CGI programs are always placed on a disk that the Web server has access to. This means that if you are using a dial-up account to maintain your Web site, you need to upload your CGI programs to the server before they can be run.
Note You can test your scripts locally as long as you can use Perl on your local machine. See the "Debugging" section later in this chapter.
Web servers are generally configured so that all CGI applications are placed into a cgi-bin directory. However, the Web server may have aliases so that "virtual directories" exist. Each user might have his or her own cgi-bin directory. The directory location is totally under the control of your Web site administrator.
Tip Finding out which directory your scripts need to be placed in is the first step in creating CGI programs. Because you need to get this information from your Web site administrator, send an e-mail message right now requesting this information. Also ask if there are any CGI restrictions or guidelines that you need to follow.