MapServer for Windows (MS4W) README

Author: Jeff McKenna, Gateway Geomatics
Last Updated:2017-02-15

Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome to MS4W, the quick and easy installer for setting up MapServer For Windows and its accompanying applications (e.g. GeoMOOSE, OpenLayers, etc.). The purpose of this package is to allow novice to advanced MapServer users to quickly install a MapServer development environment on their Windows systems. The reasons for needing to do this are diverse but, in general, this package supports: developers who want to get to a stable state quickly, trainers who need an easily-installed configuration identical across multiple installs, and novices who need help just getting all the needed bits and pieces together.

Design

The MS4W package is designed to perform a full installation of Apache, PHP, MapServer CGI, MapScript (CSharp, Java, PHP, Python), and to provide the capability to install additional applications easily and quickly. The simplest way to do this on Windows is to provide a predetermined directory structure and force everything into that mold.

The directory structure, while fixed within itself, is designed to be somewhat portable. While the ms4w_xxx.zip file needs to be installed at the root of a hard drive, it doesn't have to be the C:/ drive. Moving the package to the root of a different drive is simple - just copy it there. To move it to a subdirectory is more difficult - you'll need to search for /ms4w in all the files and replace it with your new path.

The design also accommodates simple upgrades to the core package and to applications, without affecting the local configuration or the configuration of other installed applications.

Contents

The following are included in the base package:

MapServer Version Information

MapServer version 7.0.4 (MS4W 3.2.1) OUTPUT=PNG OUTPUT=JPEG
OUTPUT=KML SUPPORTS=PROJ SUPPORTS=AGG SUPPORTS=FREETYPE
SUPPORTS=CAIRO SUPPORTS=SVG_SYMBOLS SUPPORTS=SVGCAIRO
SUPPORTS=ICONV SUPPORTS=FRIBIDI SUPPORTS=WMS_SERVER
SUPPORTS=WMS_CLIENT SUPPORTS=WFS_SERVER SUPPORTS=WFS_CLIENT
SUPPORTS=WCS_SERVER SUPPORTS=SOS_SERVER SUPPORTS=FASTCGI
SUPPORTS=THREADS SUPPORTS=GEOS INPUT=JPEG INPUT=POSTGIS
INPUT=OGR INPUT=GDAL INPUT=SHAPEFILE

MapServer Build Environment

Compiled, packaged, documented, and tested by Gateway Geomatics. Please help support this great product that is downloaded over 6,000 times a month by organizations of all sizes - please contact us directly at info@gatewaygeomatics.com for custom builds or requests. Thank you in advance for your generous support!

Library versions used to build this version of MapServer:

apache-ant-1.7.0
apr-1.5.2
apr-iconv-1.2.1
apr-util-1.5.4
berkeley-db-6.2.23
bzip2-1.0.6
cairo-1.14.8
curl-7.52.1
expat-2.2.0
fcgi-2.4.0
fits-3.410
freetype-2.7.1
freexl-1.0.2
fribidi-0.19.1
gdal-2.1.3
geos-3.6.0
gettext-runtime-0.17-source
giflib-5.1.2
harfbuzz-1.3.4
hdf-4.2.12
hdf5-1.10.0-patch1
httpd-2.4.25
jbigkit-1.6
jpeg-9b
libecwj2-3.3
libgeotiff-svn-20170106
libiconv-1.14
libKML-git-20170118
libpng-1.6.27
libspatialite-4.4.0-RC0
libspatialite-tools-4.4.0-RC0
libsvg-0.5.0
libsvg-cairio-0.5.0
libtiff-4.0.7
libxml2-2.9.4
lua-5.1.5
mapcache-branch-1-4
mapserver-7.0.4
mod_fcgid-2.3.9
mod_h264_streaming-2.2.7
mrsid-9.5.1
ms-ogc-workshop-git-master
mysql-5.7.17-win32
netcdf-c-4.4.0
openssl-1.0.2k
oracle-12.1.0.2.0
pcre-8.39
pixman-0.34.0
poppler-0.51.0
postgresql-9.6.1
proj-4.9.3
Python-2.7.13
readosm-1.0.0e
spatialite-tools-4.4.0-RC0
sqlite-3.16.2
swig-1.3.39
swigwin-3.0.8
szip-2.1
uriparser-0.7.5
xerces-c-3.1.4
zlib-1.2.8

MapScript

  • C# MapScript: compiled against .NET v3.5
  • PHP MapScript: built for PHP 5.6

OGR Formats Supported

See the OGR formats page for full driver descriptions.

PCIDSK -raster,vector- (rw+v): PCIDSK Database File
netCDF -raster,vector- (rw+s): Network Common Data Format
PDF -raster,vector- (rw+vs): Geospatial PDF
DB2ODBC -raster,vector- (rw+): IBM DB2 Spatial Database
ESRI Shapefile -vector- (rw+v): ESRI Shapefile
MapInfo File -vector- (rw+v): MapInfo File
UK .NTF -vector- (ro): UK .NTF
OGR_SDTS -vector- (ro): SDTS
S57 -vector- (rw+v): IHO S-57 (ENC)
DGN -vector- (rw+): Microstation DGN
OGR_VRT -vector- (rov): VRT - Virtual Datasource
REC -vector- (ro): EPIInfo .REC
Memory -vector- (rw+): Memory
BNA -vector- (rw+v): Atlas BNA
CSV -vector- (rw+v): Comma Separated Value (.csv)
NAS -vector- (ro): NAS - ALKIS
GML -vector- (rw+v): Geography Markup Language (GML)
GPX -vector- (rw+v): GPX
LIBKML -vector- (rw+v): Keyhole Markup Language (LIBKML)
KML -vector- (rw+v): Keyhole Markup Language (KML)
GeoJSON -vector- (rw+v): GeoJSON
OGR_GMT -vector- (rw+): GMT ASCII Vectors (.gmt)
GPKG -raster,vector- (rw+vs): GeoPackage
SQLite -vector- (rw+v): SQLite / Spatialite
ODBC -vector- (rw+): ODBC
WAsP -vector- (rw+v): WAsP .map format
PGeo -vector- (ro): ESRI Personal GeoDatabase
MSSQLSpatial -vector- (rw+): Microsoft SQL Server Spatial Database
PostgreSQL -vector- (rw+): PostgreSQL/PostGIS
MySQL -vector- (rw+): MySQL
OpenFileGDB -vector- (rov): ESRI FileGDB
XPlane -vector- (rov): X-Plane/Flightgear aeronautical data
DXF -vector- (rw+v): AutoCAD DXF
Geoconcept -vector- (rw+): Geoconcept
GeoRSS -vector- (rw+v): GeoRSS
GPSTrackMaker -vector- (rw+v): GPSTrackMaker
VFK -vector- (ro): Czech Cadastral Exchange Data Format
PGDUMP -vector- (w+v): PostgreSQL SQL dump
OSM -vector- (rov): OpenStreetMap XML and PBF
GPSBabel -vector- (rw+): GPSBabel
SUA -vector- (rov): Tim Newport-Peace's Special Use Airspace Format
OpenAir -vector- (rov): OpenAir
OGR_PDS -vector- (rov): Planetary Data Systems TABLE
WFS -vector- (rov): OGC WFS (Web Feature Service)
HTF -vector- (rov): Hydrographic Transfer Vector
AeronavFAA -vector- (rov): Aeronav FAA
Geomedia -vector- (ro): Geomedia .mdb
EDIGEO -vector- (rov): French EDIGEO exchange format
GFT -vector- (rw+): Google Fusion Tables
SVG -vector- (rov): Scalable Vector Graphics
CouchDB -vector- (rw+): CouchDB / GeoCouch
Cloudant -vector- (rw+): Cloudant / CouchDB
Idrisi -vector- (rov): Idrisi Vector (.vct)
ARCGEN -vector- (rov): Arc/Info Generate
SEGUKOOA -vector- (rov): SEG-P1 / UKOOA P1/90
SEGY -vector- (rov): SEG-Y
ODS -vector- (rw+v): Open Document/ LibreOffice / OpenOffice Spreadsheet
XLSX -vector- (rw+v): MS Office Open XML spreadsheet
ElasticSearch -vector- (rw+): Elastic Search
Walk -vector- (ro): Walk
Carto -vector- (rw+): Carto
AmigoCloud -vector- (rw+): AmigoCloud
SXF -vector- (ro): Storage and eXchange Format
Selafin -vector- (rw+v): Selafin
JML -vector- (rw+v): OpenJUMP JML
PLSCENES -raster,vector- (ro): Planet Labs Scenes API
CSW -vector- (ro): OGC CSW (Catalog  Service for the Web)
VDV -vector- (rw+v): VDV-451/VDV-452/INTREST Data Format
TIGER -vector- (rw+v): U.S. Census TIGER/Line
AVCBin -vector- (ro): Arc/Info Binary Coverage
AVCE00 -vector- (ro): Arc/Info E00 (ASCII) Coverage
HTTP -raster,vector- (ro): HTTP Fetching Wrapper

