you should check your webserver configuration. if the server runs the scripts himself, the environment of the user running the server is asked. some webserver have a feature which allows to run the cgi-scripts with the user privileges (roxen: just another checkbox, apache: suexec). in latter case the environment of the user hosting the script matters.

Begin {$NEW{SYBASE}='Sybase';}
I don't know any perlvar called %NEW, so i guess it's just another hash :)
nevertheless $ENV{SYBASE} = '/sybase' should do the trick.

slayven