===========================
| Cintel Orion Web Server |
===========================

 Version: 1.0 Build 110
 Updated: 25/01/02

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Contents:
 -Welcome
 -Security
 -SreamingSTUF
 -Build history
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=========
 Welcome
=========
This is a public freeware release of Cintel Orion Web Server and as such, it may not be sold. Software by its very nature is not bug-free; no software can work flawlessly for all parties in all environments, however, Orion is subjected to extensive testing prior to release, and we hope to have identified and fixed any bugs that affect the majority of users in a material way.

We have worked hard to improve upon previous versions to provide the most stable and effective web server that we can, however, bugs may be present in the code that may affect Orions's stability or performance. If you encounter any problems, please e-mail us at the address below, providing us with as much information about the problem as you feel is relevant; what you were doing, what error message was displayed (if any), and what happened. Sometimes, sending an extract of the Event Log (in the Orion folder on your computer) can help us track down the source of any errors in the software.

All in all, however, we hope you enjoy this release of Cintel Orion, and that you find it useful for your needs.

For more information, feel free to contact us:
E-mail: orion@cintelsoftware.com
Website: http://www.cintelsoftware.com

==========
 Security
==========
Orion has been built with the security of the server machine in mind, and blocks common attempts to access files on the server other than those specified. Such access attempts are logged and the source IP address recorded. This includes protection against the widely-known Code Red worm and its variants, to which Orion is invulnerable. The new Automatic Banning features allow you to block users who access certain resources (files or folders) from accessing your website, providing protection against these sorts of attacks. Similarly, you have the option to grant or deny access to certain resources to a select group of users, which you can choose in the 'Security' section of the Settings window.

===============
 StreamingSTUF
===============
Orion now supports StreamingSTUF mode, which allows files to be served from within a STUF package. A STUF package is a special file in which you can place other files to keep them safely together and reduce them in size. This also allows for portability - you to take entire groups of files with you with just a click of a button. For more information regarding STUF technologies, please visit the Utilities section of our website (www.cintelsoftware.com).

Files can be opened directly from within a stuf package - just treat them as normal folders. For example, if you would normally type: http://myserver.com/images/test.jpg to access an image in the \images folder of your website, you can do the same with an image inside a STUF package. Nothing special for the user is required, as all the hard work is done by the server. In this instance, you might want to view an image from inside a package called "bigimages.stuf". To open a file contained within the package, you might type: http://myserver.com/bigimages.stuf/test.jpg or to simply see all the files in the package, just type http://myserver.com/bigimages.stuf/ (make sure to include the final "/").

The advantage of this approach is that you can compress big files or images within a STUF package to save space on the server, whilst a visitor to your website is none the wiser. In order to make STUF packages, you simply need to download a free program called STUF Packager from www.cintelsoftware.com

===============
 Build history
===============
As Orion progresses through the development cycle, we will document the changes and issues relating to each publically released version.

Build 110
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* Rewritten request-handling procedure for improved stability and performance.
* Reorganised the Options window. The 'Gateway' settings have been moved to the 'Connection' tab.
* Numerous bug fixes in regard to accessing the Remote Console and dealing with malformed requests.
* New Auto Start option lets you automatically run Orion when your computer is started. The options to go online automatically or load in 'Silent mode' (minimised in the system tray) have been added to the 'General' options tab.
* New command line switches have been added which let you start Orion in 'Silent mode' or automatically go online. These are '-silent' and '-online' respectively, and can be used independently, or in conjunction with each other. Note: these are not required if the above features are enabled in the Options window.
* Fixes and changes to the file upload feature. Files can now be uploaded with an HTTP POST form, with the "action" property pointing to the destination page. A 'Web Developer Pack' will soon be released to help webmasters customise their web sites.
* Fixed bug where the cache list could become corrupted if the number of files to cache was increased outside of Orion.
* Refined operation of the status display function to eliminate non-existant error reports.
* Added customisation option for 'banned user' in the 'Error Messages' tab.
* Please note: virtual folders and protected folders must now be added in the format: \folder\

Build 103
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* When minimised, Orion now appears in the System Tray (bottom-right of the screen), where it is still easily accessible, but now takes-up less room. To view the main window again, double-click this icon, or right-click it for more options.
* General clear-up of interface elements and better failsafe checks.
* The 'Browse for folder' button now works in the Orion Setup Wizard.
* More efficient status display code and de-prioritisation of bandwidth meter for decreased CPU usage.
* Illegal data requests are now caught and logged.
* File upload code has now been updated - problems with failed uploads should now be resolved.

Build 92
--------
* Quick revision release. Fixed a recurring bug where a cache error was reported.
* Better integration with Orion Web Gateway (see Cintel Website).

Build 89
--------
* New 'Ban IP' security setting lets you specify IP addresses to deny access to your server. Filters can also be specified that let you automatically ban IPs after they make and illegal request.
* New support for file uploads! Files can now be uploaded to the server through your website (requires correct HTML), or through the remote console with the 'UPLOAD' command.
* Massive performance gains with new cache-management engine. Page requests are now faster, with even less performance overhead.
* Streamlined STUF file listing and data retrieval. If a file does not exist within a STUF package, the 'File Not Found' message is now displayed.
* Legacy gateway code eliminated for improved performance.
* New support for Orion Web Gateway. See the Cintel website for more information.

