refdbsru - Online in the Cloud

PROGRAM:

NAME

refdbsru - CGI script providing SRU access to RefDB databases

SYNOPSIS

refdbsru

DESCRIPTION

refdbsru is a CGI script which turns your web server into a proxy RefDB server providing
SRU (Search and Retrieve via URL) access. Anyone with a web browser or some other tool
capable of sending HTTP requests can query your RefDB databases. This script is not
intended to be run by users. It is invoked by your web server.

The output of the script is a XML document as described in the SRU standard.

CONFIGURATION

refdbsru evaluates the file refdbsrurc to initialize itself.

Note
The parameters starting with "zeerex_" do not actually influence how the script
operates. They provide some of the site-specific information which appears in the SRU
explain output.

Table 1. refdbsrurc
┌────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│Variable │ Default │ Comment │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│logfile │ /var/log/refdbsru.log │ The full path of a │
│ │ │ custom log file. This is │
│ │ │ used only if logdest is │
│ │ │ set appropriately. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│logdest │ 1 │ The destination of the │
│ │ │ log information. 0 = │
│ │ │ print to stderr; 1 = use │
│ │ │ the syslog facility; 2 = │
│ │ │ use a custom logfile. │
│ │ │ The latter needs a │
│ │ │ proper setting of │
│ │ │ logfile. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│loglevel │ 6 │ The log level up to │
│ │ │ which messages will be │
│ │ │ sent. A low setting (0) │
│ │ │ allows only the most │
│ │ │ important messages, a │
│ │ │ high setting (7) allows │
│ │ │ all messages including │
│ │ │ debug messages. -1 means │
│ │ │ nothing will be logged. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│serverip │ 127.0.0.1 │ The IP address or │
│ │ │ hostname of the machine │
│ │ │ where refdbd runs. Use │
│ │ │ the default (localhost) │
│ │ │ address if the clients │
│ │ │ and refdbs run on the │
│ │ │ same machine. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│port │ 9734 │ The port on which refdbd │
│ │ │ listens. Change this for │
│ │ │ all clients and the │
│ │ │ server if this value │
│ │ │ interferes with another │
│ │ │ program using this port. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│timeout │ 180 │ The timeout in seconds. │
│ │ │ After this time has │
│ │ │ elapsed, a stalled │
│ │ │ connection is taken │
│ │ │ down. Increase this │
│ │ │ value if you encounter │
│ │ │ frequent timeout errors │
│ │ │ due to high network │
│ │ │ traffic or refdbd │
│ │ │ overload. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│username │ login name │ The username which is │
│ │ │ used for authentication │
│ │ │ with the database │
│ │ │ server. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│passwd │ │ The password which is │
│ │ │ used for authentication │
│ │ │ with the database │
│ │ │ server. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│pdfroot │ (none) │ This value will be used │
│ │ │ as the root of the paths │
│ │ │ to PDF or Postscript │
│ │ │ offprints that can be │
│ │ │ specified with the AV │
│ │ │ field in a RIS dataset. │
│ │ │ The path should not rely │
│ │ │ on shell expansion, e.g. │
│ │ │ use /home/me/literature/ │
│ │ │ instead of │
│ │ │ ~/literature/. The │
│ │ │ pdfroot allows you to │
│ │ │ shorten the paths that │
│ │ │ you enter for each │
│ │ │ dataset and to maintain │
│ │ │ a certain portability if │
│ │ │ you have to move the │
│ │ │ offprints to a different │
│ │ │ directory or want to │
│ │ │ access them remotely. │
│ │ │ The html output routine │
│ │ │ will concatenate the │
│ │ │ relative path of each │
│ │ │ dataset with the pdfroot │
│ │ │ to construct the link to │
│ │ │ the offprint. Instead of │
│ │ │ a local path name you │
│ │ │ can specify an URL │
│ │ │ starting with http:// or │
│ │ │ ftp:// if your offprints │
│ │ │ are accessible through a │
│ │ │ web server or ftp │
│ │ │ server. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│cssurl │ (none) │ In spite of the │
│ │ │ parameter name, this may │
│ │ │ be the URL either of a │
│ │ │ Cascading Style Sheet │
│ │ │ (CSS) file, or of a XSLT │
│ │ │ file. This file, if │
│ │ │ specified, is used to │
│ │ │ format the SRU output in │
│ │ │ the web browser. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│dbserver │ (none) │ This is the name of the │
│ │ │ database engine that │
│ │ │ refdbd uses (currently │
│ │ │ either mysql, pgsql, │
│ │ │ sqlite, or sqlite3). │
│ │ │ refdbsru can obtain this │
│ │ │ value at runtime, but it │
│ │ │ has to send one │
│ │ │ additional query per │
│ │ │ searchRetrieve or scan │
│ │ │ operation. If you │
│ │ │ provide the value here │
│ │ │ instead, response times │
│ │ │ will be faster. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│zeerex_host │ www.change.me │ The hostname of the │
│ │ │ computer that runs your │
│ │ │ web server and refdbsru │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│zeerex_port │ 80 │ The port that your web │
│ │ │ server listens to. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│zeerex_database │ cgi-bin/refdbsru │ The path section of the │
│ │ │ URL which provides SRU │
│ │ │ access to your database, │
│ │ │ without the leading │
│ │ │ slash. zeerex_host, a │
│ │ │ slash, and this option │
│ │ │ combined make up the URL │
│ │ │ which a user has to type │
│ │ │ into his web browser to │
│ │ │ access your SRU service. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│zeerex_databaseInfo_title │ Reference Database │ A public name of your │
│ │ │ database. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│zeerex_databaseInfo_description │ A reference database │ A brief description of │
│ │ │ your database. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│zeerex_databaseInfo_author │ Your Name │ The name of the person │
│ │ │ who is in charge of │
│ │ │ running the database. │
├────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│zeerex_databaseInfo_contact │ your@email │ How to contact the │
│ │ │ database maintainer. │
│ │ │ Usually the email │
│ │ │ address. │
└────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┘

ENVIRONMENT

As a CGI script, refdbsru evaluates a variety of environment variables that the web server
provides. These are:

REQUEST_METHOD
Either GET or POST

QUERY_STRING
The query string proper in a GET request.

PATH_INFO
This value, if present, is used as the name of a database (other than the
preconfigured default database).

Use refdbsru online using onworks.net services