Demystifying FrontPage Server Extensions
Published: October 22, 2002
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Welcome to the chat here is our topic for today.. DEMYSTIFYING FRONTPAGE SERVER EXTENSIONS This chat will address everything that you wanted to know about FrontPage Server Extensions, but were afraid to ask
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Please begin any questions you have with Q: so we know what your questions are.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
lets begin....
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Q: What is the current revision of FrontPage extensions?
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: Well, this is a bit difficult to answer considering the product cycle. What do you want to know specifically?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Why Is Secure Shared Hosting with the FrontPage 2002 Extensions So Difficult? It is hard to protect the website content of different websites on the same server from each other's authors with out disabling lots of components.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: The architectural design of the FrontPage Server Extensions, since it's inception, requires that some accounts have access to the content area. With the introduction of FSO that became an issue with Shared Hosting.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: (Cont'd) We are aware of these concerns and are working on addressing them.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Beers, what problems are you having or what are you trying to accomplish?
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Q: VinnyD: What security patches are needed?
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: You should go to windows update, it will tell you what is installed and what needs to be installed. You may also want to sign up for email updates to stay current
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Is there an easy way to install 2002 extensions w/o share point?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Yes. The standalone extensions are available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnservext/html/fpovrw.asp
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: I have a few people including myself, who upon opening a web folder, see none of the folder/file content, but the content is there on the actual server. What is causing this?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: This could be caused by IIS returning the wrong header information. Resetting IIS should usually resolve this issue.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Are there any clients for the Mac that can connect to a FrontPage Extended web?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: There's a Mac version of FrontPage, that can manage an Extended Site.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: does ms have an fpse version that will work for red hat 7.2 / apache 1.3.19 without having to be an expert?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnservext/html/fpovrw.asp
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Q: manywebs : Q - re: I have a few people including myself, who upon opening a web folder, see none of the folder/file content, but the content is there on the actual server. What is causing this?
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: If they connect directly to the server can they see it.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: continued.. Have you checked the permissions?
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Q: manywebs : Aprild - for us, this happens when trying to add a hyperlink to a page. I'll click to add the hyperlink, expecting to be able to navigate to the folder I need, and can't see anything listed.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: what if you add a link to an existing page you have permissins to? Can you see that?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: I agree with BigGuy, it seems Microsoft/RTR is dragging their feet wrt FPSE 2002 patch for Linux/Apache 2.0. Can you give us a date?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: We are currently working on a patch for FPSE on Unix/Linux. We should have it ready early next year.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Are the current versions of extensions listed anywhere? How can i check this remotely?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnservext/html/fpovrw.asp
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Has it ever been discussed basing the Extensions on a standard such as webdav and then extending the standard?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Such discussion are always on going.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
manywebs, do you have permissions then not have them in the same day? I am just trying to understand the problem deeper
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Does Windows software update services support update of the FrontPage Extensions?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Yes. Windowsupdate updates the extensions.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: I thought that the mac version was discontinued
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: It is no longer updated.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: One other problem...Myself and one other person opens up Frontpage 2002 to a subweb on that site. When we expand one of the folders, of the 6 subfolders inside that folder, only 1 appears in FrontPage. Is there something I can try to resyncronize this?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Make sure they don’t start with an “_”, and make sure they are not office thicket files. Are they folders created by an office application?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: joe, that installation sets back the apache httpd with which the httpd.conf file is not compatible
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Please keep an eye on RTRs site for an update soon.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Q: manywebs : Restarting IIS does seem to fix it, but that's not a good answer longterm.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: Agreed, that is not a good answer. it gets old really quick
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
manywebs, this is an IIS issue. They are currently working on a solution
Host Guest_Pam
Q: Got dropped, reposting: Sorry, this is my first webcast, but who are the experts? If it's "Aprild_MS (Host)", etc. I don't see them posting
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: next year??!! anything you can recommend in the mean time???
