Using Cold Fusion with Open Source Software

1
Using Cold Fusion with Open Source
SoftwareMaking the Marriage Work

• Stephan Greene
• Senior Systems Specialist, VA Linux Systems
• Consultant, Washington Square Associates, Inc.
• sgreene_at_patriot.net

2
Why Give This Talk?

• Share our experience using Cold Fusion with
  several Open Source products
• Benefits and Challenges
• Contrast two different approaches to software

3
WSA

• About WSA
• IT Integrator and Engineering Services
• 17 on Washington Technology Fast 50
• http//www.washsq.com
• Cold Fusion Experience
• Data-driven Business Applications using Web
  Browser Clients, Dynamic Web Sites
• Started Using Cold Fusion in 1996 (Version 1!)

4
Project Background

• We werent trying to prove anything
• Client Wanted a CF-based system on Solaris
  platform
• Our Challenge Apply NT-based CF experience to a
  new platform
• Experience with other nix (Linux)

5
What Is Open Source Software?

• Software with publicly available source code
• See www.fsf.org, www.opensource.org
• Users contribute fixes and enhancements back to
  the community
• May incorporate into commercial products and
  services per license
• License terms govern reuse, resale
• GPL, LGPL, BSD, artistic, Netscape/Mozilla, Sun
  Community, public-domain,...

6
Open Source Software Examples

• Operating Systems
• Linux, FreeBSD
• Internet Servers/Daemons
• BIND, Sendmail, Apache, Samba
• Developer Tools Languages
• gcc, emacs, Perl, Python, Tcl/Tk, XFree86
• Applications
• Mozilla, KDE, Gnome, MySQL, Postgres

7
Characteristics of Open Source

• Rapid Development Cycles
• Very frequent code releases
• Users and Developers are responsive to bugs and
  new features
• Worldwide scope
• Often Standards-based
• Amount of polish varies widely

8
Example Project

• Data-Driven Web Site
• Replace A Static site
• Dynamic Page Content based on User Inputs
• Non-Webmasters Maintain Content
• Integrate with other dynamic elements

9
Project Architecture

• Solaris platform (Sparc CPU)
• Solaris 2.5.1 Operating System
• Web Server
• Cold Fusion Application Server
• Back-End Database stores content
• Supporting scripts and utilities
• Other project elements

10
Project Architecture
Browser
Browser
Users
Developers Client
Apache
Browser
CF Server
Content Admin
MyODBC
CF Studio
MS Access
MySQL
MyODBC
Solaris
Win 9x/NT
Legend
Development Server
Developers
Open Source
Netscape
Closed Source
CF Server
Other App
External
MyODBC
Doesnt Matter
MySQL
Other DB
MySQL
Solaris
Server O/S
( Solaris, Linux, nix, NT,...)
Production Server
Scaling
11
Why Use Open Source Software?

• It solved several problems threatening the
  success of the project!
• Budget - Apache web server met all our needs
• Feasibility - The commercial database we started
  with did not work with Cold Fusion
• Support - Responsiveness of the community was
  vital to getting the database backend integrated
  and working

12
Getting CF Running on Solaris

• Straightforward Installation
• Solaris pkgadd tool
• Web Server Integration
• Netscape - handled by installation
• Apache - recompile with Cold Fusion libraries
• ODBC Databases
• This was the trickiest part!
• Differences between CF on Solaris and NT
• Some developer training required

13
Backend Databases

• Cold Fusion supports ODBC!
• Database must run on Solaris, support ODBC
• Candidates
• Open Source Msql, MySQL, PostgreSQL
• Commercial SQL Anywhere
• Our pick MySQL
• Sufficient features for this project
• Another user had successfully used it with Cold
  Fusion and released the driver source code so we
  could use it ourselves.

14
More Tweaking...More Open Source

• MySQL Installation
• build / install binary
• Getting the ODBC Driver built
• Scott Weikart patch, FSF GNU Tools
• gcc, egcs, make, gnuzip, g-tar
• Debugging ODBC
• odbctool
• Learning the tricks
• Thank heaven for mailing lists!