 Oracle - see `GDAL/OGR Plugins` section of this document to enable

GDAL Formats Supported

See the GDAL formats page for full driver descriptions.

VRT -raster- (rw+v): Virtual Raster
GTiff -raster- (rw+vs): GeoTIFF
NITF -raster- (rw+vs): National Imagery Transmission Format
RPFTOC -raster- (rovs): Raster Product Format TOC format
ECRGTOC -raster- (rovs): ECRG TOC format
HFA -raster- (rw+v): Erdas Imagine Images (.img)
SAR_CEOS -raster- (rov): CEOS SAR Image
CEOS -raster- (rov): CEOS Image
JAXAPALSAR -raster- (rov): JAXA PALSAR Product Reader (Level 1.1/1.5)
GFF -raster- (rov): Ground-based SAR Applications Testbed File Format (.gff)
ELAS -raster- (rw+v): ELAS
AIG -raster- (rov): Arc/Info Binary Grid
AAIGrid -raster- (rwv): Arc/Info ASCII Grid
GRASSASCIIGrid -raster- (rov): GRASS ASCII Grid
SDTS -raster- (rov): SDTS Raster
DTED -raster- (rwv): DTED Elevation Raster
PNG -raster- (rwv): Portable Network Graphics
JPEG -raster- (rwv): JPEG JFIF
MEM -raster- (rw+): In Memory Raster
JDEM -raster- (rov): Japanese DEM (.mem)
GIF -raster- (rwv): Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)
BIGGIF -raster- (rov): Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)
ESAT -raster- (rov): Envisat Image Format
FITS -raster- (rw+): Flexible Image Transport System
BSB -raster- (rov): Maptech BSB Nautical Charts
XPM -raster- (rwv): X11 PixMap Format
BMP -raster- (rw+v): MS Windows Device Independent Bitmap
DIMAP -raster- (rov): SPOT DIMAP
AirSAR -raster- (rov): AirSAR Polarimetric Image
RS2 -raster- (ros): RadarSat 2 XML Product
SAFE -raster- (rov): Sentinel-1 SAR SAFE Product
PCIDSK -raster,vector- (rw+v): PCIDSK Database File
PCRaster -raster- (rw+): PCRaster Raster File
ILWIS -raster- (rw+v): ILWIS Raster Map
SGI -raster- (rw+): SGI Image File Format 1.0
SRTMHGT -raster- (rwv): SRTMHGT File Format
Leveller -raster- (rw+): Leveller heightfield
Terragen -raster- (rw+): Terragen heightfield
GMT -raster- (rw): GMT NetCDF Grid Format
netCDF -raster,vector- (rw+s): Network Common Data Format
HDF4 -raster- (ros): Hierarchical Data Format Release 4
HDF4Image -raster- (rw+): HDF4 Dataset
ISIS3 -raster- (rov): USGS Astrogeology ISIS cube (Version 3)
ISIS2 -raster- (rw+v): USGS Astrogeology ISIS cube (Version 2)
PDS -raster- (rov): NASA Planetary Data System
VICAR -raster- (rov): MIPL VICAR file
TIL -raster- (rov): EarthWatch .TIL
ERS -raster- (rw+v): ERMapper .ers Labelled
L1B -raster- (rovs): NOAA Polar Orbiter Level 1b Data Set
FIT -raster- (rwv): FIT Image
GRIB -raster- (rov): GRIdded Binary (.grb)
MrSID -raster- (rov): Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database (MrSID)
JP2MrSID -raster- (rov): MrSID JPEG2000
MG4Lidar -raster- (ro): MrSID Generation 4 / Lidar (.sid)
RMF -raster- (rw+v): Raster Matrix Format
WCS -raster- (rovs): OGC Web Coverage Service
WMS -raster- (rwvs): OGC Web Map Service
MSGN -raster- (ro): EUMETSAT Archive native (.nat)
RST -raster- (rw+v): Idrisi Raster A.1
INGR -raster- (rw+v): Intergraph Raster
GSAG -raster- (rwv): Golden Software ASCII Grid (.grd)
GSBG -raster- (rw+v): Golden Software Binary Grid (.grd)
GS7BG -raster- (rw+v): Golden Software 7 Binary Grid (.grd)
COSAR -raster- (rov): COSAR Annotated Binary Matrix (TerraSAR-X)
TSX -raster- (rov): TerraSAR-X Product
COASP -raster- (ro): DRDC COASP SAR Processor Raster
R -raster- (rwv): R Object Data Store
MAP -raster- (rov): OziExplorer .MAP
KMLSUPEROVERLAY -raster- (rwv): Kml Super Overlay
PDF -raster,vector- (rw+vs): Geospatial PDF
Rasterlite -raster- (rws): Rasterlite
MBTiles -raster- (rw+v): MBTiles
PLMOSAIC -raster- (ro): Planet Labs Mosaics API
CALS -raster- (rw): CALS (Type 1)
WMTS -raster- (rwv): OGC Web Mab Tile Service
SENTINEL2 -raster- (rovs): Sentinel 2
MRF -raster- (rw+v): Meta Raster Format
PNM -raster- (rw+v): Portable Pixmap Format (netpbm)
DOQ1 -raster- (rov): USGS DOQ (Old Style)
DOQ2 -raster- (rov): USGS DOQ (New Style)
GenBin -raster- (rov): Generic Binary (.hdr Labelled)
PAux -raster- (rw+): PCI .aux Labelled
MFF -raster- (rw+v): Vexcel MFF Raster
MFF2 -raster- (rw+): Vexcel MFF2 (HKV) Raster
FujiBAS -raster- (ro): Fuji BAS Scanner Image
GSC -raster- (rov): GSC Geogrid
FAST -raster- (rov): EOSAT FAST Format
BT -raster- (rw+v): VTP .bt (Binary Terrain) 1.3 Format
LAN -raster- (rw+v): Erdas .LAN/.GIS
CPG -raster- (ro): Convair PolGASP
IDA -raster- (rw+v): Image Data and Analysis
NDF -raster- (rov): NLAPS Data Format
EIR -raster- (rov): Erdas Imagine Raw
DIPEx -raster- (rov): DIPEx
LCP -raster- (rwv): FARSITE v.4 Landscape File (.lcp)
GTX -raster- (rw+v): NOAA Vertical Datum .GTX
LOSLAS -raster- (rov): NADCON .los/.las Datum Grid Shift
NTv2 -raster- (rw+vs): NTv2 Datum Grid Shift
CTable2 -raster- (rw+v): CTable2 Datum Grid Shift
ACE2 -raster- (rov): ACE2
SNODAS -raster- (rov): Snow Data Assimilation System
KRO -raster- (rw+v): KOLOR Raw
ROI_PAC -raster- (rw+v): ROI_PAC raster
ENVI -raster- (rw+v): ENVI .hdr Labelled
EHdr -raster- (rw+v): ESRI .hdr Labelled
ISCE -raster- (rw+v): ISCE raster
ARG -raster- (rwv): Azavea Raster Grid format
RIK -raster- (rov): Swedish Grid RIK (.rik)
USGSDEM -raster- (rwv): USGS Optional ASCII DEM (and CDED)
GXF -raster- (ro): GeoSoft Grid Exchange Format
BAG -raster- (ro): Bathymetry Attributed Grid
HDF5 -raster- (ros): Hierarchical Data Format Release 5
HDF5Image -raster- (ro): HDF5 Dataset
NWT_GRD -raster- (rov): Northwood Numeric Grid Format .grd/.tab
NWT_GRC -raster- (rov): Northwood Classified Grid Format .grc/.tab
ADRG -raster- (rw+vs): ARC Digitized Raster Graphics
SRP -raster- (rovs): Standard Raster Product (ASRP/USRP)
BLX -raster- (rwv): Magellan topo (.blx)
PostGISRaster -raster- (rws): PostGIS Raster driver
SAGA -raster- (rw+v): SAGA GIS Binary Grid (.sdat)
XYZ -raster- (rwv): ASCII Gridded XYZ
HF2 -raster- (rwv): HF2/HFZ heightfield raster
OZI -raster- (rov): OziExplorer Image File
CTG -raster- (rov): USGS LULC Composite Theme Grid
E00GRID -raster- (rov): Arc/Info Export E00 GRID
ZMap -raster- (rwv): ZMap Plus Grid
NGSGEOID -raster- (rov): NOAA NGS Geoid Height Grids
IRIS -raster- (rov): IRIS data (.PPI, .CAPPi etc)
DB2ODBC -raster,vector- (rw+): IBM DB2 Spatial Database
GPKG -raster,vector- (rw+vs): GeoPackage
PLSCENES -raster,vector- (ro): Planet Labs Scenes API
HTTP -raster,vector- (ro): HTTP Fetching Wrapper

