Tenon Intersystems today released an updated version of iTools for Mac OS X Server. iTools for OS X, not to be confused with Appleis Internet iTools, makes the configuration and management of the free Apache web server. According to Tenon:
Tenon Intersystems today announced a FREE update of iTools for Mac OS X Server. Tenonis iTools, an Apache web server toolsuite for Mac OS X Server, has been available for over one year and is being used worldwide for secure, commercial web service. Tenonis point and click interface to Apache, DNS, and FTP shields Mac webmasters from the UNIXyness of Apache, but does not hinder UNIX-savvy webmasters from directly accessing Apache configuration files or from incorporating standard Apache modules if they so choose. This makes iTools the best of both worlds - an easy-to-use configuration and management tool for Macintosh webmasters, with the full strength and capability of Apache.
The just released FREE iTools update supports Apache 1.3.12, the best version of the popular Apache web server currently available. In addition, the new iTools update includes an SSL package that supports the latest versions of OpenSSL 1.9.5a and mod_SSL 2.6.4. mod_ssl combines the flexibility of Apache with the security of OpenSSL to provide strong encryption for eCommerce.
The iTools virtual FTP server in this new release has been updated in response to a CERT security advisory. CERT, the leading network security watchdog group on the Internet, announced a security hole in wu-ftpd (Washington University FTP Daemon) - the FTP server included with iTools - that would allow a malicious user to execute code with administrator privileges. The new iTools package includes the latest wu-ftpd 2.6.1, from the wu-ftpd development group, that eliminates this vulnerability.
In addition to an updated FTP server package, a new version of PHP, the leading Internet scripting tool, has been included. PHP 4.0.1, patch level 2, supports the complete range of CGI functions, such as collecting form data, generating dynamic page content, and sending and receiving cookies. This new PHP iTools package now includes dynamic support for creating JPEG, PNG and TIFF image files and streams using Boutell.comis gd graphics library for fast image creation. Also bundled in the PHP package as a dynamic module is PDFlib 3.0.1, which allows for PDF creation and display on-the-fly, along with incorporation of image formats into PDF documents. The new PHP4 package also supports compression and decompression of files on-the-fly, as well as the ability to run PHP3 and PHP4 code at the same time. Support for the popular MySQL database, real-time FTP connections, and variable tracking is also implemented.
Another addition to Tenonis popular iTools package is the inclusion of mod_perl, to further enhance the Perl 5 support that is part of OS X Server. With mod_perl it is possible to write Apache modules entirely in Perl. Moreover the embedded mod_perl interpreter avoids the overhead of starting an external Perl interpreter and the penalty of Perl start-up time. Also included, to make WebObjects support even easier, is the latest Apache WebObjects Adaptor (version 4.5), extended with the basic WebObjects directives pre-configured into the iTools Apache configuration file.
iTools for OS X is available for US$495. You can find more information at the Tenon Intersystems web site.