readfile() and 401 pages

Hi all, I'm attempting to use readfile() to redirect the user to a .htaccess protected page: <?php readfile("https://www.foo.edu/cgi-bin/stats/awstats?config=more.foo.here"); ?> The stats/ directory is .htaccess'ed. [and the URL is even longer, with a lot of other options tagged onto the awstats call]. I would like to be able to redirect users to a simplier URL: https://www.foo.edu/stats/site and have the 'authorization required' browser dialog box pop up when going there [like it does when they visit the long/normal URL]. Instead, what I'm getting back is a PHP error stating that HTTP/1.1 Authorization Required in line 2 of the above page. Does readfile() not pass along 401s to the browser? I know I can do an alias in apache's setup, which is what I plan on doing if readfile() can't be made to work. But I am curious if this is a limitation or design in readfile(). TIA, /vjl/ -- Vince LaMonica UC Irvine, School of Social Ecology W3 Developer <*> 116 Social Ecology I, Irvine, CA 92697 vjl@uci.edu http://www.seweb.uci.edu/techsupport Information wants to be free. Rent wants to be paid.