Re: [mv] Secure Server for MiniVend.

["Lyn St George" <lyn@zolotek.com>]

On Fri, 5 Nov 1999 15:31:05 +1100, Trevor Roberts wrote:

>******    message to minivend-users from "Trevor Roberts" <trevor@xsol.com.au>     ******
>
>I'm running minivend on a Lynix server (Apache 1.3.6) that I have a shallow
>knowledge on.
>
>What would be the recommend way of setting up a secure server for minivend?
>Keeping in mine simplistic approach... ; )
>
>Many thanxs!

I have to respectfully disagree with the replies to date, for 
these reasons:

a/ for those of us living outside of the US, it's not so easy 
to get these "prohibited munitions" in a ready-to-fire form.
b/ quoted figures of US$349 for Raven vs an hour's 
work seem a little off the wall to me 8)
c/ when you compare the difficulty of compiling a  new
Apache/SSL to the difficulty of developing and 
customising the inner workings of Minivend, then there's 
no contest. Compiling a new Apache/SSL is one or 
two hours - a good Minivend shop is ... ?????

True, for those of us "non-Linux people" (including 
myself) the prospect of compiling a new kernel or whatever 
is very daunting, but once you've been through and done it
then it all becomes very simple. The main thing you need 
is good_clear_instructions (not always easy to find) and 
then to follow_them.

Get a new apache from apache.org, get mod_ssl from
http://www.engelschall.com/sw/mod_ssl/ - (this includes 
all the instructions you will need) and Open SSL from 
http://www.openssl.org/. Print out the install file (from 
Engerschall), study it and decide on the options, and then
compile apache into, say, /home/tmp - if this works then
you know that you can do it again with more options or 
a better location or whatever. If it fails (in /home/tmp), 
then you can be certain that there is no damage 
done to your existing system.

Plus - and this is a big plus - you'll find once you've
done something like this that you have more confidence 
about getting down to the nitty-gritty with Minivend.

Good luck!

Lyn