Whois CGI
A very nice addition to the web site of a company which specializes in
web hosting is an InterNIC Whois database query. A small form and simple CGI can
be designed to facilitate such a task. The query form and CGI source are
presented in two sections below.
HTML Source for the Whois query form
The HTML source below represents a
simple query form.
This form can be customized for your Virtual Server by adding
graphics, changing text, and adding other personal touches.
<html>
<head>
<title>InterNIC Database Query</title>
</head>
<body>
<hr size = 3>
<h3>InterNIC Database Query</h3>
Use the following form to perform a query exclusively on the
<a href="http://rs.internic.net/">InterNIC</a> database
(which includes the ".com", ".net", and ".org" top level domain names).
Not only can you determine whether a domain name you desire is already
in use, but you can find contact names, e-mail addresses, postal
addresses, and telephone numbers. Simply enter the appropriate identifier
(such as a domain name, NIC handle, etc) in the entry field below and
select the "Query" button.
<p>
<center>
<form method=POST action="/cgi-bin/library/whois/query.pl">
<input name="name" size=24 maxlength=72>
<input type="submit" value="Query">
</form>
</center>
<p>
The default action (unless directed otherwise by entering a specific
domain name or NIC handle), is to do a very broad search, looking
for matches in all types of records and most fields (name, nickname,
hostname, net address, etc) in the database. For more information,
enter "help" in the entry field above and select the "Query" button.
<hr size = 3>
</body>
</html>
If you are unfamiliar with the FORM HTML element, or would like to
learn more about forms, see:
Mosaic for X version 2.0 Fill-Out Form Support.
Installing the Whois CGI
To install the query CGI on your Virtual Server you will need to
do the following:
- Download the Query Form
You will need to download the Query
Form HTML source and store it somewhere in your
"usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs" directory structure. Feel free to customize
the form, add graphics, etc. But be sure that the variable name
for the input field is not altered.
- Untar the InterNIC Database Query CGI source code
-
Telnet or SSH to your Virtual Server.
- change directories to your home directory
(type "
cd" and hit return)
- type "
tar -xvf /usr/local/contrib/whois.tar"
This will install the query.pl and util.pl files into
your "www/cgi-bin/library/whois" directory.
- Customize the Appearance of the Query CGI
Two subroutines in the util.pl
file are used to print out header and footer information. These
functions are print_header_info and
print_footer_info. Feel free to modify these functions
such that the CGI outputs pages that are in synch with the motifs
of the rest of your site.
Once you have completed the installation successfully, you will have a
working query form like the one shown below (go ahead and test it).
Use the following form to perform a query exclusively on the
InterNIC database
(which includes the ".com", ".net", and ".org" top level domain names).
Not only can you determine whether a domain name you desire is already
in use, but you can find contact names, e-mail addresses, postal
addresses, and telephone numbers. Simply enter the appropriate identifier
(such as a domain name, NIC handle, etc) in the entry field below and
select the "Query" button.
The default action (unless directed otherwise by entering a specific
domain name or NIC handle), is to do a very broad search, looking
for matches in all types of records and most fields (name, nickname,
hostname, net address, etc) in the database. For more information,
enter "help" in the entry field above and select the "Query" button.
|
|
