Hi, all Geoffrey S Young and David Harris created both the RPM and documented the logic and possible pitfals with installing mod_perl from RPMs. Those of you that have asked for help regarding RPMs, would you please go thru the document and see whether it answers your woes, and of course the RPM itself. This is imporant to do it now, while things are hot. Take the chance while Geoffrey and David are ready to help and jump on it - try it send your comments. (I don't say they wouldn't in the future, you know how it works :) The moment you refine both the RPM and the document, others would have much easier times with installing mod_perl, becoming and active user, tester and even developer. So we are all to benefit from this movement (Please, no flames - RPM is bad, install from scratch -- there is no reason to scare away new potential users. Just remember that this RPM would be installed on millions PCs of RH and other Linux users! So it worth to take the effort and fine tune this section and the RPM.) Thank you! Either read the HTML version at: http://perl.apache.org/guide/install.html#using_RPM_DEB_and_other_package Or I'll reproduce it here in text: A word on mod_perl RPM packages The virtues of RPM packages is the subject of much debate among mod_perl users. While RPMs do take the pain away from package installation and maintenance for most applications, the nuances of mod_perl make RPMs somewhat less than ideal for those just getting started. The following help and advice is for those new to mod_perl, Apache, Linux, and RPMs. If you know what you are doing, this is probably old hat - contributing your past experiences is, as always, welcome by the community. [TOC] Getting Started If you are new to mod_perl and are using this Guide and the Eagle book to help you on your way, it is probably better to grab the latest Apache and mod_perl sources and compile the sources yourself. Not only will you find that this is less daunting than you suspect, but it will probably save you a few headaches down the line for several reasons. First, given the pace at which the open source community produces software, RPMs, especially those found on distribution CDs, are often several versions out of date. The most recent version will not only be more stable, but will likely incorporate some new functionality that you will eventually want to play with. It is also unlikely that the file system's layout of an RPM package will match what you see in either the Eagle book or this Guide. If you are new to mod_perl, Apache, or both, you will probably want to get familiar with file system used by the examples given here before trying something less standard. Finally, the RPMs found on a typical distribution CDs use mod_perl build with Apache's Dynamic Shared Objects (DSO) support. While mod_perl can be successfully used as a DSO module, it adds a layer of complexity that you may want to live without for now. All that being said, should you still feel that rolling your own mod_perl enabled Apache server is not likely, here are a few helpful hints... [TOC] Compiling RPM source files It is possible to compile the source files provided my RPM packages, but if you are using RPMs to ease mod_perl installation, that is not the way to do it. Both Apache and mod_perl RPMs are designed to be install-and-go. If you really want to compile mod_perl to your own specific needs, your best bet is to get the most recent sources from CPAN. [TOC] Mix and Match RPM and source It is probably not the best idea to use a self-compiled Apache with a mod_perl RPM (or vice versa). Sticking with one format or the other at first will result in fewer headaches and more hair. [TOC] Installing a single apache+mod_perl RPM If you use an apache+mod_perl RPM, chances are rpm -i or glint (GUI for RPM) will have you up and running immediately, no compilation necessary. If you encounter problems, try downloading from another mirror site or searching http://rpmfind.net/ for a different package - there are plenty out there to choose from. David Harris has started the efforts to build a better RPM/SRPM mod_perl packages. You will find them at: http://www.davideous.com/modperlrpm/distrib/ Features of this RPM: Installs mod_perl as an ``add in'' to the RedHat Apache package, but does not install mod_perl as a DSO and all the problems that brings. Includes the four header files required for building libapreq (Apache::Request) Distributes plain text forms of the pod documentation files that come with mod_perl. Checks the module magic number on the existing apache package to see if things are compatible Notes on this un-conventional RPM packaging of mod_perl by David Harris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> on Oct 13, 1999 This package will install the mod_perl library files on your machine along with the following two Apache files: /usr/lib/apache/mod_include_modperl.so /usr/sbin/httpd_modperl This package does not install a complete apache subtree built with mod_perl, but rather just the two above files that are different for mod_perl. This conceptually thinks of mod_perl as a kind of an ``add on'' that we would like to add to the regular apache tree. However, we are prevented from distributing mod_perl as an actual DSO, because it is not recommended by the mod_perl developers and various features must be turned off. So, instead, we distribute a httpd binary with mod_perl statically linked (httpd_modperl) and the special modified mod_include.so required for this binary (mod_include_modperl.so). You can use the exact same configuration files and other DSO modules, but you just ``enable'' the mod_perl ``add on'' by following the below directions. To enable mod_perl, do the following: (1) Configure /etc/rc.d/init.d/httpd to run httpd_modperl instead of httpd by chaning the "daemon" command line. (2) Replace mod_include.so with mod_include_modperl.so in the module loading section of /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf (3) Uncomment the "AddModule mod_perl.c" line in /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf Or run the following command: (and the other version to disable mod_perl) /usr/sbin/modperl-enable on /usr/sbin/modperl-enable off [TOC] Compiling libapreq (Apache::Request) with the RH 6.0 mod_perl RPM The instructions are as follows: 1.Install the source RPM for your mod_perl RPM and then do a build prep, which unpacks the sources. From there, copy four header files (mod_perl.h, mod_perl_version.h, mod_perl_xs.h, and mod_PL.h) to /usr/include/apache. 