Directory Structure

  • ms4w/
    • the main directory, assumed to be at the root of a drive, normally C:
  • ms4w/Apache
    • the Apache installation
  • ms4w/Apache/bin
    • the Apache binaries
  • ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin
    • the location of mapserv.exe and its supporting libraries, and php.ini, php.exe.
  • ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/ignored-libmap
    • location of the libmap dll for Oracle (see the "Plugins" section of this document)
  • ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/mapscript
    • location of CSharp,Java, and Python mapscript files
  • ms4w/Apache/conf
    • the Apache configuration files. These should not be modified. Place all application-specific and local httpd.conf files in /ms4w/httpd.d (see the README.txt in that directory)
  • ms4w/Apache/error
    • error files for Apache to use
  • ms4w/Apache/htdocs
    • the Apache Web root directory, you shouldn't install much in here except perhaps for testing.
  • ms4w/Apache/icons
    • icons used by Apache
  • ms4w/Apache/include
    • include directory for compiling against Apache
  • ms4w/Apache/lib
    • lib files for building against Apache
  • ms4w/Apache/logs
    • log files for Apache are stored here, this should be archived or cleaned every so often.
  • ms4w/Apache/manual
    • the Apache manual pages.
  • ms4w/Apache/modules
    • modules for Apache
  • ms4w/Apache/php
    • the PHP installation
  • ms4w/Apache/php/ext
    • location of phpmapscript dll
  • ms4w/Apache/proxy
    • apache proxy configurations, not used by MS4W
  • ms4w/Apache/specialplugins
    • location of the plugin dlls for MapServer (see the "Plugins" section of this document)
  • ms4w/apps
    • put all applications in subdirectories here.
  • ms4w/apps/etc
    • sample fonts and symbols for use in MapServer mapfiles
  • ms4w/gdalbindings
    • contain GDAL bindings for CSharp, Java, and Python
  • ms4w/gdaldata
    • supporting files for GDAL data formats
  • ms4w/gdalplugins
    • move dlls to this folder that are required for GDAL plugins e.g. 'oci_OCI.dll'
  • ms4w/httpd.d
    • put all application-specific and local httpd.conf files here (see the README.txt in that directory)
  • ms4w/proj
    • an installation of PROJ.4
    • the epsg file used is /ms4w/proj/nad/epsg
  • ms4w/tmp
    • temporary files go here. This should be cleaned regularly
  • ms4w/tmp/ms_tmp
    • temporary files that need to be Web-accessible go here (i.e. image files created by mapserver). This is available as /ms_tmp/ via URL. Normally this means that your MAP files would have an IMAGEPATH of /ms4w/tmp/ms_tmp/ and a IMAGEURL of /ms_tmp/
  • ms4w/tools
    • contains useful tools such as the gdal/ogr utilities and mapserv utilities (note that before running these you must execute the /ms4w/setenv.bat script in your command window)

How to Install MS4W

A. Upgrading from an older version of MS4W

If you already have MS4W installed please do the following:

  • open a DOS command window and execute the file '/ms4w/apache-uninstall.bat' at the commandline. This file will stop and uninstall your Apache service. You should see the following message flash in the command window:
The "Apache MS4W Web Server" service is stopping.
The "Apache MS4W Web Server" service has stopped.