Build 73
--------
* Added transfer speed indicator. It gives a reasonable indication of how heavy the load is on the server.
* 'Transferring' indicator now lights for the duration of a transfer.
* Numerous speed enhancements in back-end processing. Now storing many Registry-intensive variables locally for added performance.
* Added option to 'Flush main log after X entries' (Genral tab) to speed-up serving over a long period of time. Performance should no longer degrade after many hundreds of page hits.
* Stopped timeout checker when offline.
* The 'unused connection timeout' setting was being bypassed. Unused connections no longer timeout after 30 seconds of inactivity, instead they abide by the value in the Options window.
* Cached files are now stored between sessions (this can be disabled in Options).
* The event and page logs are now carried between sessions (both of which can be cleared). This is useful if the server goes down, but you wish to continue logging from the past session.
* Orion no longer goes online if a blank web path is specified.
* New action-based error reporting. Orion will now log the exact action taking place when an error occurs for easier debugging.
* Fixed folder-browsing bug, where incorrect logins could cause recursive path browsing.
* Files and folders under protected items can also be protected properly now. Unless authorised, files and folders under protected directories will not be accessible.
* Inactive users time-out after a given period for added security.
* New Remote Console! Users can now log-in to Orion remotely via a web browser interface and configure the server through commands. For example, STATS will bring-up a list of page requests, cache information etc. whereas CLEARCACHE will flush the file cache. Type CMD for a list of supported commands.

Build 55
--------
* Fixed root directory (e.g. "C:\") listing problem.
* Fixed hidden/system files retrieval error.
* Optimised folder reading code.
* Control system optimised.
* Request processing function partially re-written.
* Implemented the highly-anticipated Virtual Folders option. You can now choose to make folders on your hard drive appear as normal folders in your web site. For example, 'C:\My Documents' could be mapped to a '\mydocs' folder of your website. Virtual Folders can be protected with a password, just like any other file or folder within your web site.

Build 50
--------
* A new log option: 'Do not display error messages' has been added. With this selected, only successful file requests will be shown.
* Password protection for individual files and folders has been added. Please note, when a directory is protected, the files within it are still accessable if the exact path is known, unless they, too are explicitly protected.

Build 45
--------
* Much improved visible event logging. Turnaround time for the LogEvent sub has been greatly reduced when large numbers of visible log events are used.
* Bug fixed where files could not be read from STUF packages.
* A new disconnect icon is displayed when the server is online.
* Interface tweaks: The main window is slightly larger, and the browse button is now disabled, not hidden when online.
* Various internal functions have been massively speeded-up, especially relating to STUF package and folder listing.
* MIME headers now included! Downloading files now also have a Content-Length parameter to allow download maagers to read the size of the file in advance.
* Users downloading files will no longer see binary files displayed as text, but should encounter the normal "Download File" dialog box.

Build 44
--------
* Error handling code now re-implemented in all subs and major functions.
* Introduction of the new Orion Setup Wizard, which guides you through the setup of your website and configuration of the server. Still deep in beta testing.

Build 43 (rev 2)
----------------
* Fully stable build released as build 43 is actually rev 2 of this code.
* Fixed accidental STUF listing assumption when a bogus request containing "?" in the path was received.
* Added support for simple HTTP requests. Previously such requests as 'GET index.htm' were dropped.

Build 41
------
* Folder listings implemented. Directories which do not have a default start page (see build 37 changes) can be navigated normally.
* Added the option to cusomise the 'Webmaster e-mail address' field, when an error page is displayed.
* When a resource is not found, a blank page containing the words "Folder Listing of XXXX" is no longer displayed.

Build 37
--------
* Support for new compressed STUF20 packages (see the Cintel website for more details).
* Added 'Compress cache' option. When switched on, it causes cached files to take-up less memory, but slows-down page requests.
* Now compatible with the new Orion Gateway Server.
* Rewritten data sending function.
* STUF package requests (listings and file requests) now cached.
* Accepts "index.htm", "index.html", "default.htm", or "default.html" as the default start pages (in that order).

Build 35
--------
* New Windows-like user interface and logging system.
* Re-arranged options window.
* Updated support for the new STUF18 file format (for more information please visit the Cintel website).
* Now supports the upcoming Cintel Orion Gateway Server (see the Cintel website for more details), which allows pages to be served from within a network in a custer server configuration.

Build 26
--------
* A new page-specific logging system has been implemented. In addition to the main log, statistics for pages (identified by their *.htm or *.html extensions) such as total hits, IP address, and the referrer page are tabulated in the log file.
* All functions now have a built-in error handler, which logs any errors encountered to the log file.
* Corrected an issue which allowed files other than those specified to be read from the server. Such access attempts are now logged and prevented, and the source IP address recorded.

Build 20
--------
* First public release out of beta. All main features integrated.
* StreamingSTUF support added. STUF package index reading supported through the "?" command (see above).
