Configuring and Managing MPE/iX Internet Services (August 2002)

Chapter 9
HP WebWise MPE/iX Secure Web Server
Troubleshooting
162
Troubleshooting
Server Issues
If the HP WebWise MPE/iX Secure Web Server job JHTTPD aborts, first check the $STDLIST spoolfile for
any error messages, followed by the error_log, followed by the ssl_engine_log.
If the HP WebWise MPE/iX Secure Web Server job appears to be running normally, but browser users are
receiving error messages instead of data, check the access_log to see if the server is receiving their request.
The access_log will show the IP address (or hostname) of the browser, the requested URL, and resulting
HTTP return code, and the amount of bytes transferred. A return code of 200 means success, 401 means that
access was denied to this URL, and 404 means that the URL was not found.
The error_log and ssl_engine_log may have additional information regarding unsuccessful entries that
appear in the access_log. The verbosity of the error_log and ssl_engine_log may be increased by editing
the LogLevel and SSLLogLevel configuration directives respectively.
If a browser user is having SSL-related problems, check the ssl_request_log to see if the expected protocol
and cipher is being used.
Browser Issues
If the browser gets no response from the server, check that the JHTTPD job is still running, and verify that
the correct TCP/IP ports are being listened to by examining conf/httpd.conf. Note that a URL of the form
http://your.host.name/foo.html assumes a default port of 80, and a URL of the form
https://your.host.name/foo.html assumes a default port of 443.
If Microsoft Internet Explorer returns an error saying “The page cannot be displayed”, or Netscape
Communicator returns an error saying “A network error occurred while Netscape was receiving data”, verify
that you’re trying to browse an https:// URL from a port listening for the SSL/TLS protocol, and that your
browser is speaking the same version of the SSL/TLS protocol that is expected by the server.
If your browser always begins a certificate dialog when you browse to the server, it could be due to any of the
following reasons:
• Your server certificate wasn’t signed by one of the browser’s trusted CAs. Either obtain a new server
certificate from one of those trusted CAs, or add the current CA to your browser’s list of trusted CAs.
• Your server certificate has expired. Obtain a new server certificate.
• Your server certificate hostname doesn’t match the URL hostname. Either obtain a new server certificate
containing the proper hostname, or use a URL with the proper hostname.
To verify the protocol and cipher your browser is using to talk to the server, either check the
logs/ssl_request_log file on the server, or ask your browser for this information. If using Microsoft
Internet Explorer, right-click anywhere on the web page, then left-click on the Properties menu item. If using
Netscape Communicator, right-click anywhere on the web page, then left click on the View Info menu item.