Removing the "Apache MS4W Web Server" service
The "Apache MS4W Web Server" service has been removed
successfully.
  • your old apache service has now been removed
  • make sure no files or other services point the your ms4w folder. If your browser is currently open and you are a viewing an ms4w page you will not be able to rename the ms4w folder. Therefore you must close all ms4w documents, all ms4w browser windows...make sure no running files point to the ms4w folder.
  • rename the old ms4w folder to something like 'ms4w-old'
  • extract the ms4w_xx.zip file to the root of a drive on your machine
  • if successful, you should have a new directory named 'ms4w' at the root of the drive you chose (e.g. C:/ms4w or D:/ms4w ).
  • follow the rest of the install instructions in /ms4w/README_INSTALL.txt to start apache...

B. Extracting MS4W for the first time

Please read through the following instructions before starting your installation.

  1. To install the MS4W .zip file, use a compression program (e.g. 7zip) to extract the package at the root of a drive, e.g., drive C:/. If successful, you should have a new directory named 'ms4w' at the root of the drive you chose (e.g. C:/ms4w).

  2. Start your MS4W Apache Web Server by running /ms4w/apache-install.bat (open a Command Prompt window and execute it at the command line - it is not recommended to just double-click the file). This file installs Apache as a Windows service (called "Apache Web Server") so that it starts whenever your machine is restarted. When executed, the following message should be displayed in the command window:

    Installing the Apache MS4W Web Server service
    The Apache MS4W Web Server service is successfully installed.
    Testing httpd.conf....
    Errors reported here must be corrected before the service
    can be started.
    The Apache MS4W Web Server service is starting.
    The Apache MS4W Web Server service was started successfully.
    

    This means that Apache is running and installed as a service.

    Note for Windows 10, 8, 7 and Vista Users:

    In order to run the apache-install.bat file, you must do the following:

    1. In Windows Explorer, goto the location of your cmd.exe file (C:/Windows/System32)
    2. Right-click the cmd.exe executable and choose Run as Administrator
    3. Navigate to your ms4w folder in the command prompt window and run apache-install.bat
  3. To test that Apache is running properly, open your Web browser and find your local host Web service by entering one of the following URLs:

    http://localhost/
    
    or
    
    http://127.0.0.1/
    

    You should now see the main MS4W page in your Web browser. This gives you general information about your install along with configuration information. If this is your first time using MS4W it is very important that you review the listed "Features" installed within MS4W, and test them by selecting each link found on this page.

  4. Technically, at this point, MS4W is installed! However, as you may have noticed from the MS4W main index.html page, there are no applications running. What this means is that there are no Web applications like GeoMOOSE or OpenLayers found within MS4W's Web-accessible directory, /ms4w/apps/. The MS4W-configured Web applications can be found on http://www.ms4w.com/release/apps/ as separate zip files.

  5. To install these Web application into /ms4w/apps/ all that is required is to unzip the Web application compressed file at the same root directory as MS4W (e.g., C:/).

    Two things should happen when uncompressing this file. First, the Web application directory should appear within /ms4w/apps/. Second, a new httpd_*.conf file should be added to /ms4w/httpd.d/httpd_*.conf. (The /httpd.d/ directory contains Apache configuration files that define which files on your computer/server are Web-accessible. For each Web application that you install, a new configuration file will be found.)

  6. The definitions of these Web-accessible directories are called Web Aliases. In order to activate a Web Alias you must restart Apache. To test your latest installed application, go to the MS4W main index.html page (i.e., http://localhost/). In the applications section you should now find a link to the application you just installed. Select the link to the recently installed application to see if it is configured correctly. Another option is to find the Web Alias for your application and call it from your Web browser directly. For example, if you have installed the latest MS4W version of GeoMOOSE, the Web Alias is "geomoose2". To go to the GeoMOOSE index page, simply enter http://localhost/geomoose2/.

    Note: Applications with configuration files (e.g., GeoMOOSE and OpenLayers) generally do not require any editing of their files in order to work. Just unzip to the appropriate driver root and restart Apache.

    WARNING: It is very possible that you may wish (but not encouraged!) to run multiple versions of the same product. For example, GeoMOOSE 2.8.0 vs. GeoMOOSE 2.8.1. When installing these ms4w GeoMOOSE application packages, you will notice when unzipping GeoMOOSE that the httpd_geomoose2_ms4w.conf file found under ./ms4w/httpd.d/ will be overwritten by the GeoMOOSE you are currently installing. The reason for this is that the GeoMOOSE Alias stays the same from version to new version of GeoMOOSE. So, if you overwrite the httpd_geomoose2_ms4w.conf when unzipping and then restart Apache, you will get the latest version of GeoMOOSE that you just installed. To run both GeoMOOSE versions simply follow the instructions in Step 7.

  7. You also can create new Web Alias(es). To configure your own personal Web Alias(es), follow the instructions in /ms4w/httpd.d/README_HTTPD.txt

C. MapServer Plugins

Oracle 10g & 11g & 12c

Steps to Enable Oracle 10g or 11g or 12c Support in MS4W

Oracle Spatial support in MapServer is handled by two methods: 1) natively in MapServer, or 2) through the GDAL library.

  1. Make sure you have Oracle 10g or 11g or 12c client software installed on your machine (the same machine that you are running MS4W on).

  2. For direct access to Oracle Spatial, replace the existing libmap.dll in /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/ with the one in the /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/ignored-libmap/oracle12/ folder.

    If this is successful, executing the following at the commandline (after setting /ms4w/setenv.bat) "mapserv -v" should return a string that contains "INPUT=ORACLESPATIAL".

  3. For access to Oracle Spatial through the GDAL library, move the ogr_OCI.dll plugin file up from /ms4w/gdalplugins/ignored/oracle-11g/ into /ms4w/gdalplugins/

    If this is successful, executing the following at the commandline (after setting /ms4w/setenv.bat) "ogrinfo --formats" should list the OCI driver.

  4. Restart Apache to be safe.

  5. For mapfile configuration see http://www.mapserver.org/input/vector/oracle.html (note that the LAYER syntax differs depending if you use native access or through GDAL). Here are some examples:

    ## Connect through OGR

    LAYER
      NAME "park-ogr"
      TYPE POLYGON
      STATUS ON
      CONNECTION "OCI:jeff/marvin@geo"
      CONNECTIONTYPE OGR
      DATA "PARK"
      CLASS
        NAME "Parks"
        STYLE
          COLOR 255 0 0
          OUTLINECOLOR 120 120 120
        END
      END
    END # Layer
    

    ## Connect through MapServer's OracleSpatial type

     LAYER
       NAME park-native
       TYPE POLYGON
       STATUS ON
       CONNECTIONTYPE oraclespatial
       CONNECTION "jeff/marvin@geo"
       DATA "ORA_GEOMETRY FROM (SELECT ORA_GEOMETRY FROM PARK)"
       CLASS
         NAME "Parks"
         STYLE
           COLOR 255 255 0
           OUTLINECOLOR 120 120 120
         END
       END
     END # Layer
    
    Note:
    
      ::
    
        It is possible that MapServer/Apache may have trouble
        locating your Oracle client dll (oci.dll).  If you are
        having trouble connecting, try copying your oci.dll
        (possibly from a path such as /oracle/product/10.2.0/client/BIN)
        into the cgi-bin directory (/ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/)
    

Microsoft SQL Server 2008

A read-only, native MapServer driver that connects to Microsoft SQL Server 2008's spatial capabilities is available in MS4W as of version 2.3.0.