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: No. Sorry. Nothing in the mean time.
Host Guest_Pam
A: Hi David--You should see the Hosts' comments in the top box, with questions in the bottom box
Host Guest_Pam
A: The experts are all folks who work in various areas of FrontPage
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: So, if a managed server looks at my local Update Server, it will que the extensions install?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Yes. That is correct.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: What is the latest SharePoint Team Services version out. I have 5.0.2.4330.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Yes 4330 is the latest. That's SP2.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: What are office thicket files?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: When you save a file as an HTML file in an Office app (Word, Powerpoint) they create thicket folders that contain images etc…
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: davidmenges, hello do you have a specifc question for us? Joe and I will answer as many question as we can.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Q: Al : Is there an Extensions Client SDK for companies that want to integrate FrontPage Publishing into their products?
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: There is documentation, hold on let me find the link.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Beers: The reason you are not seeing the folders is because they contain a file that explicitly tells FrontPage to hide them. You must delete that file from the file system.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Beers: The file is in the _vti_cnf folder of each of the hidden folders. It's an info file.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: I never install Sharepoint. Of course the management web site still says Sharepoint.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: FPSE 2002 uses the same management web pages as SharePoint Team Services.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Q: Al : Is there an Extensions Client SDK for companies that want to integrate FrontPage Publishing into their products?
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/710/msdncompositedoc.xml
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: is there a step by step unix install for fpse 2002, like there is for 2000?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Not that I am aware of.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: What is the _vti_cnf directory for anyway?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: It holds meta information for each file specific to the FrontPage client.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Are the FP Extensions required in order to process ASP pages or to use Visual InterDev to remotely deply web apps?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: No. FPSE do not process ASP. ASP.dll is the file that processes ASP, and that's an IIS DLL.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: BigGuy, I can request one to be made
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: So if I'm using Visual InterDev 6.0 in Master Mode on a production server (even though it isn't recommended) I don't need to have the FPSE 2002 on the server?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: VI 6.0 requires the extensions for Master Mode (to manage the site).
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
A: Al, try this http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/710/msdncompositedoc.xml
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Does is harm anything to delete any of the files in _vti_cnf. Will FP rebuild this info files.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: FP will rebuild them.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Does the same hold true for Visual Studio.NET then?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: VS.Net can use the extensions if they are available, but it can also use the DAV redirector (shares)
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: (I didn't hear earlier answer) Why is it taking Microsoft/RTR so long to post FPSE patch for Apache 2.0? Can you give us an estimate? I don't think it's that hard; we may end up doiing it ourselves again (we did it for Apache 1.3.26).
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: We are working on a patch. We will have it early next year.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
If you have content requests for FrontPage or Sharepoint I would be happy to make that happen for you all.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Just email me, aprild@microsoft.com
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Is there a way to get PowerPoint/FP to NOT generate info files for the thicket folders?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: Not if you are saving PowerPoint presentations as web pages.
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: Often Security Experts say not to deploy the FPSE on a Production server. Is this what MS thinks and Is there a goal to defeat this thinking?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: We have a Security white paper to address all your security concerns with FPSE. http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnservext/fpse2000security.asp
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
If you have qustions that did not get answered you can direct them to our public newsgroups. Our MVPs are great resources! See http://office.microsoft.com/frontpage/ for more information:)
Host Guest_Joe_MS
Q: What is WebDAV exactly and does FP or the extensions use it. Evidently Windows uses it for the Web Folder stuff, but does anything else?
Host Guest_Joe_MS
A: WebDav is a technology that allows clients to perform authoring functions against servers through http.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
If you have feedback about this chat I would love to know what you think. I will be available on email aprild@microsoft.com!!
Host Guest_Pam
Thank you for joining us for today's chat. Check back Tuesday, November 26 when our topic will be using bCentral e-commerce solutions with FrontPage.
Host Guest_Aprild_MS
Thank you all for attending, special thanks to Joe for typing so fast!!