There are several things that can go wrong in the process of installing CGI programs, and even the most seasoned CGI users make mistakes every now and then. The three most common installation errors will cause your Web server to generate an error message that will be displayed in your browser. Each of these errors is defined in the following sections, along with the steps you'll need to take to remedy the situation.

"403 Forbidden" Error
This message indicates that the file permissions for the program are probably set incorrectly. Remember to set the permissions for the directory and/or subdirectory your program file is in as well as for the program file itself.

"404 Not Found" Error
If you get this message after attempting to access a program, then you've probably entered an invalid URL for the program. Double check the URL you're using and make sure you have specified the correct name and location of the program file. (Remember that uppercase and lowercase letters are different to UNIX)

"500 Internal Server Error" Error
This error indicates that the program is not producing output that the server understands and generally indicates a problem with the program itself. You can check your server's error log for more detailed explanation of the program (check with your system administrator to find out where the error log is kept). If you get this error with News Publisher then its more then likely you set one of the configuration options in "config.cgi" wrong. Double-check each variable to make sure you didn't accidentally omit a closing quote or semicolon at the end of the line. Then try some of the debugging techniques presented in next weeks tutorial to see if you can locate the problem. If not, please use our Support Forum first before contacting us through e-mail. Please don't think we don't care about you =) because we will do our best to take care of it as quickly as possible.

By IceFire
Forum Moderator, Writer