Steps to Enable SQL Server 2008 Support in MS4W's MapServer

  1. The plugin exists in /ms4w/Apache/specialplugins/msplugin_mssql2008.dll

  2. Modify your SQL Server 2008 layer in your mapfile to use the CONNECTIONTYPE PLUGIN parameter and point to the appropriate plugin using the PLUGIN parameter. Use the CONNECTION parameter to specify the required connection parameters to access SQL Server, and use the DATA parameter to specify the table that holds the spatial information:

    LAYER
      ...
      CONNECTIONTYPE PLUGIN
      PLUGIN "C:/ms4w/Apache/specialplugins/msplugin_mssql2008.dll"
      CONNECTION "server=mysqlserver2008.com;uid=dbusername;
                   pwd=dbpassword;database=Roads Database;
                     Integrated Security=false"
      DATA "the_geom from roads"
      TYPE LINE
      STATUS ON
      CLASS
         ...
      END
    END
    
  3. Test your layer, possibly by using the shp2img commandline utility with the '-all_debug 5' switch

    The associated RFC document with the original notes on this support is RFC 38

D. MapScript configuration

MS4W >= 1.5.0 includes pre-built support files for CSharp, Java, PHP, and Python mapscript. In order to make use of these, however, they must be installed and configured in the appropriate locations on your system.

CSharp

  1. Files are located in /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/mapscript/csharp
  2. See http://www.mapserver.org/installation/dotnet.html for installation notes.
  3. Learn about the SWIG MapScript API at http://mapserver.org/mapscript/mapscript.html

Java

  1. Files are located in /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/mapscript/java
  2. Learn about the SWIG MapScript API at http://mapserver.org/mapscript/mapscript.html

PHP

  1. PHPMapScript dll is located in /ms4w/Apache/php/ext
  2. PHP's configuration file "php.ini" is located in /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin
  3. PHPMapScript is loaded by default
  4. Learn about the PHPMapScript API at http://mapserver.org/mapscript/php/phpmapscript.html

Python

Obtaining Python

Obviously, in order to run Python mapscript, you need to have a python installed. The Python mapscript support files included in this distribution are built for Python 3.5.x; they will not work with 2.7 Python versions. Windows Python binaries can be obtained free of charge from ActiveState or the Python site.

See the respective sites for Python installation information.

Installing the Python Mapscript Support Files

Quick and dirty (for use with ms4w only)
  1. Unpack /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/mapscript/python/mapscript*win32.zip in a safe location

  2. In the directory structure that results from the above step, navigate to /Python-3.5.1/Lib/site-packages

  3. You should find 3 files there:
    • _mapscript.cp35-win32.pyd
    • mapscript.py
    • mapscript-<version>-py3.5.egg-info
  4. Copy the 3 files into the /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin directory.

  5. Place any python cgi scripts that you want to run under ms4w in the /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin directory, and add a "shebang" line at the top of each script. See the section on Configuring Apache to run Python scripts below for shebang-line details.

More robust (for system-wide access)
  1. Unpack /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/mapscript/python/mapscript*win32.zip in a safe location

  2. In the directory structure that results from the above step, navigate to /Python-3.5.1/Lib/site-packages

  3. You should find three files there:
    • _mapscript.cp35-win32.pyd
    • mapscript.py
    • mapscript-<version>-py3.5.egg-info
  4. Copy the three files into the site-packages directory of your Python 3.5.x installation (eg., C:/Python-3.5.1/Lib/site-packages)

  5. Add <drive_letter>:/ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin to your system's PYTHONPATH environment variable.

Configuring Apache to Run Python Scripts

You have a couple of options here:

via shebang lines

This may be the preferred approach if you have multiple Python installations on your machine.

Add a "shebang line" to the top of each python cgi script in /ms4w/apache/cgi-bin. This line must be the first line in the script, and it must begin with #! followed by the path to your systems python executable. For example:

#!c:/python-3.5.1/python.exe -u

The -u option shown above causes the script to use unbuffered output, which is generally what you need in web-serving contexts.

via Apache directives

This approach obviates the need to edit every python script in your cgi-bin directory; however, it may be problematic if you have multiple Python installations.

Add the following line to the end of ms4w/Apache/conf/httpd.conf:

ScriptInterpreterSource Registry

You may also want to add these:

SetEnv PYTHONUNBUFFERED 1
PassEnv PYTHONPATH

The first of the above lines causes your python scripts to use unbuffered output (which you probably want), while the second passes the value of your system's PYTHONPATH environment variable through to Apache's environment (if set).

Testing the Configuration

Follow these steps to test your Python MapScript installation:

  1. Move the file /ms4w/gdalbindings/python/test-cgi-mapscript.py into the /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/ folder.

  2. Open the file in a text editor.

  3. Edit the first line of that script to point to your proper Python path.

  4. In your web browser goto http://127.0.0.1/cgi-bin/test-cgi-mapscript.py

  5. The script tests that the Python CGI is working, and that the mapscript module can be successfully imported.

    If successful you will see an HTML page listing several environment settings on your machine, as well a list of the Python MapScript module attributes at the bottom of the page.

Python Troubleshooting:

  • If you get an Internal Server Error check the Apache logs for info.
  • Make sure your script points to a valid Python installation path.
  • Make sure you are using a recent Python version (containing the cgitb module).

Python MapScript Documentation

Python MapScript is handled through the SWIG API for MapServer: http://mapserver.org/mapscript/mapscript.html

E. GDAL Plugins

Oracle

See the previous section to configure GDAL for Oracle connections: Steps to Enable Oracle 10g or 11g or 12c Support in MS4W

ECW

As of MS4W 3.2.0, an old ECW version 3.3 SDK is used to read and display ECW files in MS4W. If you require more recent functionality from the newer v5+ SDK, please contact Gateway Geomatics for a custom build quote.

Steps to Enable ECW Support in MS4W

  1. For access to ECW files through the GDAL library, move the gdal_ECW_JP2ECW.dll plugin file up from /ms4w/gdalplugins/ecw/ into /ms4w/gdalplugins/

    If this is successful, executing the following at the commandline (after setting /ms4w/setenv.bat) "gdalinfo --formats" should list the "ECW" and "JP2ECW" drivers.

