I need to run some secure Perl scripts. However I try it with Plesk, I can't seem to do it.

I have created a simple script 'test.cgi'.

I have set this up with a name based site, an IP site, even the 'default server'. With "http://testdomain.com/cgi-bin/test.cgi" it's fine. If I try "https://testdomain.com/cgi-bin/test.cgi" I just get a 404 error.

Is this something Plesk just doesn't offer? I've taken a look at the way Plesk is configuring Apache and I just can't see anything there for scripts on port 443 at all (but then I'm probably missing something here!). Although I can see the set up for httpsdocs, I'd rather not configure to run scripts out of the httpsdocs folder if at all possible.

This should work, as there is a /cgi-bin/ alias in httpd.include. Check the error_log for more details. I guess that you have enabled SSL in Plesk.

I spoke to the good folks in EV1 support - I think there was something wrong with the Plesk set up with my IP site.

Anyhoo.. I can now access the cgi-bin through either http or https with an IP site enabled for SSL. But as a newbie to Plesk I still find the way it handles SSL a bit bizzare!

a) I've never had a separate directory for SSL documents on previous servers. In Plesk you have 'httpdocs' and httpsdocs'. I can't really see the point of that arrangement.

b) I would expect to be able to access my IP site through URLs with either domain or IP - but EV1 Support say that can't be done with the Plesk setup. In fact If I connect to

https://MyIPAddress/cgi-bin/test.cgi
and
https://MyDomain/cgi-bin/test.cgi

The server delivers two different script files! (the former from home/httpd/vhosts/default/cgi-bin/env.cgi, the latter from /home/httpd/vhosts/MyDomain/cgi-bin/env.cgi).

This may be a fault in my Plesk installation - or maybe it's just the way Plesk works things, I don't know. It doesn't do a lot for my confidence in the system though.

You can connect using the IP, if you put the website on an exclusive IP and mark this IP as default.