Forum OpenACS Development: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file

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1: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file
Posted by Andrew Piskorski on 03/17/03 06:09 AM
OpenACS provides a sample AOLserver config file for use with OpenACS, "/packages/acs-core-docs/www/xml/files/openacs4.tcl.txt". I propose that we (aka, I) move this file to "/nsd/openacs4.tcl", change the install docs to use this as the AOLserver config file, and then further enhance it.

Presumably, we would still like the config file to be viewable as part of the online docs, yes? (The section showing the real database password should be first broken out into a small separate file not viewable from the online docs.) Other than symlinks, what ways are there to do this?

What do you think?

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2: Re: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file (response to 1)
Posted by Joel Aufrecht on 03/17/03 10:01 PM
Already in progress in the 4.6.x draft of the install docs. I put it in /web/(servicename)/etc/config.tcl. What's /nsd/ and why would we want to put it there?
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3: Re: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file (response to 1)
Posted by Andrew Piskorski on 03/17/03 10:11 PM
"nsd" is "Navi-Server Daemon", aka, AOLserver. The idea is that the nsd directory has AOLserver-specific config stuff, like the config file, plus SSL files, basic authentication stuff, or whatever other AOLserver config type stuff the user wants to put there.

Using "etc" as the directory name also sounds ok. It's less specific, but that's probably fine, arguably even better.

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4: Re: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file (response to 1)
Posted by Joel Aufrecht on 03/17/03 10:54 PM
I was wondering if you were aware of a specific, public standard in which /nsd is used. We have many different proposed configurations floating around. My proposed standard puts everything in /web/(servername); the config, ssl, daemontools, and all the stuff like that go in /web/servername/etc or subdirectories thereof.

The guy doing the gentoo port got rid of "nsadmin" and I agree that we should stop using the "ns" language wherever it's easy to do so, because it's confusing to newcomers.

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5: Re: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file (response to 1)
Posted by Andrew Piskorski on 03/18/03 08:21 AM
Joel, I have no problem with your use of "etc/" as the subdirectory to put the AOLserver config file in. It sounds fine to me, I just hadn't happened to think of it myself. Like you say, it's probably better than my "nsd/" idea.

What I'd definitely still like to hear about is people's take on moving the existing OpenACS AOLserver config file out of the docs where it's buried, and putting it where we're suggesting folks keep their operational AOLserver config file. Plus the related "should we jump through some hoops, and what hoops, to make the AOLserver config file browseable online" question.

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6: Re: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file (response to 5)
Posted by Joel Aufrecht on 04/25/03 12:25 AM
I did another install and suddenly understood what you were talking about.  You mean, let's make an /etc directory in the  cvs tree containing the config file, right?  Dunno why I was so dense, but I think this is a good idea.  Should we also create empty folders for /log and /database-backup?  How about  files and directories for options like daemontools and analog?  I vote yes for all, since there's an upside and no real downside - if you're poking around in the directories you probably want this stuff.  If you want the stuff, either the new default is the right place or you're non-standard and going to have to move it anyway.  If you're not poking around here, the extra directories don't take up much space or present a security risk.  Anybody else agree or disagree?
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7: Re: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file (response to 6)
Posted by Andrew Piskorski on 04/25/03 12:47 AM
Right. :)

CVS acts slightly suprisingly with respect to empty directories, so you might want to add directories only if we have files to put in them. But, that's just a minor taste thing, either way there's really no harm. Important thing is if we do have good etc/nsd.tcl or whatever other config files to distribute with OpenACS, then yeah, let's definitely create the directories and put them there.

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8: Re: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file (response to 1)
Posted by Jun Yamog on 04/25/03 08:00 PM
Hi,

I think yes we should create the additional dirs, we should definitely create etc and put the config file.  These things will make the install steps more simple.  Even just a little.  Also regarding the blank dirs.  I would suggest to put a README file on it.  Even one liner.  Like "This dir is used to put the service files of daemontools.  If you are not using deamontools you can safely delete this dir".

If anyone has a good shell script maybe we can put a simple shell script to start the aolserver instance.  It would be better if its easier and easier for a newbie to try OpenACS.  The tweaking and performance stuff will come when someone is already familiar with OpenACS.  To lower the barrier is always good.

Joel,

I am trying to catch up with OACS.  I recently glaced at your docs, its good.  I did however put a small twist on my install.  I put the OACS files in ~/web of the user that will run that instance.  Normally my old config in II was each user run once instance of OACS.  So I still adopted something similar but basically your layout.  But the files are in the users home dir.  I think its not LSB, oh well.

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9: Re: Make openacs4.tcl the live AOLserver config file (response to 1)
Posted by Oscar Bonilla on 04/26/03 05:12 PM
I think a default example server would be most useful. I've seen that most people have trouble configuring AOLServer "right" for their OpenACS installation. It would be great if we could tell them to edit a couple of files (e.g.: sample/run /sample/log/run /sample/etc/openacs4.tcl) and "restart-aolserver sample". This would of course involve having daemontools configs in the CVS repo as well.

Andrew: I think the config file that should be viewable should be the sample one, not the real one. We can leave placeholders in the CVS (something like "YOUR_DB_USER_HERE" or the like).

Regards,

-Oscar