15
CF Startup

• !/bin/sh
• start - setup environment and run Cold Fusion
  servers
• ...
• ODBCHOME/opt/coldfusion/odbc
• ODBCINI/opt/coldfusion/odbc/odbc.ini
• ...
• MySQL
• MYSQL_HOSTxyz.foo.bar
• MYSQL_LOG"dtSO,/tmp/myodbc.log"
  uncomment for debugging
• ...
• VAR_LIST"LD_LIBRARY_PATH CFHOME CFUSER ODBCHOME
  ODBCINI SYBASE SQLANY SATMP ORACLE_HOME
  INFORMIXDIR INFORMIXSERVER II_SYSTEM MYSQL_HOST
  MYSQL_PWD MYSQL_LOG MYSQL_HOME MYSQLHOME
• ...

16
ODBC Configuration

• ODBC Data Sources
• ...
• PROJECT1MySQL
• ...
• ODBC
• Trace0
• TraceFile/tmp/odbctrace.out
• TraceDll/opt/coldfusion/lib/odbctrac.so
• InstallDir/opt/coldfusion/odbc
• ...
• PROJECT1
• DescriptionPROJECT1
• Driver/usr/local/mysql/lib/libmyodbc_mysql.so
• SERVERlocalhost
• ...

17
CF on Solaris Tips n Tricks

• File Permissions
• Learn new switches in CF tags - CFFILE Upload,
  Create
• File Permissions!
• Migrating Data from Access to MySQL
• File Permissions!!
• CF 3.1 bugs and work-arounds
• FILE PERMISSIONS !!!

18
File Naming and Permissions on Solaris

• Unix handles file names and permissions
  differently than NT
• Names are case sensitive
• Files must be readable (sometimes writeable) by
  the web and CF server processes
• Directories must be readable, executable
  (sometimes writeable) by web and CF server
  processes
• Enforce Coding Conventions
• Useful commands chmod, chown, chgrp

19
ltCFFILE ACTION"UploadWritegt

• Use CFFILE with the Upload action to upload a
  file specified in a form field to a directory on
  the Web server. Note that the MODE attribute
  applies only to ColdFusion on Solaris.
• Syntax
• ltCFFILE ACTION"Upload"
• FILEFIELD"formfield"
• DESTINATION"directory"
• NAMECONFLICT"behavior"
• ACCEPT"file_extension"
• MODE"permission"
• ATTRIBUTES"file_attributes"gt

20
Migrating Database from Access to MySQL

• Developers use Access to design and prototype
  database tables
• Use exportsql VBA script to export table
  definitions and text content
• Modify defaults to support our data structures
• Import from Unix command line
• mysql -pltpwdgt ltdatabasegt lt project.sql
• Export Tables via ODBC

21
CF 3.1 Problems and Workarounds

• Cfserver lockups and core dumps
• Watchdog script detects lockup, restarts server
  without requiring root access by users
• Upgrade to CF 4 is the real fix!
• Cannot create MySQL data sources in CF admin
  screens
• Edit odbc.ini manually
• Transactions Table Locking
• Use CFLOCK tag in applications

22
Whats Great About CF on Solaris?

• Good application on Great server platform
• CF Studio
• Cross-platform CF coding
• Excellent remote administration via admin web
  page and ssh/telnet
• CF Studio works with NT and Solaris servers
• CF Server 4.0 is MUCH Better than 3.1

23
Whats Not So Great About CF on Solaris?

• Its a port
• Windows Registry Emulator
• Allaires documentation and support is better for
  NT but improving
• Add-on packages work better on NT
• Verity
• Bugs and Memory Leaks?

