Calling mkisofs from perl cgi

finfan has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I am creating an automated kickstart process. The html and perl code to build the ks.cfg are working perfectly. I can build my kickstart iso with no problems using

mkisofs -r -T -J -V "Redhat KSBoot" -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -v -o /var/www/html/linuxboot.iso .

I am trying to have apache return the iso via http as follows:

 #!/usr/bin/perl

print "Content-type: application/octet-stream\n";
print "Content-Disposition: attachment\; filename=\"kickstart.iso\"\n"
+;
print "Content-Transfer-Encoding: binary\n";

binmode(STDOUT);

exec("mkisofs -r -T -J -V \"Redhat KSBoot\" -b pub/isolinux/isolinux.b
+in -c  pub/isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-in
+fo-table -v .");
[download]

I do get a file sent to the browser, but it's only 35k. It consists of roughly 100 blank lines, and then the isogen headers. It should be roughly 4GB, and that header should be the first thing in the file. I'm pulling what little hair I have left out trying to figure this one out. Any help appreciated.

Comment on Calling mkisofs from perl cgi Download Code

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Re: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by tobyink (Canon) on Oct 05, 2012 at 15:12 UTC
What happens when you run your CGI script from the command line? `perl your-script.cgi > tmp.iso` [download] Do you get the 4 GB ISO file then (albeit with a little HTTP crud at the start of the file)? Or do you still only get 35 KB? Also, have you tried using a full, absolute path to the directory you want an image for, rather than just "`.`"? `perl -E'sub Monkey::do{say$_,for@_,do{($monkey=[caller(0)]->[3])=~s{::}{ }and$monkey}}"Monkey say"->Monkey::do'`	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^2: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by finfan (Acolyte) on Oct 05, 2012 at 18:43 UTC
Still the 35KB file. I have tried to use absolute paths, but it always fails. Never have seen that before. But relative path works fine running mkisofs from the shell.	[reply]
Re^2: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by finfan (Acolyte) on Oct 05, 2012 at 18:45 UTC
Sorry, missed the first question. executed from command line, it generates the iso perfectly.	[reply]
Re^3: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by tobyink (Canon) on Oct 05, 2012 at 19:16 UTC
If the CGI script runs OK at the command line then it's unlikely to be a Perl-specific problem. It's possible that Apache is putting an output size or time limit on your script. `perl -E'sub Monkey::do{say$_,for@_,do{($monkey=[caller(0)]->[3])=~s{::}{ }and$monkey}}"Monkey say"->Monkey::do'`	[reply]
Re^4: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by finfan (Acolyte) on Oct 08, 2012 at 14:37 UTC
Re: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by choroba (Cardinal) on Oct 05, 2012 at 14:34 UTC
Where is the empty line between the header and the body? لսႽ† ᥲᥒ⚪⟊Ⴙᘓᖇ Ꮅᘓᖇ⎱ Ⴙᥲ𝇋ƙᘓᖇ	[reply]
Re^2: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by finfan (Acolyte) on Oct 05, 2012 at 14:48 UTC
No, the file starts with a bunch of blank lines. Then I see what appears to be the header of the iso, and then the file ends.	[reply]
Re^3: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by choroba (Cardinal) on Oct 05, 2012 at 14:50 UTC
I meant the empty line after the HTTP header. لսႽ† ᥲᥒ⚪⟊Ⴙᘓᖇ Ꮅᘓᖇ⎱ Ⴙᥲ𝇋ƙᘓᖇ	[reply]
Re^4: Calling mkisofs from perl cgi by finfan (Acolyte) on Oct 05, 2012 at 14:55 UTC