LinkScan System Options

Introduction

This document describes the LinkScan System Options property sheet dialog. You may press the property sheet Help button at any time to display the applicable section of this document.

In general, all users will need to access the Basic Settings Tab. Those who are required to use Proxy Servers will need to configure the Proxies Tab. The remaining tabs are optional and many users will leave them at the factory defaults.

Basic Settings Tab

LinkScan requires a License Key. Fully functional 15-day trial licenses are available free of charge:

http://www.elsop.com/linkscan/dleval.cgi

Enter the:

• License Number

• License Key

• Licensee

LinkScan also requires the full pathname to the Perl.exe executable on your computer. In most cases, LinkScan will be able to discover this automatically. If not, you will need to supply the pathname using the Find button and File Open dialog.

Webserver

LinkScan uses a Webserver to generate all of the reports. LinkScan includes a fully integrated and fully functional Webserver. We recommend you use this but do not exclude the option of using an existing Webserver on your computer. Select one of the following options:

• LinkScan Default This default setting is highly recommended for most users. It is extremely simple and largely automatic unlike the alternative options which assume and require some experience of web server administration.

• LinkScan Custom Select this option to enable the full range of features built into the LinkScan Webserver. These largely mirror those provided in other products such as Apache and IIS. Some familiarity with those concepts and standards (especially relating to the CGI protocol) is assumed and required.

• External WebServer (e.g. IIS) Select this option if you want to use another WebServer such as IIS to execute the LinkScan Perl CGI scripts that create all of the LinkScan Reports. See also LinkScan and Various Webservers.

Proxies Tab

Depending on your network environment, LinkScan may need to know about any Proxy Servers that are required to access computers on the private and/or public networks. You may be able to figure out these requirements by examining the configuration of your normal web browser. If not, you will need to contact your Network Administration personnel.

• Proxy Server: Enter the name or IP address of your Proxy Server. Do not enter a URL.

• Proxy Port: Enter the Port Number for your Proxy Server (e.g. 8080, 80 etc.)

• Proxy Bypass: Enter a list of servers for which LinkScan should not use the Proxy Server. If you enter a domain such as example.com LinkScan will bypass the Proxy Server for any and all hosts within the example.com domain.

• Username/Password: If your Proxy Server requires authentication, enter your Username and Password.

Display Tab

The settings on the Display Tab control the behavior of the Exam Button on the main Projects Window.

By default, the Results of a Scan are displayed using the internal LinkScan Web Browser.

Select Use Windows Default Browser if you want the Exam Button to launch the Windows default browser. The Microsoft Windows implementation does require valid Windows Registry settings in order to work reliably. Sadly, those settings are frequently corrupted by badly behaved applications (a.k.a. "registry wars").

See this footnote for some help on repairing your registry.

Webserver Tab

The following settings on the WebServer Tab control the behavior of the LinkScan CGI scripts. They permit the CGI's to generate valid hyperlinks to themselves and to the LinkScan documentation.

• Enter the URL to the directory/folder that contains the LinkScan CGI scripts.

• Enter the URL to the directory/folder that contains the LinkScan documentation.

• If you intend to create LinkScan Reports as static HTML files on your local hard drive, enter the name of the folder in which those reports should be created.

• If you are using Microsoft IIS to execute the LinkScan CGI scripts, check the special option to activate some special workarounds to IIS-specific issues. (Selecting this option will not effect your IIS installation whatsoever).

Host/Access Tab

• Host: Enter the hostname of this computer.

• Port: Enter the Port Number on which the LinkScan Webserver is to run.

• Admin: Enter the e-mail address of the Webserver Administrator (displayed on any error pages).

• Access Log: Optionally, you may log all HTTP requests to a file.

• Allow Remote: By default, all remote access to the LinkScan Webserver is denied -- only the local user may access the LinkScan Webserver. You should permit remote access to other users only if you understand the security implications of doing so, especially if your computer is attached directly to the public networks (without a firewall or other protection).

• Allow/Deny Rules: Enter the IP addresses of hosts that you wish to Allow and/or Deny remote access.

Directories Tab

Use this tab to make additional directories webserver-visible.

MIMES Tab

Use this tab to associate specific file extensions with the corresponding MIME types.

Environment Tab

This tab allows you specify what Environment Variables will be set for processes that execute CGI scripts.

Advanced Tab

This tab may be used to enter or modify some rarely used commands not otherwise available via the graphical interface. See the LinkScan Quick Reference Card for a complete list.

Notes Tab

Unlike old fashioned configuration files that normally accept comment lines, graphical user interfaces do not generally allow you to make notes (for example, the reasons for a change to the configuration, when it was made and by whom). We miss that nice feature!

Hence you may use the Notes tab to annotate a Project with your own comments. These are saved as part of the Project Plan.

Windows Default Browser

When you click the Exam button, LinkScan sends a signal to Windows instructing it to send your default browser to the specified URL. Sadly, various software packages interfere with the your normal Windows settings, usually in an attempt to control your desktop. This drives us crazy too! The following steps may help you regain control of these settings:

1. Open My Computer

2. Select: Tools | Folder Options | File Types

3. Now hunt for this entry:

   URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol

4. Select that entry and click Advanced

5. Edit the Action (or create a new Action) for:

   open

6. Edit the settings for open

7. For Microsoft Internet Explorer set:

   Application used to perform action: "C:\...\iexplore.exe" -nohome

   Include the quotes and adjust the path to point at the MSIE executable on your system

   Use DDE: CHECKED

   DDE Message: "%1",,-1,0,,,,

   Application: IExplore

   DDE Not Running: [leave blank]

   Topic: WWW_OpenURL

8. For Netscape set:

   Application used to perform action: "C:\...\netscape.exe" -h "%1"

   Include the quotes and adjust the path to point at the Netscape executable on your system

   Use DDE: CHECKED

   DDE Message: %1

   Application: NSShell

   DDE Not Running: [leave blank]

   Topic: WWW_OpenURL

9. Save those settings

LinkScan System Options
LinkScan Version 12.3
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LinkScan™ and Elsop™ are Trademarks of Electronic Software Publishing Corporation