[Catalyst] Fw: mod_fastcgi config for a Catalyst app.

[Andrew]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Andrew" <london.pm at unitedgames.co.uk>
To: <london.pm at groups.perlists.pm>
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2015 3:55 PM
Subject: Re: mod_fastcgi config for a Catalyst app.


Thanks!

I was wondering what to replace: "shinycms_example.com" with, for my own
use,
when I suddenly noticed everything was already working! =O. Shock! =).

Just written a separate email about how I got FastCGI working on the first
attempt, ^_^.

Still sucks it took a day and a half of reading tutorials first. >_<.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Denny" <2015 at denny.me>
To: <london.pm at groups.perlists.pm>
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2015 3:08 PM
Subject: Re: mod_fastcgi config for a Catalyst app.


Hi Andrew,

There's a sample Apache config and external fastcgi launcher command in
ShinyCMS:
https://github.com/denny/ShinyCMS/blob/master/docs/sample-apache-conf/httpd.
conf
https://github.com/denny/ShinyCMS/blob/master/bin/external-fastcgi-server

Possibly having a look at those will help you figure out what to do with
your own environment.  Good luck!

Cheers,
Denny



On Sat, 2015-10-17 at 22:13 +0100, Andrew wrote:
> Could someone help me, with a bit of plain english please?
> Am finding the tutorials on getting mod_fastcgi installed and working
> a tad confusing.
>
> I have a VPS with Cpanel and WHM.
> Apache 2.2.24
> A number of different user directories,
> only one of which has to run a Catalyst app.
> [Although it would be nice to use one user as a dev server, and
> another user as a production server]
>
> I have downloaded http://fastcgi.com/dist/mod_fastcgi-current.tar.gz
> I extracted this on the hard drive of my MacBook Pro.
> This gave me the folder:
> mod_fastcgi-2.4.6
>
> On my VPS, my apache appeared to be installed at /usr/local/apache
> ...so I opened up Makefile.AP2 within the mod_fastcgi-2.4.6 folder on
> my laptop, using a text editor, and changed:
> top_dir    = /usr/local/apache2
> to the following:
> top_dir    = /usr/local/apache
> ...so that the top directory path would be correct.
>
> I then uploaded the entire mod_fastcgi-2.4.6 folder to the root of my
> VPS.
>
> I opened a terminal window and logged in as root, using SSH.
> I changed directory to the folder I'd just uploaded:
> cd mod_fastcgi-2.4.6
> Then I entered the three command lines in the installation
> instructions, one after each other:
> cp Makefile.AP2 Makefile
> make
> make install
>
> I then browsed to the folder:
> /usr/local/apache/modules/
> ...and saw the file:
> mod_fastcgi.so
> ... was now in there, so assumed that's mod_fastcgi installed! =D
> Hooray!
>
> So now I believe I need to:
> Configure Apache.
> Restart Apache.
> Run my Catalyst App.
> ....and this is where I'm having trouble.
>
> Here are my problems:
>
> PROBLEM ONE:
>
> Tutorials imply the following line should be added to the httpd.conf
> file:
> LoadModule fastcgi_module modules/mod_fastcgi.so
> ...with modules being the folder mod_fastcgi.so is in on my VPS.
>
> So - my first question - where in httpd.conf do I put it?
> At the very start?
> In between the <Virtual Host> tags for the domain name I want the
> Catalyst App to be at?
> In the include conf files, for my domain name (the includes are in the
> last line before the virtual host tag closes)?
> Or do I forget about httpd.conf entirely, and shove it in a .htaccess
> file, in my app's directory?
>
> From what I gather, External (aka Standalone Server Mode, aka as just
> Server) is the best mode to run the app under.
> This brings us nicely to....
>
> PROBLEM TWO:
>
http://wiki.catalystframework.org/wiki/deployment/apache_fastcgi#Configure_A
pache
> ...gets pretty confusing here.
> It gives the example of:
> <IfModule mod_fastcgi.c>
>   FastCgiExternalServer /tmp/myapp.fcgi -host myhost:8081
>   Alias /myapp/    /tmp/myapp.fcgi/
> </IfModule>
> I need to know how to customise this for my purposes.
> My server does have a /tmp/ directory, and I understand myapp.fcgi is
> totally fictional and shouldn't exist.
> Now - what about the rest of the first line? -host myhost:8081
> Documentation says we should change hostname and port as appropriate.
> What throws me is that the next bullet point says that if the catalyst
> app is actually on our apache server, that we should use "-socket
> <filename>" instead of "-port <n>" .... this is odd, because in the
> example, there is no "-port <n>" used anywhere. It then goes on to say
> using "-host" will still work... then says we should use "localhost"
> as the hostname... before then saying we could use "user -port"
> instead, O_o.
> So should the line be:
>   FastCgiExternalServer /tmp/myapp.fcgi -host
> www.mydomainname.com:8081
> ...or:
>   FastCgiExternalServer /tmp/myapp.fcgi -host localhost:8081
> ...or:
>   FastCgiExternalServer /tmp/myapp.fcgi -socket
> some-sort-of-filename-goes-here
> (...which raises the question - what filename? mod_fastcgi
> documentation says the filename of the unix domain socket the app uses
> to communicate with the web server - I have no idea what that is,
> =S. )
> ...or:
>   FastCgiExternalServer /tmp/myapp.fcgi gamextra -8081
> (..my attempt at interpreting user -port)
> ...or should the line be something else entirely??
> I'm assuming:
>   Alias /myapp/    /tmp/myapp.fcgi/
> ...will be entirely correct as it is, yes?
>
> PROBLEM THREE:
> Where do I put...
> <IfModule mod_fastcgi.c>
>   FastCgiExternalServer /tmp/myapp.fcgi -host localhost:8081
>   Alias /myapp/    /tmp/myapp.fcgi/
> </IfModule>
> ....? The same place we put the LoadModule line in PROBLEM ONE...?
>
> I assume after solving these three problems, I simply:
> Restart Apache.
> Launch my catalyst app from the command line using lines similar to
> the examples in the documentation.
> Any advice on setting the -n flag? The
>
http://wiki.catalystframework.org/wiki/deployment/apache_fastcgi#Run_your_ap
p_as_a_FastCGI_process example decides to run three parallel instances.
>
> UPDATE:
> Just as I'm finishing this email, I see:
> www.catalystframework.org/calendar/2006/16 suggests:
> FastCgiExternalServer
> /path/to/myapp/script/myapp_fastcgi.pl -host 127.0.0.1:55900
> Alias / /path/to/myapp/script/myapp_fastcgi.pl/
> # or Alias /myapp/ /path/to/myapp/script/myapp_fastcgi.pl/ to run at a
> non root location
>
> My Catalyst app is at:
> /home/gamextra/public_html/GXCatalystTest/script/gxcatalysttest_fastcgi.pl
> Should I interpret that as....
> FastCgiExternalServer
/home/gamextra/public_html/GXCatalystTest/script/gxcatalysttest_fastcgi.pl -
host 127.0.0.1:55900
> Alias /myapp/
/home/gamextra/public_html/GXCatalystTest/script/gxcatalysttest_fastcgi.pl/
> ....?
> Would that work as a solution to problem two?
> If so - problem three - where would I put it? ^_^.
>
> Feedback appreciated - as this is something I could waste whole days
> reading multiple tutorials on!
> Already taken me a day to learn all I had to do was type three simple
> command lines to install mod_fastcgi, =P....!!
>
> Huge thanks people,
>
> Yours,
> Andrew.