.htaccess and .htpasswd, and configuration.pl I have them protecting files that but where is the password?

Question

My problem is that I have had someone give me some files and I need to have them display in my cgi-bin. I try to display them but it asks me the password and such. I however don't know what it is. Is there a way to find out?, (other than asking the client?). What I am wondering is this. I was given a CD with all the files on it, (including the .htaccess and .htpasswd file). Through e-mail however I was sent a different .htaccess file and a configuration.pl file. I am wondering if this is supposed to protect their data and that I won't need the password as perhaps somehow one can read from the other if I put them in the right place. Also the configuration.pl file has some information in it like an MySQL password, but I am not sure which to just use for the main .htaccess file... any ideas or help?

Thanks,

Brian

1) I need to put them in my cgi-bin because I have cgi installed and the files are of type .cgi. For example the index file is index.cgi. I have found that cgi files that I have created are "interpreted" correctly in the cgi-bin.

(2) I am trying to edit a website, the website being the files that I recieved on the CD that I mentioned above.

(3) The CD with all the files is the website that I am trying to work with

(4) thtere is a configuration.pl file that has a couple usernames and passwords in them. Such as ones that seem to be used by SQL:

$sc_mysql_server_name
$sc_mysql_database_name
$sc_mysql_user_name
$sc_mysql_password

There are also some such as:

$encryption_key
$sc_gateway_username
$sc_gateway_password

And I wondered if somehow I cwas to use the cd_gateway_username and sc_gateway_password to login at some point but it doesen't seem to satisfy the password requirements that come up when I try to run the page.

Thanks,

Brian

Answer 1

Well this may be way to simple of an answer but if you have access to the files just rename the .htaccess and you wont need any password period.

I assume of course you have access (which you say you do) Copy the Cd to your server, remove/rename the .htaccess file and you will run without it. Once you are through rename it back to .htaccess and the password will be required again!

I take it you dont know too much about linux and apache. Your job will not be easy.

Answer 2

There is a lot here to explain, so I will try to answer it in a way that is useful to you.

(1) .htaccess is a file that sits in your web server directory. It supplies configuration options to the web server, including, among other things, a username and password for access to that directory.

(2) There is no way to look up the password for an existing .htaccess user. This is because the passwords are encrypted using one-way encryption.

(3) You can, however, *reset* the password using some command-line tools. Well, the tool "htpasswd"

(4) There is really not enough detail in your question to answer your question.

Questions to you:

(1) What do you mean by "I need to have them display in my cgi-bin"? This is a nonsensical statement to me.

(2) What are you trying to achieve? Post some images to a web page? Set up a web site?

(3) What is this "CD with all the files"? A Website that was created for you by someone else?

(4) What is the MySQL stuff? What relevancy does it have to what you are trying to achieve?

My finding is that often, novice computer users trying to set up a website will ask the wrong questions or try to do stuff in a more complicate way than is required. Please state in clear English description exatly what you are trying to do and you can be answered more appropriately.

later...

Answer 3

The files should never go into cgi-bin if they are to be displayed. NEVER put anything in there unless you know what it does.