Miva, formerly Htmlscript, is a web applications development system that provides support of new HTML-like tags that allow developers to create complex applications with little to no programming experience. The Server based program, called the Miva Empresa Engine, functions as a pre-processor which reads the Miva tags and markup language syntax and then outputs the HTML to the browser.

In addition to all the scripting features of Htmlscript 2.x and lower, Miva, the 3.22 release, comes with some major enhancements and represents a very substantial upgrade of Htmlscript. Features of the new Miva include:

• Completely redesigned architecture for faster performance
• xBase compatible integrated multi-user database
• Integrated commerce processing system
• Advanced error reporting
• Built-in and User Defined Functions
• SGML/XML compliant syntax
• Cached configuration information
• Backwards compatibility with Htmlscript 2.x

Miva also comes bundled with many ready to run sample applications. For more detailed information, site administrators should review the Administrator's Manual. Additional details about Miva, its features and functions, may be found at the Miva web site.

Currently, there is no cost for the use of the Miva Empresa Engine -- it is provided to our Virtual Server Administrators free of charge. However, this is dependent on the vendor and is subject to change.

How Does Miva Work?
The Miva pre-processor--that is, the executable--reads the enhanced tags and outputs standard HTML to the browser. These additional Miva embedded tags include such commands like <MvIF>, <MvELSE>, <MvWHILE, <MvEVALUATE>, <MvLET>, <MvASSIGN>, <MvFUNCTION>, <MvCALL>, <MvHIDE>, <MvEXIT>, <MvOPEN>, <MvCLOSE>, <MvIMPORT>, <MvEXPORT>, <MvADD>, <MvDELETE>, <MvMAKEINDEX>, <MvPACK>, and more.

Miva works with Java, JavaScript, VBScript, and all browsers. Miva is also supported by HoTMetal PRO 5.0 from SoftQuad, a powerful web development solution for authoring and publishing sophisticated web sites. For a more thorough presentation about the Miva technology see the Miva Engine page at the Miva web site.

Installing Miva
To install Miva on your Virtual Server, simply telnet or SSH to your server and run the following install script at the command prompt:

• Run the Miva install program:

  FreeBSD % vinstall miva

  BSD/OS % /usr/local/contrib/miva-install

  NOTE: If your Virtual Server was ordered after December 1, 1999, you are likely running FreeBSD. To find out which O/S your Virtual Server is running, use the uname command: % uname

• Run the vsmtprelay command to enable Miva to send e-mail. Substitute your Virtual Server IP address below for YOUR.IP.ADD.RESS:

  % vsmtprelay add YOUR.IP.ADD.RESS 2147483647
  
  

Although this release should be backwards compatible, the miva-install script does not replace any existing Htmlscript files from prior distributions. Therefore, if you are upgrading, we strongly advise you to concurrently run both Miva and the prior version of htmlscript to ensure that your existing applets do not introduce any unknown bugs. If errors are reported, we recommend that you make the necessary conversion to your htmslcript applets so that you can take advantage of the support for and performance enhancements of the new Miva release.

Upgrading Miva/HTMLScript
If you need only to upgrade to the latest version of Miva simply copy the latest miva executable onto your Virtual Server by doing the following at your telnet prompt:

% rm ~/www/cgi-bin/miva
% cp /usr/local/contrib/miva.upgrade ~/www/cgi-bin/miva
% chmod 555 ~/www/cgi-bin/miva

Your current installation configuration and settings will remain intact. Only the binary executable will be upgraded. If you want to do a complete install, run the Miva install script during a telnet session with your Virtual Server, like this:

% /usr/local/contrib/miva-install

This will replace any existing copies of the miva executable and miva.conf configuration file on your Virtual Server.

The distribution is bundled with many ready to run applications. These are also available at http://www.miva.com/products/engine/mia/templates/.

Providing Miva for Virtual Subhosts
To provide Miva support for a Virtual Subhost with Miva support, we recommend that you use Miva's VirtualHosta configuration directive.

1. Be sure that you are running the latest version of Miva (at the time of this writing, it is v.3.57). One way to check for this is by looking for the version number in the first couple of lines of the Miva configuration file, ~/etc/miva.conf. If you are not running v.3.57, you should consider Upgrading Miva.