24
Whats Great About CF with Open Source Software?

• Integration using Standards-Based Software
• HTTP, ODBC, SQL
• Extends Capabilities of Each Product
• Cold Fusion Developers Pre-Disposed to Share
• Custom CF Tags and Libraries
• Contributions to Various Forums and on-line
  Communities

25
Whats Not So Great About CF with Open Source
Software?

• Limited Allaire Support
• Other than Apache, Open Source Software generally
  Not Supported by Allaire
• Allaire and Allaire Partners Unaccustomed to Open
  Source Business Models
• CF Server, Studio Are Not Open Source
• Dont Expect To Change, But It Doesnt Matter!
• Allaire is beginning to support Open Source
  platforms (Linux)

26
Looking Towards the Future

• Better support for Unix
• Linux Port
• Native code without Registry Emulation, etc...?
• Competition - the Application Server space is
  heating up
• Acceptance in Unix Community
• Cost
• Religious opinions
• Development tools and cross-platform coding

27
Cold Fusion and Open Source

• It Works!
• Combining Cold Fusion and Open Source software
• Met our needs
• Met our customers needs

28
Packages and Tools We Used

• Apache
• MySQL
• MyODBC, iodbc
• GNU/FSF gcc, egcs, make, gtar, etc...
• Linux Open Source concept and MySQL test bed

29
Links

• Open Source http//www.opensource.org
• GNU/FSF http//www.fsf.org
• MySQL http//www.mysql.com
• Scott Weikarts libmysqlodbc driver
  ftp//ftp.igc.org/pub/myodbc
• Apache http//www.apache.org
• Open Source Software for Solaris
  http//www.sunfreeware.com
• General Sun Help http//www.sunhelp.com
• Allaire http//www.allaire.com
• Washington Square Associates, Inc.
  http//www.washsq.com
• Me http//ww2.washsq.com/sgreene/
  sgreene_at_patriot.net

30
Cold Fusion and Linux

• Allaire working on Linux port of CF Server
• Part of CF 5.0 release (Fall 1999?)
• Probably a native port
• No registry emulator!
• Today - Linux stub
• Allows a Linux box running Apache to link to a NT
  or Solaris CF Server

31
Cold Fusion Linux Stub

• Allaire provides an Apache dynamic module to
  connect to a Cold Fusion server
• Requires
• RedHat 5.2
• Apache 1.3.x with mod_so enabled
• libstdc
• An accessible CF 4.x server (NT or Solaris)
• http//forums.allaire.com/devconf/Index.cfm?Messag
  e_ID256760

32
Installing the Linux Cold Fusion Stub

• Build and install mod_coldfusion.so per
  instructions in README
• httpd.conf
• LoadModule coldfusion_module libexec/mod_coldfusio
  n.so
• Edit /opt/coldfusion/cfremote.ini
• Edit ltCF Servergt/opt/coldfusion/cfdist.ini and
  run /opt/coldfusion/bin/cfdist
• Check logs for successerror messages

33
Using the Linux Cold Fusion Stub

• Need an exact mirror of ALL .cfm, .html, images,
  etc. from the back-end CF server on the Linux
  system
• Easiest via NFS export
• Windows File Sharing (smbmount)
• ftp, mirror, rsync
• Apache hands off Cold Fusion calls to the real
  CF Server using cfdist

34
Observations on the Linux Cold Fusion Stub

• For Now - Limited Practical Use
• Might make sense to integrate a Linux-based web
  site with a back-end fielded database on a
  Solaris or NT system.
• If most/all of site is on Cold Fusion, there may
  be less reason to front it with a Linux web
  server
• Gets Cold Fusion in front of community
• Especially businesses considering using Linux

35
Using Open Source Software in Commercial
Environment

• Skepticism on practicality, performance, support,
  value
• Open Source software rapidly gaining mind share
• Strong business value IF IT WORKS
• Have a respected champion
• Be prepared to do plenty of integration, testing,
  and repeat selling

36
Predictions on Cold Fusions Future in the Linux
World

• IMHO
• Cold Fusions real strength is the developer tool
  (CF Studio) and its integration with CF Server.
• Linux port is for Server, not Studio
• A Linux port of CF Server is likely to appeal to
  business users who want a powerful, stable,
  cost-effective web server
• CF is less likely to compete with Perl and PHP
  among traditional Linux web developers