iEXPLORE

iEXPLORE is a WEB navigator for the Root File Systems of the iSeries Integrated File System (IFS).

A list of tasks that can be performed is shown below.

  • A list of directories in the integrated file system can be displayed and navigated
  • From the list, files can be viewed or downloaded
  • Management functions are provided for
    • creating, renaming, copying, moving and deleting directories
    • uploading, renaming, copying, moving and deleting files
    • changing the ownerships of directories and files

 

3.1 - HTTP server instance

iExplore is served by the iWEB Runtime HTTP instance. The default rules of this instance may restrict to quite an extent the ability of iExplore to access IFS objects (directories and stream files) and to display / download stream files. Please read through.

3.1.1 - IFS objects authority restrictions

iWEB Runtime HTTP instance requires a user logon in order to start iExplore. A valid user logon is done by entering an existing user profile name and the related password.
iExplore would then execute under that user profile. As a consequence:

  • only directories allowed to that user profile are listed
  • only stream files allowed to that user profile can be displayed / downloaded
  • only management functions on objects allowed to that user profile can be performed

3.1.2 - HTTP access to IFS directories

By default, this instance allows HTTP to display / download only stream files residing in directories

  • /iweb
  • /iwebdata
  • /iwebdir
and related subdirectories. This means that, though iExplore is able to navigate through the whole Root directory tree, only stream files in the above directories and in theire related subdirectories can be viewed or downloaded.
In order to extend the viewing capabilities of iExplore, you may want to add some directives to the iWEB Runtime HTTP instance. The following examples show how to do it.
Original Runtime Instance
1-To add directory /mydir 
Pass /mydir/*
2-To add all directories starting by /mydir 
Pass /mydir*
3-To add all directories in the Root 
Pass /*
   Apache Runtime Instance
1-To add directory /mydir 
Alias /mydir/  /mydir/
<Directory /mydir>    
   AllowOverride None   
   Options None         
   order allow,deny     
   allow from all       
</Directory>
2-To add all directories starting by /mydir 
AliasMatch ^/mydir(.*) /mydir$1
<LocationMatch /mydir(.*)> 
   AllowOverride None 
   Options None 
   order allow,deny 
   allow from all          
</LocationMatch>
3-To add all directories in the Root 
AliasMatch ^/(.*) /$1
<LocationMatch /(.*)> 
   AllowOverride None   
   Options None         
   order allow,deny     
   allow from all      
</LocationMatch>

3.2 - Starting iExplore

iExplore cannot be called from a 5250 program. It must be invoked from the iWEB Runtime HTTP instance via an HTML link.

  • Basic links:
    • <a href="iexplore" target="_blank">
    • <a href="/iwebp/iexplore.cgi" target="_blank">
  • If you want iExplore to be initially displaying the contents of IFS directory /mydir, invoke it as follow:
    • <a href="/iwebp/iexplore.cgi?xdir=/mydir" target="_blank">
  • If you want iExplore to be initially ready to upload a local file to IFS directory /mydir as stream file abc.xxx, invoke it as follow:
    • <a href="/iwebp/iexplore.cgi?xdir=/mydir&xtofile=abc.xxx" target="_blank">

3.3 - Mode setting

iExplore can be set to one of the following execution modes:

  • Full mode
    This is the default mode. This mode allows any user profile to navigate across the full IFS Root tree. Display, download and management functions are strictly related to the user profile authorities over the individual IFS objects.
  • Restricted mode
    This mode provides an easy approach for mastering the access to IFS sensitive information. When this mode is set, only IFS directory /iwebdir and its subdirectories can be accessed. Besides, only authorized user profile can access these IFS directories. A given user profile may be authorized to the objects of a given IFS directory
    • in read only mode, or
    • in read / write mode, which includes all management rights.
    See the section Restricted mode, later in this chapter, for setting this mode and operate with it.