1.Get the SRPM from somemirror.../redhat-6.0/SRPMS/mod_perl-1.19-2.src.rpm. 2.Install the SRPM. (This creates files in /usr/src/redhat/SPECS and /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES). Run: % rpm -ih mod_perl-1.19-2.src.rpm 3.Do a "prep" build of the package, which just un-packags the sources and applies any patches. % rpm -bp /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/mod_perl.spec Executing: %prep + umask 022 + cd /usr/src/redhat/BUILD + cd /usr/src/redhat/BUILD + rm -rf mod_perl-1.19 + /bin/gzip -dc /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES/mod_perl-1.19.tar.gz + tar -xf - + STATUS=0 + [ 0 -ne 0 ] + cd mod_perl-1.19 ++ /usr/bin/id -u + [ 0 = 0 ] + /bin/chown -Rf root . ++ /usr/bin/id -u + [ 0 = 0 ] + /bin/chgrp -Rf root . + /bin/chmod -Rf a+rX,g-w,o-w . + echo Patch #0: Patch #0: + patch -p1 -b --suffix .rh -s + exit 0 NOTE: What you have just done in steps 1.1 through 1.3 was just a fancy un-packing of the source tree that builds the RPM into /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mod_perl-1.19. You could un-pack the mod_perl-x.xx.tar.gz file somewhere and then do the following steps on that souce tree. But this is more ``pure'' because I'm grabbing the header files from the same tree that built the RPM. But this does not matter because RedHat is not patching that file. So, it might be better if you just tell the person to grab the mod_perl source and unpack it to get these files.. less fuss and mess. 4.Look at the files you will copy: (this is not really a step, but useful to show) % find /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mod_perl-1.19 -name '*.h' /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mod_perl-1.19/src/modules/perl/mod_perl.h /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mod_perl-1.19/src/modules/perl/mod_perl_xs.h /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mod_perl-1.19/src/modules/perl/mod_perl_version.h /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mod_perl-1.19/src/modules/perl/perl_PL.h 5.Copy the files into /usr/include/apache. NOTE: You should not have to do a: mkdir /usr/include/apache Because that directory should be created by apache-devel, which I think you will need to compile libapreq. The machine I did this test on just happened not to have the apache-devel package. % mkdir /usr/include/apache % cp ` find /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mod_perl-1.19 -name '*.h' ` /usr/include/apache 2.Apply this patch to libapreq: http://www.davideous.com/modperlrpm/distrib/libapreq-0.31_include.patch 3.Follow the libapreq directions as usual: % perl Makefile.PL % make && make test && make install [TOC] Compiling libapreq with mod_perl installed from RPM (general) There have been many reports of libapreq - which provides the Apache::Request module - not working properly with various RPM packages. It is definitely possible to integrate libapreq with mod_perl RPMs, it just requires a few additional steps. 1.Make certain you have the apache-devel-x.x.x-x.i386.rpm package installed. 2.Install mod_perl-x.xx-x.src.rpm source code package using the following syntax: % rpm -ih mod_perl-x.xx-x.src.rpm 3.Prepare the source package using the following syntax: % rpm -bp /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/mod_perl-x.xx-x.spec 4.Copy the necessary source files to the proper destination by issuing the following commands: % mkdir /usr/include/apache % cp `find /usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mod_perl-1.19 -name '*.h'` \ /usr/include/apache 5.Download the current libapreq module from CPAN/modules/by-module/Apache/DOUGM/libapreq-x.xx.tar.gz, and unwrap it. 6.Make the following changes to the Makefile.PL in the Cookie, Request, and c directories of libapreq-x.xx. Change: 'INC' = "-I../c ". $src->inc, To: 'INC' = "-I../c -I/usr/include/apache", 7.Add the following line to the Makefile.PL in the libapreq-x.xx directory. Add: 'INC' = "-I../c -I/usr/include/apache", Under: 'DIR' = [qw(c Request Cookie)], 8.Run: % perl Makefile.PL % make && make test && make install and you should be off and running. [TOC] Installing separate Apache and mod_perl RPMs If you are trying to install separate Apache and mod_perl RPMs, like those provided by RedHat distributions, you may be in for a bit of a surprise. Installing the Apache RPM will go just fine, and http://localhost will bring up some type of web page for your viewing pleasure. However, installation of the mod_perl RPM, followed by the How can I tell whether mod_perl is running tests, will show that Apache is not mod_perl enabled. This is because mod_perl needs to be added as a separate module using Apache's Dynamic Shared Objects. To use mod_perl as a DSO, make the following modifications to your Apache configuration files: httpd.conf: ---------- LoadModule perl_module modules/libperl.so AddModule mod_perl.c srm.conf (or httpd.conf in later versions of Apache): ---------- PerlModule Apache::Registry Alias /perl/ /home/httpd/perl/ <Location /perl SetHandler perl-script PerlHandler Apache::Registry PerlSendHeader On Options +ExecCGI </Location After a complete shutdown and startup of the server, mod_perl should be up and running. [TOC] Testing the mod_perl API Some people have reported that even when the server responds positively to the How can I tell whether mod_perl is running tests, the mod_perl API will not function properly. You may want to run the below script to verify the availability of the mod_perl API. use strict; my $r = shift; $r->send_http_header('text/html'); $r->print("It worked!!!\n"); _______________________________________________________________________ Stas Bekman mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] www.singlesheaven.com/stas Perl,CGI,Apache,Linux,Web,Java,PC at www.singlesheaven.com/stas/TULARC www.apache.org & www.perl.com == www.modperl.com || perl.apache.org single o-> + single o-+ = singlesheaven http://www.singlesheaven.com
