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HostPro VServer install workaround

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HostPro VServer install workaround
Just want to share with everyone a problem and workaround I found for installing on VServers using install.cgi via telnet. Install seems to go smoothly but when you attempt to run setup for the first time all you get is server errors. This results from physical server paths instead of virtual server paths being built into the scripts during install.

When a VServer client starts a telnet session, the default directory they are taken to is /usr/home/username. The problem with this is the virtual directory they are in is /. Install.cgi wants to build other scripts using the /usr/home/username prefix in the server path and won't let you install if you try to remove it during the install. So, the way you must leave it is
/usr/home/username/usr/local/etc/httpd/[htdocs or vhosts]/domain... instead of trying to edit it to
/usr/local/etc/httpd/[htdocs or vhosts]/domain...

Location of perl can stay at /usr/local/bin/perl5 as there are both physical and virtual paths to it.

When the install completes, FTP the entire thing locally with directory structure intact. Using windoze explorer advanced file find, I searched for all files in and below the links cgi directory containing the text "/usr/home/username" and used the replace function in wordpad to remove this prefix from all server paths in all files it found containing it. The offending text is found in all scripts in the links main /cgi-bin directory, /cgi-bin/admin, cgi-bin/admin/Links/ConfigData.pm and cgi-bin/admin/mysqlman/mysql.cgi.

When finished editing, upload back to the server in ASCII and run http://domain/path_to_links_cgi_directory/admin/setup.cgi.

Now, if I can just figure out why nph-build does not work I'll be a happy guy!

Mark Brasche
http://SurfSafely.com/
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Re: HostPro VServer install workaround In reply to
If the NPH-build.cgi does not execute at all, then your hosting company may have Non Parsed Header files disabled...simply try renaming the script to build.cgi and then execute it.

Regards,

Eliot Lee
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Re: HostPro VServer install workaround In reply to
In Reply To:
If the NPH-build.cgi does not execute at all, then your hosting company may have Non Parsed Header files disabled...simply try renaming the script to build.cgi and then execute it.
Actually, Mel went in and corrected the problem. Time::HiRes is not installed by default on VServers. nph-build.cgi, nph-index.cgi and nph-email.cgi all "require" it. The only two ways to fix it are commenting those lines out with # or installing the Time::HiRes perl module.

I'm opting for the latter and trying to learn how to do it right now. It's trial and error.

Thanks.

Mark Brasche
http://SurfSafely.com/
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Re: HostPro VServer install workaround In reply to
Hi Mark,

I always disliked the virtual environment. =) Causes nothing but confusion when running in telnet. However, you may have better luck just running install.cgi from the web and that way the paths should be correct.

Cheers,

Alex

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Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: HostPro VServer install workaround In reply to
Interesting. You are, of course, correct. That would have solved the virtual paths issue. Unfortunately, not all of us have, or can afford (yet) the luxury of dedicated server hardware. The ONLY reason I did not do it that way is because the instructions recommended against it. Silly me for following instructions! Smile


Mark Brasche
http://SurfSafely.com/
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Re: HostPro VServer install workaround In reply to
Hi,

Sorry, I didn't mean virtual vs dedicated, it's iservers (and Hostpro) run their web servers under a chroot'ed environment. So when you are working in telnet/shell everything is /usr/home/yourname, but that is not the correct path under the web.

This becomes even more troublesome when you add custom perl modules that won't appear when you run from telnet (because they are installed /usr/home/yourname/usr/lib/perl5) but work fine from the web. Also, when they didn't support mysql, and you had to install it locally as well, ugh!

Other then that, I don't mind them at all. Just a pet peeve of mine whenever I'm working on those accounts. =)

Cheers,

Alex

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Gossamer Threads Inc.
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Re: HostPro VServer install workaround In reply to
I definitely hear you brother, and I have voiced the same gripes with them. I'm sure I'm not alone. I could not install Time::HiRes because of it and they would not do it for me. Level 2 Tech support promised me last week that there is a new server product they will be unveiling soon that has received zero public mention (very hush, hush) which will put an end to these woes.

You saw it first here, folks!

Mark Brasche
http://SurfSafely.com/