z39.50 gate server restarts automatically after stop; keep_z39_gate

• Article Type: General
• Product: Aleph
• Product Version: 16.02

Description:
We are unable to stop the z39.50 gate. We want to stop and start it to pick up table changes. Once I stop through util w, it automatically starts again - with the old configuration.

Resolution:
The www_server calls the "keep_z39_gate" program, which has this comment:
*File: keep_z39_gate.c
*Main method: keep_z39_gate
* Purpose: keep z39_gate alive - if z39_gate is not running on ort specified in $z39_gate_address - run z39_gate on this port.

If you stop the www_server and then stop the z39_gate and then start both, that should work.

16.02 rep_change #000590 lets you disable this:

Description: A new environment variable, keep_z39_gate, has been added to the www_server.conf file. This variable can be used to prevent the automatic start of a Z39.50 gate by an active WEB server. The default of the keep_z39_gate variable is "Y", which means that the automatic start of the Z39.50 is still on by default.
...
Implementation Notes: If you want to disable the automatic activation of the z39.50 gateway by the WEB server, add the following line to ./alephe/www_server.conf file:
setenv keep_z39_gate N
<end rep_change 000590>

The "System Librarian’s Guide – Web OPAC" says:

setenv keep_z39_gate Y

This parameter prevents the automatic start of z39_gate.
For every incoming request, the Web server checks if z39_gate is up and running. If the gate is down, the gate server process will be started
automatically. To prevent the gate server process starting automatically, set
keep_z39_gate to "N".
The default is "Y".