3.4 - Operating iExplore

iExplore runs through a frameset made of 4 frames. This explains why at the first invocation iExplore may take a while to show up: in that moment there is a peak of jobs starting in the HTTP server. The following figure provides the general layout of frames in the iExplore page.
header
Control area 1
Directory
display area
object management buttons
Control area 2
 
Figure 3.1 - Layout of the iExplore page

3.4.1 - The header

Figure 3-2 The Header
The header is a small frame containing (from left to right)

  • A small button with a question mark. Once pressed, this button causes some help text to appear in the frame reserved for the display of a directory.
  • The title "iExplore"
  • The name of the user profile logged in
  • A trade mark

3.4.2 - Control area 1

This is the frame where iExplore operations are initiated.
Figure 3-3 Control area 1
  This area displays the current mode setting ("full mode" in this case).
From here you may ask to
  • create a new directory:
    • check the first radio button
    • enter the name of the new directory
    • press the Send button.
    • If the directory is created, the second radio button is automatically checked in, so that you can display the contents of the new directory by just pressing the Send button.
  • display the contents of a directory:
    • check the second radio button
    • enter the name of the new directory
    • press the Send button.
    • The objects in the directory are listed in the "Directory display area".
  • upload a local file to an IFS directory:
    • check the third radio button
    • enter the name of the new directory
    • press the Send button.
    • A second control dialog will be open in the "Control area 2".

3.4.3 - Directory display area

This area (See Figure 3-4) is used to list the objects "contained" in a given IFS directory.
The name of the IFS directory being displayed is shown both on the top of this list and in the input field of "Control Area 1".
For each object, the following information is displayed: type, size (byte), last change date and time, owner.
  • Navigation
    • Click on image open higher level directory to display the contents of the next higher level directory.
    • To display the contents of a subdirectory, click on its related image open subdirectory
  • Display / download stream file
    To display or to download a stream file, just click on the small icon at the left of the object name. Please note that this operation is performed by the HTTP server. The HTTP server, in order to do it,
    needs appropriate HTTP directive(s). See topic HTTP server instance.
  • Object management
    Object management functions are available only for the objects owned by the user profile you have logged in with. If you logged in with a class *SECOFR user profile, object management functions are available for any objects.
    Object management buttons are available to delete, rename, move and copy objects.
    To perform an object management operation:
    • check the radio button next to the object
    • press the appropriate object management button
    • a dialog is then displayed in "Control area 2". See Figures 03-05 to 03-09.
 
Figure 3-4 Directory display area
Figure 3-5 Renaming object
Figure 3-6 Deleting object
Figure 3-9 Changing owner
Figure 3-7 Copying object
Figure 3-8 Moving object

3.4.4 - Downloading a stream file

The last "object management button" (the one labeled download) in Figure 3.4 allows to download any stream file (object type *STMF) to the local disk. Any stream file on the IFS is eligible for such operation, provided that the user profile you logged in when you started iExplore is either the owning user profile or a class *SECOFR user profile.
This is different from displaying a stream file (e.g. an image or a word document) by clicking on the small icon associated to it. In this case, you are asking the HTTP server to access by itself the stream file, but the HTTP server needs an appropriate HTTP directive to be allowed to access it.
The download button, instead, would start a CGI which reads the stream file and sends it to the browser client, thus bypassing HTTP access restrictions.

3.4.5 - Uploading a stream file

iExplore allows to upload via WEB local PC files to the IFS of the HTTP server.
The maximum file size is limited to 16 megabytes minus 64K bytes.
Figure 3-10 Requesting file upload


Figure 3-12 Name of the target file
 

This is how you perform the upload.

  1. In the Control area 1
    • check in the Upload file to a directory radio button
    • type the name of the target IFS directory in the input field
    • press the send button
    An "upload" dialog shows up in the Control area 2: see Figure 3-10.
  2. Use the push button Browse ... to select, from your local disk, the file to ne uploaded. It will show up in the input field preceding the Browse ... button (see Figure 03-11).
    Figure 3-11 Selecting the local file
  3. Next, in the input fiels labeled server target file enter the name that the file should receive when loaded to the IFS directory.
    If you wish the file to maintain its original name, just click on the green arrow (see Figure 3-12).
  4. Last, press the send button (see Figure 3-12). As a result, the local file is uploaded, with the name you gave it, to the specified IFS target directory.
    • An alert tells that the upload is in progress; just press the OK button
    • A confirmation of the upload been done shows up in "Control Area 2" (see Figure 3-13)
    • Meanwhile, the contents of the IFS target directory are displayed in the "Directory display area".
    Figure 3-13 Upload was successful

