Garbled Text or Broken Images in Browser
 Technote (FAQ)
 
Problem
Garbled text appeared in the browser:

Text files (e.g., HTML files) are stored in the HFS in EBCDIC. The Application Server serves the text files to the browser without conversion (binary mode). When the browser receives the text in EBCDIC, it displays it using the ASCII codepage and the rendered text in the browser is garbled.

Note: When the IBM HTTP Server serves out a text file (eg. an HTML file), it does the necessary codepage conversion and sends the text to the browser in ASCII. This codepage conversion by the Web server is governed by the directives DefaultFsCp and DefaultNetCp in httpd.conf.

Broken JPG and GIF images in browser:

The Application Server and IBM HTTP Server send image files to the browser without conversion (binary mode). If the browser receives an image file that is not in the correct format (eg. a corrupt or incomplete file) the browser will display a broken image (Netscape), or a small red X (Internet Explorer) as a place holder.
 
 
Solution
This problem cannot be diagnosed using traces or other system tools. The best way to validate the format of the files in the HFS is to manually download them to your PC in binary mode. Use Notepad (or a similar text editor) to check HTML files (if you can’t read them, they are stored in the HFS in EBCDIC), and a browser to look at image files (if the image file can't be viewed it probably was tranferred to the HFS in ASCII or text mode and the file has gone through an ASCII-EBCDIC translation).

You must refresh the files in the HFS with files in the proper encoding. For the Local Rediretor Plug-in, hand-transfer HTML files in binary and image files in binary. For the Web container, the approach is to redeploy the EAR file.

The most likely cause of the garbled text in browser problem is transferring the file from a workstation to WebSphere for z/OS in ASCII mode. When transferring an HTML file from the workstation to WebSphere for z/OS, use binary mode.

The most likely causeof broken JPG and GIF images in the browser is transfering the JPG/GIF files from a workstation to WebSphere for z/OS in ASCII mode. When transferring an image file from the workstation to WebSphere for z/OS, use binary mode.

Note: The WebSphere System Management User Interface tool will handle FTPing files properly. This problem is most likely to occur when the Web application is run in the Local Redirector Plug-in, and FTPing is done by hand. The problem can also occur if you refresh an individual HTML or image file in WebSphere Application Server V4 by hand rather than redeploying the whole EAR file.

Related information
  • Check FTP logs for how files were transferred to z/OS system.
  • WebSphere Application Server for z/OS: Assembling J2EE Applications, SA22-7836
 
 


Document Information


Product categories: Software > Application Servers > Distributed Application & Web Servers > WebSphere Application Server for z/OS > Application Client
Operating system(s): z/OS
Software version: 4.0.1
Software edition:
Reference #: 1164072
IBM Group: Software Group
Modified date: Mar 24, 2004