[analog-help] Execution via webpage question.

[Aengus]

Henry Silvia <hgs at visualspectrum.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am a CFML programmer and have created a UI for our clients to run
> reports on demand. My last hurdle is that whether I use CFEXECUTE or
> simply try to call a .BAT file on the analog.exe it doesn't run
> properly when triggered from a web page. I have given permissions to
> the EXE and to the log folder(s) to SYSTEM, and to IUSR, but I think
> the issue maube something else.
>
> When my webpage runs it creates a new CFG file then attempts to
> execute Analog.exe. I know it writes the CFG properly, and I know it
> does execute analog.exe because the "report.html" is created, however
> empty, and the analog.exe stays in process (until I end it via task
> manager on the server). If I run analog.exe OR the batch file
> directly from the server via RDP as Admin (in the folder where it
> resides) it runs fine, it is only when called via web that it hangs.
> Are there support files that require special permissions for
> Analog.exe to get at during its run?

You probably don't want analog to be creating report.html - I'm not 
familiar with CF, but usually you would want an application to write to 
STDOUT, which would be trapped by the wrapper application, and streamed 
back to the browser, with the appropriate HTTP headers inserted.

Under normal circumstances, Analog exits when it finishes or when it 
encounters an error - the only circumstances under which Analog will run 
for more than a couple of seconds are if you have huge log files or if 
you have DNS lookups enabled. If you have not enabled DNS lookups, and 
Analog is still showing up in your process list, then my guess is that 
the problem is with CFEXECUTE rather than Analog, but I don't know 
enough about it to be more specific.

As Jeremy points out, have a look at how anlgform.pl is written. There 
are certain analog configuration commands that are potentially 
dangerous, so you should make sure that you limit how much control 
remote users have over the parameters that your wrapper passes to the 
analog executable.

Aengus