[mapserver-users] install issues

[Richard Duivenvoorde]

Chris h wrote:

 > This is where it gets confusing to me. The instruction state that the
 > world.zip is to be extracted and converted to an .sql and loaded into
 > postgres. There is no reference to a world.map file on the file 
system nor is
 > a world.map file available from the zip package. So Im kinda lost on 
where
 > this world.map if from and where it is to be placed. From the sounds 
of it it
 > needs to be created from the data.zip package via shp2img command?
 >
 >> 
http://localhost/cgi-bin/mapserv?map=/usr/lib/cgi-bin/world.map&request=get
 >> capabilities&service=wms
 >> 
http://localhost/cgi-bin/mapserv?map=/usr/lib/cgi-bin/world.map&mode=browse
 >> &layers=all&mode=map
 >>
 >> But it sounds that the map-file is just not there?

Hi Chris,

in mapserv-lingua a 'map-file' is a init-file for the mapserv-executable 
that is running as a cgi in you webserver (apache).

in the instructions there is a link to a mapfile stub:
http://www.duif.net/postgis/world.map
(please change username/password in it for the postgresql connection)
It's this mapfile that should sit next to the cgi and from which the cgi 
gets the information where to find data to paint your map-image.
And it's that mapfile that is not next to your cgi apparently.

shp2img is just a shortcut/another way to instruct mapserv to generate 
an image based on a map(definition)file.

be sure that you mapfile is readable for the user that is running your 
webserver (which by the way should not be root). The user is probably 
www-data or somethink like that. Use
ps -ef
for example to find out WHO is running /usr/bin/apache

have a dive into this one:
http://ms.gis.umn.edu/docs/reference/cgi
and
http://www.zzee.com/solutions/linux-permissions.shtml

hope this helps.

Regards,

Richard Duivenvoorde
ps sending this to the list also so other newbies benefit from your 
questions also.