 

3.5 - The Restricted Mode

Assume that you want the following scenario:

  • a few remote users allowed to upload files (e.g. pictures, documents, etc.) to IFS directories individually assigned to them
  • a fairly large number of remote users using your WEB applications, through which the uploaded files (e.g. pictures, documents, etc.) can be displayed.
In this scenario, your requirements would be:
  1. Each IFS directory, where local files can be uploaded, can be updated just through a given number (e.g. one) of user profiles. Only a given number of people (e.g. two) are authorized to such user profile(s).
  2. No other IFS directory, though existing, can be accessed from the iWEB Runtime HTTP instance.
The iExplore Restricted Mode is the solution for such requirements, inasmuch it:
  1. Lets you define directories only within an already existing IFS directory, named /iwebdir
  2. Requires you to specify the user profile(s) authorized to perform file upload to a given such directory
  3. Maintains a log of the uploads performed
while the iWEB Runtime HTTP instance is already enabled to access objects in the IFS directory /iwebdir and its associated subdirectories.

3.5.1 - Setting the Restricted Mode

Figure 3-14 Setting the Restricted Mode
Figure 3-15 Restricted Mode now set
 

Use the following procedure to start the setup of the Restricted Mode:

  1. Logon to iExplore with a class *SECOFR user profile
  2. Click on the yellow saying Full mode in "Control area 1" (see Figure 3.3):
    a new page is opened in a new window.
    Note - Clicking on the yellow sentence displaying the current mode is the key to change / update settings.
  3. In the "Control area 1" of this new page (see Figure 3.14), check in radio button "restricted mode" and press the "set mode" button.
As soon as you do that, two things happen:
  1. the parent iExplore window (the one that you are not currently seeing) is set to "restricted mode"
  2. the current window shows up as in Figure 3.15: no "restricted mode" directories available yet.

Time has come to define some IFS "restricted" directories within directory /iwebdir.
Press button "new directory" (Figure 3-15). In "Control area 2" you get a dialog for defining a new /iwebdir subdirectory, see Figure 3-16.
Type the name of the subdirectory you want be created (Figure 3-17) and press the "new directory" button.
The requested iWEB restricted subdirectory of directory /iwebdir was just created (Figure 3-18).
Figure 3-16 Restricted directories
still to be defined
Figure 3-17 A new restricted directory
to be created
Figure 3-18 A new restricted directory
was just created
Figure 3-19 Select the owner of the new IFS directory


Figure 3-20 Authorization assigned to a user profile
 

At this time, press the "manage users" push button. You will receive a list of user profiles (Figure 3-19). You should select the user profile allowed to access that subdirectory.
Select a user profile and press the "update button".

You will receive a question about the type of access to be granted to that user (Figure 3-20).

Select the appropriate access authority and press the "Update" button. The list of user profiles will show up updated as per Figure 3-21.

You may then select other user profiles, one at a time, and assign access authorities (read only or read & write).
Note 1 - Access authority can be revoked to a user profile, by selecting access authority none.
Note 2 - Access authorities can be accessed or revoked at any time, upon entering the Restricted Mode Settings page as class *SECOFR user.
Note 3 - To display / download via WEB any objects contained in the /iwebdir subdirectories, one must logon with an user profile authorized to access it.

Figure 3-21 Authorities to directory just updated

3.5.2 - Operating in Restricted Mode

Figure 3-22 Control area 1
in Restricted Mode
 

The following restrictions apply when the Restricted Mode is set:

  1. You cannot create IFS directories (to perform this operation, you must have logged on as class *SECOFR user profile and enter the mode setting page, see Setting the Restricted Mode)
  2. You can still upload local files to an /iwebdir subdirectory, provided that the user profile you logged on with has read & write access to it. See Figure 3-22.
  3. You can just navigate across the /iwebdir subdirectories. See Figure 3-23.
  4. You can still change the owner of an /iwebdir subdirectory, provided that the user profile you logged on is class *SECOFR.
Figure 3-23 List of directories in Restricted Mode