    ECW -raster- (rw): ERDAS Compressed Wavelets (SDK 3.x)
    JP2ECW -raster,vector- (rw+v): ERDAS JPEG2000 (SDK 3.x)
    
  2. For display in MapServer, after moving the plugin, follow the regular Raster Data document. Here is an example mapfile configuration:

    LAYER
      NAME "ecw"
      TYPE RASTER
      STATUS ON
      DATA "00203065F09.ecw"
      CLASS
        NAME "ECW test"
      END
    END
    

F. GDAL Bindings

MS4W contains GDAL bindings for CSharp, Java, and Python, and are located at /ms4w/gdalbindings

G. FastCGI

In order to use FastCGI you must do the following:

  1. Open /ms4w/Apache/conf/httpd.conf in a text editor

  2. Uncomment line#178, such as:

    LoadModule fcgid_module modules/mod_fcgid.so
    
  3. At the bottom of the file you will see a commented "<IfModule fcgid_module>" section. If you want to use FastCGI directives (listed on the mod_fcgid page) you can uncomment the section and add your directives, such as:

    <IfModule fcgid_module>
       FcgidMinProcessesPerClass 0
       FcgidIdleScanInterval 1
       FcgidProcessLifeTime 10
    </IfModule>
    
  1. If you are connecting to an Oracle database using FastCGI, you must also add your Oracle Bin directory (where the 'oci.dll' file exists) to the PATH variable above, such as:

    <IfModule fcgid_module>
        ...
        FcgidInitialEnv PATH "c:/oracle/product/10.2.0/client/BIN"
        ...
    </IfModule>
    
  2. Save the file and restart apache (execute /ms4w/apache-restart.bat)

  3. Change your CGI application to point to "/fcgi-bin/mapserv.exe" instead of the usual "/cgi-bin/mapserv.exe"

  4. Add the following parameter to your layer for which you want this FastCGI connection:

    PROCESSING "CLOSE_CONNECTION=DEFER"
    
  5. Try the application. If successful you should see the "mapserv.exe" process in the Windows Task Manager remain open while the user interacts with your application.

Notes:

  • in testing this was successful with PostgreSQL 9.0.4 / PostGIS 1.5.2, and with Oracle 10.2.0.1.0.
  • general MapServer and FastCGI notes can be found in the FastCGI Howto.

H. MapCache Apache Module

The MapCache Apache module and the mapcache_seed.exe utility (as of MS4W 3.1.0) are included. In order to use the MapCache Apache module you must do the following:

  1. Open /ms4w/Apache/conf/httpd.conf in a text editor

  2. Uncomment line#184, and change to your correct path, such as:

    LoadModule mapcache_module "C:/ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/mod_mapcache.dll"
    
  3. Around line#412 of your httpd.conf file you will see a "<IfModule mapcache_module>" section. Modify the path to the included MapCache configuration (XML) file, such as:

    <IfModule mapcache_module>
       <Directory "/ms4w/apps/mapcache/">
          AllowOverride None
          Options None
          Require all granted
       </Directory>
       MapCacheAlias /mapcache "C:/ms4w/apps/mapcache/mapcache.xml"
    </IfModule>
    
  4. Modify the mapcache.xml file. Please see the associated MapCache docs for assistance.

  1. Save your httpd.conf file and restart apache (execute /ms4w/apache-restart.bat)

  2. If the module was successfully loaded your /ms4w/Apache/logs/error.log file should contain a message similar to:

    [notice] Apache/2.4.25 (Win32) mod-mapcache/1.5dev configured
    -- resuming normal operations
    
  3. Test your MapCache configuration by following steps in the associated MapCache testing docs

  4. The MapCache seeding utility is also included. To run the mapcache_seed.exe file be sure to first execute the /ms4w/setenv.bat file in your command window.

Notes:

  • this module was tested with the cache types: disk, sqlite, tiff, and berkeleyDB. You should follow the MapCache Cache Types docs for assistance, or contact Gateway Geomatics for assistance/custom builds/configurations.

  • the module was tested on Windows 10; if you are using an older version of Windows and require this module you should consider upgrading, or contact Gateway Geomatics for assistance/custom builds/configurations. .

  • as this module is still in development, feedback is more than encouraged, it is required. Please send your MapCache questions to the MapServer-users mailing list. You are also encouraged to contact Gateway Geomatics directly for custom builds and to help fund the development and maintenance of MS4W.

I. TinyOWS

TinyOWS and demo data are included (as of MS4W 3.1.0). In order to use TinyOWS you must do the following:

  1. Make sure that you have PostgreSQL and PostGIS installed locally, or have connection details for accessing it remotely.

  2. First we must create a database and load some sample data:

    • Open /ms4w/apps/tinyows/demo/install-demo-data.bat in a text editor

    • If necessary, modify the PG-PORT, PG-SUPERUSER-NAME, and PG-SUPERUSER-PASSWORD for your installation (lines ~17-19). Save your changes.

    • Open a Command prompt window, and cd into /ms4w/ and execute setenv.bat

    • cd into /ms4w/apps/tinyows/demo/ and execute the following in that same window:

      install-demo-data.bat
      
    • Verify that a new database was created ("tinyows"), and that there is a spatial table ("frida").

  3. Next we must configure TinyOWS:

    • Open /ms4w/apps/tinyows/config.xml in a text editor

    • If necessary, modify the online_resource and pg connection parameters, for your installation. Refer to the TinyOWS documentation for parameter descriptions. Save your changes.

    • to test this configuration, in the same Command prompt window, execute the following (change the drive path if necessary):

      set TINYOWS_CONFIG_FILE=C:/ms4w/apps/tinyows/config.xml
      
    • once that is set, execute the following in the same Command prompt window to see details about your TinyOWS configuration:

      tinyows.exe --check
      

      the response should be something like:

      TinyOWS version:   1.1.0
      FCGI support:      Yes
      Config File Path:  C:/ms4w/apps/tinyows/config.xml (TinyOWS XML)
      PostGIS Version:   2.3.0
      PostGIS dsn:       host=localhost user=postgres password=postgres dbname=tinyows port=5432
      Output Encoding:   UTF-8
      Database Encoding: UTF8
      Schema dir:        /ms4w/apps/tinyows/schema/
      Display bbox:      Yes
      Estimated extent:  No
      Check schema:      Yes
      Check valid geoms: Yes
      Available layers:
      
        public.frida (31467) -> tows:frida [RW]
      
    • Note that Apache sets this same environment variable TINYOWS_CONFIG_FILE in the file /ms4w/httpd.d/httpd_tinyows.conf

  4. Next we should configure the demo HTML application:

    • Open /ms4w/apps/tinyows/demo/tinyows.js in a text editor
    • Verify that urls (such as http://127.0.0.1) used there are correct: see lines 65 & 69
  5. Finally we are ready to test a WFS-T transaction to your database:

    • in a Web browser, goto http://127.0.0.1/tinyows/demo/tinyows.html (or modify that address if need be)

    • click on the "Draw Feature" icon on the top-right of the map, and click anywhere on the map to generate a polygon (to close the polygon double-click).

