PK74518: URLS CONTAINING A CURRENT CONTEXT "." FAIL WITH 404 ERROR

Fixes are available

APAR status

Closed as program error.

Error description

Failing servlet requests with "." in context root. Example,
http://ip:host/SuperSnoopWeb/./SuperSnoop request fails on V6.1

Local fix

Problem summary

****************************************************************
* USERS AFFECTED:  All users of WebSphere Application Server   *
*                  V6.1.0                                      *
****************************************************************
* PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: A request may fail with a 404 error if  *
*                      the request URI includes "/./" or       *
*                      "/../" as part of the application       *
*                      context or servlet path.                *
****************************************************************
* RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
****************************************************************
The WebContainer does not normalize the request URI before
trying to resolve it to an application and servlet mapping. As a
result, a request URI which includes "/./" or "/../" as part of
an application context may fail with a 404 error. Further a
request URI which includes "/./" or "/../" as part of a servlet
path will fail to match a servlet mapping also resulting in a
404 error, although the URI is normalized prior to resolving to
a JavaServer Pages (JSP) or static file.

Note that the error does not occur for requests from a browser
which normalizes the request URI prior to calling WebSphere
Application Server, which most modern browsers do.

Problem conclusion

The WebContainer has been modified to normalize a request URI
prior to attempting to resolve it to an application and
servlet path if the custom property
com.ibm.ws.webcontainer.NormalizeRequestURI is set to true
(default is false).

Please refer to the following technote for instructions on
enabling WebContainer custom properties:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rss=180&uid=swg21284395

APAR PK74518 requires changes to documentation.

NOTE: Periodically, we refresh the documentation on our
Web site, so the changes might have been made before you
read this text. To access the latest on-line
documentation, go to the product library page at:

http://www.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/library

The following Change to the WebSphere Application
Server Version 6.1.x Information Center will be made
available in March, 2009.

The following description of the new
com.ibm.ws.webcontainer.normalizerequesturi
Web container custom property will be added to the topic
"Web container custom properties:"

Normalizing request URIs

Typically, request URI 404 errors do not occur if a
request URI is submitted from a browser, because most
modern browsers automatically normalizes a request URI
prior to calling WebSphere Application Server. Therefore,
by default, the Web container does not normalize a
request URI before trying to resolve that URI to an
application and servlet mapping.

A request URI, that includes /./ or /../ as part of an
application context, that has not been normalized,
might fail with a 404 error. Similarly, a request URI,
that includes /./" or /../ as part of a servlet path,
that has not been normalized, fails to match a servlet
mapping, which also results in a 404 error, even though
the URI is normalized prior to resolving the URI to a
JavaServer Pages (JSP) or static file.

If you are running on version 6.1.0.23, or later, you
can set the com.ibm.ws.webcontainer.normalizerequesturi
custom property to true, the Web container normalizes
these types of request URIs.

Name                                         Value
com.ibm.ws.webcontainer.normalizerequesturi  true

APAR PK74518 is currently targeted for inclusion in
Service Level (Fix Pack) 6.1.0.23 of WebSphere
Application Server V6.1 for z/OS.

Please refer to URL:
//www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=404&uid=swg27006970
for Fix Pack availability.

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

APAR number
PK74518
Reported component name
WEBSPHERE FOR Z
Reported component ID
5655I3500
Reported release
610
Status
CLOSED PER
PE
NoPE
HIPER
NoHIPER
Special Attention
NoSpecatt
Submitted date
2008-10-27
Closed date
2008-12-18
Last modified date
2009-06-30

APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:
APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

PK90224

Fix information

Fixed component name
WEBSPHERE FOR Z
Fixed component ID
5655I3500

Applicable component levels

R610 PSY UK44403
UP09/03/21 P F903

Fix is available

Select the PTF appropriate for your component level. You will be required to sign in. Distribution on physical media is not available in all countries.

[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SS7K4U","label":"WebSphere Application Server for z\/OS"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"6.1","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB45","label":"Automation"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
29 December 2021

Tips

PK74518: URLS CONTAINING A CURRENT CONTEXT "." FAIL WITH 404 ERROR

Fixes are available

Subscribe

APAR status

Closed as program error.

Error description

Local fix

Problem summary

Problem conclusion

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

APAR number

Reported component name

Reported component ID

Reported release

Status

PE

HIPER

Special Attention

Submitted date

Closed date

Last modified date

APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

Fixed component name

Fixed component ID

Applicable component levels

R610 PSY UK44403

Fix is available

Select the PTF appropriate for your component level. You will be required to sign in. Distribution on physical media is not available in all countries.

Document Information

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