THE WHATIS.COM WORD-OF-THE-DAY September 15, 2003 environment variable
________________ SPONSORED BY: Microsoft The Quick Guide to Windows Server 2003. Get the latest information on installation, new features and training. Click here! http://WhatIs.com/r/0,,18206,00.htm?microsoft ________________ TODAY'S WORD: environment variable See our complete definition with hyperlinks at http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci754903,00.html An environment variable defines some aspect of a user's or a program's environment that can vary. Generally set during the login procedure, for a user the environment variable establishes some component of the user's working environment, such as the default printer, browser, or text editor to be used. Because these are preset as values specific to the identified user, they save time that would be used selecting them at each login. Environment variables are used across multiple languages and operating systems to provide information to applications that may be specific to the user request. The Unix shell uses environment variables to send information about the user's environment (such as the current working directory or the terminal type, for example) to the programs being run. The variable definitions are passed on to any program that is not built into the shell, and can be consulted, or modified by the program. For example, "TERM" (environment variables are expressed as upper case by programming convention) defines the type of terminal used, "PATH" defines the directories to be searched for programs corresponding to command names, and "USER" defines the particular user, so that access permissions may be checked for each request. The common gateway interface (CGI) uses environment variables that are set when the server executes the gateway program, to pass information about requests from the server to the script. The server sends out environment variable definitions such as "SERVER_SOFTWARE," which identifies the name and version of the responding server software; "SERVER_NAME," which identifies the server's hostname, DNS alias, or Internet Protocol (IP) address; and "GATEWAY_INTERFACE," which identifies the CGI specification used. These environment variables are not request-specific, and are sent with every request. Other environment variables are specific to the type of request being sent, such as "SERVER_PROTOCOL," which identifies the name and revision of the protocol used for the request, and "REQUEST_METHOD," which identifies the method used for the request. ______________________ RELATED TERMS: variable http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213275,00.html Unix http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid39_gci213253,00.html shell http://searchenterpriselinux.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid39_gci212978,00.html common gateway interface http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid13_gci213846,00.html script http://searchvb.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid8_gci212948,00.html _____________________ SELECTED LINKS: Idaho State University provides more information in a discussion of its "Execution Environment." http://www.isu.edu/departments/comcom/unix/workshop/environment.html The National Center for Supercomputer Applications provides information about "CGI Environment Variables." http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/env.html A Chimera 2.0 tutorial tells its users how to set the environment variables for Windows NT. http://www.ics.uci.edu/pub/chimera/dev/tutorial/classpath_setup_nt.html ______________________ TODAY'S TECH NEWS: NEC STRATEGY PLAYS OFF OF VOIP JITTERS NEC isn't about to challenge Cisco in the data networking market anytime soon, but the company is using its success with voice products to push an end-to-end system that wards off poor VoIP performance. http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid7_gci927858,00.html SD 2003: VENDORS SEEN AS FEEDING OFF COMPLIANCE PARANOIA While vendors are striking fear in the hearts of users, the truth is that communication is more important to compliance than any technology solution on the market today. http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid5_gci927552,00.html SD2003: BROCADE'S LONG-TERM VIABILITY QUESTIONED Brocade came under fire during the Storage Decisions show in Chicago this week for its questionable product strategy and aggressive behavior toward competitors such as McData. http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid5_gci927594,00.html >> Catch up on all the latest IT news at http://searchtechtarget.techtarget.com/ _____________________ Quiz #42 | E-business trends and technologies Take our latest quiz to test your knowledge about e-business vocabulary. >> Click to take the quiz http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci926124,00.html ______________________ Secret Word-of-the-Day | What is IT? HINT: This wireless messaging system is sometimes called mid-air messaging, because that's where the messages seem to be located. Location-specific messages sent this way are sort of like electronic sticky notes: people leave them in a particular geographic location and they're accessed by people who arrive at that same spot. >> See if you're right! http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci911498,00.html ______________________ September IT Horoscopes | Horoscopes for geeks Hoping it'll be a great week? Maybe it's in the stars! See what the future holds for the month of September. ;-) http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci919205,00.html ______________________________ RECENT ADDITIONS AND UPDATES [1] Monte Carlo method http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci922393,00.html [2] virtual organization http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213301,00.html [3] watchdog timer http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid40_gci781540,00.html [4] DIME http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci921975,00.html [5] metropolitan area network http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci214083,00.html ____________________________________________________________________ ::::::::::::::::::: WHATIS.COM CONTACTS ::::::::::::::::::: LOWELL THING, Site Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) MARGARET ROUSE, Associate Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) IVY WIGMORE, Assistant Editor ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) ::::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER :::::::::::::::::::::: This newsletter is published by TechTarget, the most targeted IT media. http://www.techtarget.com Copyright 2003 TechTarget. 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