the general settings. Following entries are possible (please pay attention to upper/lower case):

Disabling the cgi-activities of tdbengine

stopcgi=0|1
location=url

If the entry stopcgi is set to 1, then no CGI program is executed, but the page displayed, which is set as location. If no location is given, then the output "cgi-execution is stopped" is generated.

Definition of global semaphore, which is used, when none of your own semaphores is set for a program

sema=name
timeout=xxxxx
overrun=url

The name may consist of maximum 64 characters. Before executing the CGI program, the tdbengine waits till the semaphore with the given name is free to occupy it then in its turn. Presently binary semaphores are exclusively involved therein, which can be used by one process only. Such a semaphore defines, that only one process is simultaneously active. The semaphore concept replaces the network routines of the TurboDatenbank. If databases are simultaneously used with the network version of the VDP (or of the TurboDatenbank), a special multiuser version of the tdbengine-package is available.

Note: The control of semaphores is much faster than the traditional file and record locking.

If the enabling does not occur within the time specified by timeout (milliseconds), the executing is interrupted and instead of this the page is executed, which is given in overrun.

It is denoted by the name "nosema" that none of semaphore is set for the CGI program.

Advise: Read-only database query systems like encyclopedia-searching etc. require no semaphores. Only if write accesses are simultaneously made to databases, semaphores must be set.

Enabling log file maintenance

logcgi=0|1

If function logcgi is set to 1, every CGI call is protocolled in the file cgi.log (in the directory of the tdbengine): date and time of the call, time for the data transfer to CGI program, execution time, time for the data transfer to the client, name of the program.

Setting the logfile

log=<path to the logfile>

Usually the logfile named "cgi.log" is created in the same directory where tdbengine(.exe) is in. This can be overridden here. This way you can have more restrictive rights on the tdbengine - folder.

Defining CGI buffer

cgibuf=nnnn

To avoid superfluous jams due to a bad (=slow) transmission to a client, the tdbengine buffers the output data to the client. nnnn is the size of the buffer in bytes (Minimum = 1024).

Setting directories

libpath=SearchPath

This entry defines a search path, which is used by the access of certain libraries in a program with USES and no complete path is entered. The separate components of the search path can be separated with ";" or ":".

semadir=directory for semaphores

In this directory the semaphores are created as files. Preset value is ./

Default values

Programbased entries

stopcgi
location
sema
timeout
overrun
cgibuf

The name of the compartment is the same as the program name but without extension.

Note: Function stopcgi overwrites the equal value from [globals] only, if this is set to 0 there, otherwise all programs will be stopped.

Example:

Advices - Advices - Advices

Therefore a write right must be indeed granted to the anonymous http-user for writing to tdbengine.ini.