2. Be sure that the following parameters are set in miva.conf:

   virtualhostvariable=SERVER_NAME
   dnslookup=0
   

   NOTE: If you choose to set virtualhostvariable=HTTP_HOST, then your miva.conf must have a VirtualHosta directive for each of the virtual subhost's domain names. For example, using 'HTTP_HOST' will require both subhost-domain.com and www.subhost-domain.com to have its own VirtualHosta directive in miva.conf. This is why we recommend using 'SERVER_NAME' instead, because in your httpd.conf, you can consolidate a virtual subhost's multiple host names under a single VirtualHosta directive with just one ServerName. This is documented in the instructions below.

3. Add the VirtualHosta directive to miva.conf. Assuming that you are using virtualhostvariable=SERVER_NAME in miva.conf, the name of the VirtualHosta should equal the ServerName for the subhost defined in the VirtualHosta directive for your web server in your httpd.conf.

   Ideally, the mivaroot parameter should equal the virtual subhost's DocumentRoot (another parameter of the VirtualHosta directive in httpd.conf).

   The stdmodedatadir should be outside of the ~/www/htdocs directory, unaccessable by others, since all data collected by Miva will be stored in that directory.

   The VirtualHost directive in miva.conf should look something like this:

   VirtualHost www.SUBHOST-DOMAIN.NAME
   mivaroot=/usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs/SUBHOST-DOMAIN-DIR
   stdmodedatadir=/usr/local/etc/httpd/miva/SUBHOST-DOMAIN-DIR_data
   mivadefault=index.html 
   serveradmin=webmaster@SUBHOST-DOMAIN.NAME
   /VirtualHost
   

4. You may or may not need to modify your web server configuration file, httpd.conf, depending on the method you are using to give your virtual subhost's CGI support. After ensuring that the parameters defined in the VirtualHosta directive in httpd.conf matches those you set in the VirtualHosta directive of miva.conf, you must check if your subhost has access to the Miva engine that was put in your ~/www/cgi-bin during the Miva installation.

   If the virtual subhost is sharing your virtual server's primary cgi-bin directory--meaning that you have not explicitly identified an alternate ScriptAlias for the subhost in the VirtualHosta directive of httpd.conf--then after following all the instructions above, Miva should be setup and ready to support your virtual subhost. If you don't understand what a ScriptAlias is, then your virtual subhost is probably using your primary cgi-bin directory and the Miva engine therein, so you don't have to worry about making anymore changes. Go on to the next step.

   However, if the virtual subhost has its own cgi-bin directory, then we would recommend that you give that virtual subhost access to the Miva engine in your primary cgi-bin directory by adding the following to your httpd.conf's VirtualHosta directive:

   ScriptAlias /cgi-miva/ /usr/local/etc/httpd/cgi-bin/
   AddType application/x-httpd-Miva .mv
   Action application/x-httpd-Miva /cgi-miva/miva
   

5. Test your setup by copying the Miva Maillist applet (it can be found in the /usr/local/contrib/miva_apps/maillist/ on your Virtual Server host machine) to your virtual subhost's mivaroot (which should be its DocumentRoot, assuming you followed the instructions above) and running it in your browser. For example:

   % cp /usr/local/contrib/miva_apps/maillist/* ~/www/SUBHOST-PATH
   

   Then, in your browser, access this URL:

   http://SUBHOST-DOMAIN.NAME/maillist.mv

   When you run this applet, it should save the submitted data in the virtual subhost's stdmodedatadir in a file called mailing.dat. If not, review the instructions above along with your own setup for any configuration errors.

   NOTE: If Miva still has problems running an application for a virtual subhost, or runs the application but stores data in the wrong directory, then delete all the files in your workdir (the default installation will have this set as ~/www/miva/workdir). This directory contains a caching database with virtual subhost configuration information. Deleting the database files will require Miva to reload the new VirtualHost information from miva.conf.

Technical Assistance and Support
Support for Miva is provided under the following programs:

1. End User Support - End users can get coding support through the Miva Corporation majordomo list Server, by sending e-mail to majordomo@miva.com with
   • subscribe hts-users e-mail@domain.com

   in the first line of the message body. The subject field does not matter. Be sure that the 'replyto' and/or 'from' address of your mail client is configured to be the same address that you specify in your subscription message.

   Once you receive a confirmation email back from the list server, you may begin posting messages to "miva-users@miva.com." For more information about the other users groups available to you through Miva Corporation, see http://www.miva.com/support.

2. Free Quick Reference cards are sent by US Postal Mail by filling out the on-line form at: http://www.miva.com/quikref

3. On-Line Documentation is provided as an HTML file in the distribution and can also be found at: http://www.miva.com/docs/mvadmin.html