You can configure the filer to send the appropriate MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) Content-Type header in each response to a get request. The header shows the MIME Content-Type value of the file, which tells the browser on the client how to interpret the file.
For example, if the MIME Content-Type value shows that the file being transferred is an image file and the client is configured properly, the browser can render the image by using a graphics program.
The filer determines the MIME Content-Type value of a file by mapping the file name suffix, or example, .gif, .html, or .mpg, according to information in the /etc/httpd.mimetypes file.
Note: On a Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 client, the /etc/httpd.mimetypes.sample file name is not displayed in its entirety. By default, the Explorer displays the file name as /etc/httpd.mimetypes. If you are using Windows, from the Explorer View menu, select Options, then the View tab and, in the dialog box, make sure that there is no check mark in the check box next to "Hide MS-DOS file extensions for file types that are registered."
To modify MIME Content-Type mappings or to add MIME Content-Types, edit the entries in /etc/httpd.mimetypes. Entries are in the following format:
# An optional comment.
suffix Content-Type
Lines preceded by the # sign are comments. The file name suffix is case-insensitive. Following are sample entries:
# My clients' browsers can now use
# PICT graphics files.
pct image/pict
pict image/pict
In the sample entries, files whose names ended with .pact or .pact are mapped to the MIME Content-Type value of image/pict. The first field in the Content-Type value describes the general type of data contained in the file; the second field is the data subtype, which shows the specific format in which the data is stored. If the browser on the client is configured to start a graphics program as a helper application, the user can view a file named file.pict as a graphics file on the client.
For more information about MIME, refer to RFC 1521.
Copyright © 1999, Network Appliance, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part No. 210-02334
File: http5.htm
Last updated: 04/26/99 08:11:40