    • now click on the "Save Changes" icon, you should see a message in the right panel of that page as:

      Transaction successfully completed
      
    • Changes to the "frida" layer should be saved to the database.

J. H264 Streaming Module for Apache

The H264 Streaming Module is included for Apache (as of MS4W 3.1.0). One of the features of this module is enabling your viewers to immediately jump to any part of the video regardless of the length of the video or whether it has all been downloaded yet. In order to use the H264 Streaming Module you must do the following:

  1. Open /ms4w/Apache/conf/httpd.conf in a text editor

  2. Uncomment line#183, such as:

    LoadModule h264_streaming_module modules/mod_h264_streaming.so
    
  3. Around line#608 of your httpd.conf file you will see a "<IfModule h264_streaming_module>" section. You can leave this section as-is (no changes are needed):

    <IfModule h264_streaming_module>
      AddHandler h264-streaming.extensions .mp4
    </IfModule>
    
  4. Save your httpd.conf file and restart Apache (execute /ms4w/apache-restart.bat)

  5. To test that Apache has loaded the module, at your Command prompt, cd into the /ms4w/Apache/bin/ directory. Then execute the following:

    httpd -t -D DUMP_MODULES
    

    You should see a list of loaded modules, and the H264 Streaming Module should be listed near the end, such as:

    log_config_module (shared)
    mime_module (shared)
    negotiation_module (shared)
    setenvif_module (shared)
    h264_streaming_module (shared)
    
  6. To test the module on an actual video file:

    • Download this mp4 file locally (right-click and Save Link As): http://gatewaygeomatics.com/dl/mapserver-6-0-visualization.mp4

    • Copy the file into the folder /ms4w/Apache/htdocs/

    • Open a Command prompt window, and cd into /ms4w/ and execute setenv.bat

    • Execute the following command in that same window:

      wget -S -O mapserver-6-0-visualization.mp4 "http://127.0.0.1/mapserver-6-0-visualization.mp4?start=0&end=5"
      

      You should see a reponse as follows (notice the mention of the "X-Mod-H264-Streaming" and also that the size of the video is very small (click on the saved file now in /ms4w/mapserver-6-0-visualization.mp4 and view it, only the first 5 seconds of the video should be loaded):

       HTTP request sent, awaiting response...
        1 HTTP/1.1 200 OK
        2 Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2017 15:42:53 GMT
        3 Server: Apache/2.4.25 (Win32) mod_fcgid/2.3.9
        4 X-Mod-H264-Streaming: version=2.2.7
        5 Content-Length: 574375
        6 Last-Modified: Thu, 03 Dec 2015 02:15:30 GMT
        7 ETag: "451ed18-525f4f7037480;574375"
        8 Accept-Ranges: bytes
        9 Keep-Alive: timeout=5, max=100
       10 Connection: Keep-Alive
       11 Content-Type: video/mp4
      
      100%[====================================>] 574,375      547.77M/s    ETA 00:00
      
    • Now test the module in your Web browser, by going to: http://127.0.0.1/mapserver-6-0-visualization.mp4?start=0&end=5

      • the streamed video should be only 5 seconds long (if the whole video is shown, then there is a problem with the configuration of the module)
      • experiment with the "start" and "end" parameters of the URL
  7. Read more about the module's parameters: http://h264.code-shop.com/trac/wiki/Mod-H264-Streaming-Testing-Version2

K. Certificates for HTTPS with WMS/WFS Servers

As of MapServer 5.4.1, MapServer can connect through HTTPS connections to WMS/WFS servers. MS4W 3.0 includes the necessary configuration as follows:

  1. Certificate authority bundle is included in /ms4w/Apache/conf/ca-bundle/cacert.pem

    Source: http://curl.haxx.se/ca/cacert.pem

  2. Apache's httpd.conf points to the ca-bundle:

    SetEnv CURL_CA_BUNDLE "/ms4w/Apache/conf/ca-bundle/cacert.pem"
    
  3. MS4W's setenv.bat points to the ca-bundle:

    set CURL_CA_BUNDLE=\ms4w\Apache\conf\ca-bundle\cacert.pem
    
  4. For more information on SSL certificates, see: http://curl.haxx.se/docs/sslcerts.html

  5. To setup MapServer as a client to access a remote WMS/WFS server through HTTPS see: https://github.com/mapserver/mapserver/issues/3070

L. Using the Python GDAL Module

Note:

Python 3.5 is required for the Python GDAL module in
MS4W, and you must have C:/python-3.5.x in your PATH to use
the utilities.

The Python GDAL module and its utilities are installed in /ms4w/gdalbindings/python/gdal/. To run the utilities:

  1. Open a Command Prompt window
  2. cd ms4w
  3. setenv.bat
  4. excute the python utility, such as:
gdal_merge.py

gdal_merge.py notes:

  • -n (nodata_value) switch requires the NumPy module http://numpy.scipy.org/
  • raster_copy_with_nodata() also requires the NumPy module

M. Troubleshooting

Warning: dl(): Unable to load dynamic library '/ms4w/Apache/php/extensions/php_mapscript.dll'

  1. Verify that the dll in question exists in the specified location (/ms4w/Apache/php/extensions/). If this dll is not in that location, you might have to modify the application to point to a different version of the dll (e.g. you might have php_mapscript.dll in the extensions directory, and your application might be configured for php_mapscript_48.dll which is not in the extensions directory).

  2. This php_mapscript dll requires several other dlls, and the problem may be that one is missing on your system. In order to hopefully get more information on what dll is missing, go to a command prompt, and do the following:

    cd ms4w\Apache\cgi-bin
    
    php C:/ms4w/Apache/htdocs/phpinfo_mapscript.php
    

    A windows error window should open with a message like:

    The dynamic link library ***** could not be found in
    the specified path...
    

    Locate this missing dll and copy it either to /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/ or your system32 folder.

  3. If you are still unsure what dll is causing this unable to load dynamic library error, a useful utility to find what associated dlls are missing on your system is Dependency Walker. Download the utility, execute the exe, and open your php_mapscript dll.

The dynamic link library MSVCP71.dll could not be found in the specified path...

This is a microsoft runtime library that is apparently not on all Windows systems by default. Download the dll (possibly from here) and copy it to your System32 directory.

Clicking on apache-install.bat flashes a DOS window and does not install the service

To see the exact error message, open a Command window, and execute the 'apache-install.bat' file from a DOS prompt.

cd ms4w

apache-install.bat

Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted. : make_sock: could not bind to address 0.0.0.0:80 no listening sockets available, shutting down

Apache with MS4W is configured to use port 80. Your system might be already using this port (IIS could cause this for example). If you want to change the port that Apache uses modify the following file:

/ms4w/Apache/conf/httpd.conf

line 120: Listen 80

TCPView is an example of shareware that lets you see how the ports on your machine are being used.

