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      8 July 1998              Jeffrey Baker <jeff@godzilla.tamu.edu>

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DESCRIPTION
-----------

This is Apache::Session 0.13.

These modules are used to keep persistent user data across http requests.
Apache::Session was designed for use with Apache and mod_perl.

Three storage systems are defined: Win32 shared memory, IPC shared memory,
and flat files.  DBI support is included but doesn't work (yet).

Apache::Session is Copyright(c) 1998 Jeffrey William Baker
<jeff@godzilla.tamu.edu>.  Distribute under the Artistic License.

PREREQUISITES
-------------

Build and install Perl (pref. 5.004_04), Apache (pref. 1.3.0) and mod_perl
(pref. 1.12).  To use Apache::Session at all, you must have the MD5 module,
available on CPAN (http://www.perl.com/CPAN).

Apache::Session::Win32 requires that you be using a Win32 operating system
(e.g. Windows NT).

Apache::Session::IPC requires the IPC::Shareable module and a SysV IPC
compliant operating system.

Apache::Session::File requires the Storable module and a writeable file-
system.

INSTALLATION
------------

tar -xvzf Apache-Session-0.13.tar.gz
cd Apache-Session-0.13
perl Makefile.PL
make
make test
make install

Substitute "nmake" for "make" above if you are using Windows.

EXAMPLE
-------

use Apache;
use Apache::Constants;
use Apache::Session
use Apache::Session::Win32;

my $r = Apache->request();
$r->content_type("text/html");
$r->status(200);
$r->send_http_header;

my $session_id = $r->path_info();
$session_id =~ s/^\///;

my $session = Apache::Session::Win32->open($session_id, { autocommit => 0, 
                                                          lifetime   => 3600 }) ||
              Apache::Session::Win32->new(              { autocommit => 0, 
                                                          lifetime   => 3600 });

$session_id = $session->{'_ID'};
$session->{'username'} = {'John Doe'};
$session->store();

print "Your name is ".$session->{'username'};
$session->unlock();

AUTHORS
-------

Jeffrey Baker is the author of Apache::Session.

Randy Harmon <rjharmon@uptimecomputers.com> created storage independence
through subclassing, with useful comments, suggestions, and source code
from:

  Bavo De Ridder <bavo@ace.ulyssis.student.kuleuven.ac.be>
  Jules Bean <jmlb2@hermes.cam.ac.uk>
  Lincoln Stein <lstein@cshl.org>
  
Doug MacEachern is a stud.

So is Larry Wall.

This README format is shamelessly stolen from Edmund Mergl 
<E.Mergl@bawue.de>


FURTHER INFORMATION:
--------------------

Apache   by Apache Group    comp.infosystems.www.servers.unix
                            http://www.apache.org/
                            
mod_perl by Doug MacEachern MODPERL@LISTPROC.ITRIBE.NET
                            http://perl.apache.org/