The procedure entry point xxxx could not be located in the dynamic link library xxx.dll

Make sure that MapServer (or the utility that you are trying to use) is actually using the 'xxx.dll' file that is part of the MS4W package. You could be experiencing 'dll hell' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DLL_hell) where MS4W is actually finding an older dll on your system. Try renaming the other dll(s) of the same name, keeping the one in MS4W as is, and retrying your application/command.

Other Problems...

  1. Search the mailing list archives to see if someone has encountered/solved your same issue.
  1. If your issue has not been brought up on the mailing list and dealt with, submit a question to the MS4W mailing list. Include the steps to reproduce your problem, and state your exact error message. Also specify which version of MS4W you are using.

N. Modifying MS4W for an Installation not at the Drive Root

Do the following steps in a text editor:

  1. Open /ms4w/Apache/conf/httpd.conf and search for "/ms4w/" and replace with your new path from your drive root (such as "/Temp/ms4w/")
  2. Open /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/php.ini and search for "/ms4w/" and replace with your new path from your drive root (such as "/Temp/ms4w/")
  3. Open all files in /ms4w/httpd.d and search for "/ms4w/" and replace with your new path from your drive root (such as "/Temp/ms4w/")
  4. Open /ms4w/setenv.bat and search for "/ms4w/" and replace with your new path from your drive root (such as "/Temp/ms4w/")
  5. Configure your add-on packages, typically installed at /ms4w/apps/

Recommendation: avoid installing MS4W in a path that contains spaces

O. Installing the MS4W MapServer Binaries in Other Environments

The following instructions will help non-MS4W users who want to only use the MapServer binaries included in MS4W:

  1. Download and extract the MS4W base package locally from ms4w.com.
  1. Do not install the Apache service (apache-install.bat)
  2. Copy the .dll files from the /ms4w/apache/cgi-bin/ directory into your desired cgi-bin directory:
  3. For PHP/Mapscript, goto /ms4w/Apache/php/ext/ and copy the php_mapscript.dll file into your own PHP extensions directory. CSharp, Java, and Python mapscript files can be found in /ms4w/Apache/cgi-bin/mapscript/
  4. For the commandline utilities that come with MS4W (mapserv, gdal, etc.) copy all of the .exe files from /ms4w/tools/ to a desired location, but be aware that these utilities use dlls that were installed in the cgi-bin directory. Therefore you must add your cgi-bin directory into your Windows PATH environment variable before running the utilities.
  5. Microsoft IIS users should refer to the IIS Howto for MapServer.

P. Using Custom EPSG Projections

Custom EPSG projections can be added to the bottom of your epsg file at /ms4w/proj/nad/epsg/.

As of MS4W 3.0-beta11, previously included custom projections for Canada have been removed. Here is some of the history:

  • Gateway Geomatics officially applied to have the custom Canadian projection EPSG:42304 (common in Ontario and in the Atlas of Canada) included in the EPSG geodetic registry in 2009
  • the projection was accepted as EPSG:3978 in the EPSG geodetic registry on 2009-06-02
  • this new EPSG code is included in PROJ4 4.7.0 release (2009-09)

For reference, here are the old custom Canadian EPSG codes:

##
## Custom projection codes for Canada
##
## WGS84 / LCC Canada
<42101> +proj=lcc +ellps=WGS84 +lat_0=0 +lon_0=-95 +lat_1=49
        +lat_2=77 +x_0=0 +y_0=-8000000.0 +datum=WGS84
        +units=m no_defs <>
## NAD83 / BC Albers
<42102> +proj=aea +ellps=GRS80 +lat_0=45 +lon_0=-126.0
        +lat_1=50.0
        +lat_2=58.5 +x_0=1000000.0 +y_0=0 +datum=NAD83
        +units=m no_defs <>
#
## NAD83 LCC for Canada
<42304> +proj=lcc +ellps=GRS80 +lat_0=49 +lon_0=-95
        +lat_1=49 +lat_2=77
        +datum=NAD83 +units=m no_defs <>
##

Password Protection Configuration for Applications

The following section explains how to add password authentication to your MS4W application. However there are many other possible settings in Apache for this, so please consult the Apache HTTP Server documentation.

Here are the minimal steps for password protection:

  1. Modify your application's httpd_xxx.conf file, so that "AllowOverride None" is replaced with "AllowOverride AuthConfig", such as:

    Alias /gmap/ "/ms4w/apps/gmap/htdocs/"
    
    <Directory "/ms4w/apps/gmap/htdocs/">
      AllowOverride AuthConfig
      Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Multiviews
      Order allow,deny
      Allow from all
    </Directory>
    
  2. Create a password file.

    • open a DOS command window, and go to Apache's bin directory

    • enter the following (replace "jeff" with the username you want to create, press ENTER and you will be prompted for a password to create):

      C:/ms4w/Apache/bin> htpasswd -c htpasswd.txt jeff
      
  3. Create the htaccess file.

    • create a file in your application directory (/ms4w/apps/gmap/htdocs/ in this example) named '.htaccess'

    • the file should contain (you can modify it however you wish though):

      AuthType Basic
      AuthUserFile C:/ms4w/Apache/bin/htpasswd.txt
      AuthName "Password Required"
      
      require valid-user
      
  4. Restart Apache

    • run /ms4w/apache-restart.bat
  5. Access your application in a web browser.

Troubleshooting:

MS4W Applications

The following applications come with a pre-configured install package for MS4W. Go to http://www.ms4w.com/release/apps/ to find the desired package, and extract the packages to the MS4W root (e.g. if you installed in C:/ then extract at C:/, and if you installed the base in C:/Program Files then extract the packages to C:/Program Files).

  1. GeoMOOSE
  2. Mapbender
  3. MapServer Itasca Demo Application
  4. MapServer OGC Workshop
  5. OpenLayers

Additional Support

General questions and comments should be sent to the MS4W mailing list, which you can join at: http://lists.ms4w.com/mailman/listinfo/ms4w-users

Requests for changes and enhancements to MS4W should be filed in the MS4W tracker.

Custom support is also available from Gateway Geomatics.

About this Document

Component Licensing

MS4W contains several component packages that are provided under their own licensing terms.

MapServer

Copyright (c) 2008-2016 Open Source Geospatial Foundation. Copyright (c) 1996-2008 Regents of the University of Minnesota.

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies of this Software or works derived from this Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

GDAL

Refer to the GDAL license found at /ms4w/gdaldata/LICENSE.TXT

MrSID

Portions of this computer program are copyright (c) 1995-2016 LizardTech, Inc. All rights reserved. MrSID is protected by U.S. Patent No. 5,710,835. Foreign Patents Pending.

FreeType

Portions of this software are copyright (c) 2016 The FreeType Project (www.freetype.org). All rights reserved.

Apache

Refer to the Apache license found at /ms4w/Apache/LICENSE-APACHE.txt

PHP

Refer to the PHP license found at /ms4w/Apache/php/license.txt