Install Appaserver
©Tim Riley
Apache Group
This step is optional. However, having
group-centric security is completely
secure and most flexible.
Add yourself to the apache
group. Both the apache
user and group are called
“www-data”.
Log back in for
this to take effect.
Equally effective, you could add yourself
to the “admin” group, or you could create
an “appaserver” group.
©Tim Riley
If you do either,
remember to add the
apache username
(www-data) to this
group.
/etc/profile
Appending dot to
your path is safe and
convenient.
Appaserver generates many temporary files.
Therefore, it should be installed in /var. Ideally,
/var should be on its own filesystem.
Set these global environment variables in
/etc/profile.
©Tim Riley
/etc/profile
Remember to
source this file
before proceeding.
This step is optional. However, having
group-centric security is completely
secure and most flexible.
If /var is on its own filesystem, then links
to cgi-bin need to be symbolic.
©Tim Riley
/usr/lib/cgi-bin
Set permissions for the
$CGI_HOME directory.
Remember, this
might be either
“admin” or
“appaserver” group.
The s-bit on a directory's
group says: for all new files
and subdirectories, set the
group name to the directory's
group, not the default group of
the user creating the file or
subdirectory.
©Tim Riley
Leave world access to
read and execute.
Virtual hosts run as
other user IDs, so they
need to execute here.
/var/www
Set permissions for the
$DOCUMENT_ROOT
directory.
Remember, this
might be either
“admin” or
“appaserver” group.
©Tim Riley
/var/appaserver
Create the
appaserver
directory.
Remember, this
might be either
“admin” or
“appaserver” group.
©Tim Riley
Remember,this must match
“APPASERVER_HOME=” in /etc/profile.
/var/appaserver
Point your browser to the
download directory.
Make a note of the latest version of appaserver.
©Tim Riley
/var/appaserver
Change directory to
APPASERVER_HOME
Download the latest version of appaserver.
©Tim Riley
/var/appaserver
First, make sure you're in
either an empty directory
or an appaserver
directory. The tar file
doesn't have a root
directory.
©Tim Riley
Untar it.
Compile Appaserver
Compile appaserver.
©Tim Riley
Compile Appaserver
Successful compilation.
©Tim Riley
Directory /var/log/appaserver
Remember, this
might be either
“admin” or
“appaserver” group.
Make the appaserver log
file directory.
Have it participate in the
group-centric paradigm.
©Tim Riley
File appaserver.err
Create the old
appaserver error file.
Some computer
programs still send
messages here.
©Tim Riley
Appaserver Error File
Create the first
appaserver application
error file. Each
application gets its
own error file.
©Tim Riley
Appaserver Configuration
File
Remember, this
might be either
“admin” or
“appaserver” group.
Copy the appaserver configuration template to
/etc/appaserver.config, then secure it.
©Tim Riley
Appaserver Configuration File
Edit the appaserver
configuration file. You
should only need to set
the MySQL password.
©Tim Riley
Appaserver Configuration File
Make sure MySQL works.
Make sure sql works.
©Tim Riley
Create Database
Create the template database.
©Tim Riley
Appaserver Configuration File
Edit /etc/appaserver.config
Set the default
database to
template.
©Tim Riley
Create Template Application
Get the create and insert
template SQL statements.
©Tim Riley
Create Application Table
Run the create and insert
template SQL statements.
©Tim Riley
Upgrade Appaserver Database
Execute the upgrade scripts just
in case any database changes
were made.
©Tim Riley
Link to /var/www
Appaserver's horizontal menu is accomplished with
Dynarch's hmenu. However, hmenu is no longer
supported. The hmenu version deployed is an
unlicensed, trial version. Two attempts to contact the
author about purchasing a distribution license went
unanswered. To use the vertical menu instead, set
frameset_menu_horizontal_yn to 'n' in the
template_application table.
Apache only sees what
is inside of
$DOCUMENT_ROOT.
Make these five
directories available to
apache.
You may have to add “Options FollowSymLinks” to
your apache configuration file.
©Tim Riley
Create /var/appaserver/data
Create the data directory and secure it.
©Tim Riley
Link icons to /var/www
Two operations have icons:
delete and detail. Make
these icons available to
apache.
©Tim Riley
At the botton-left corner of each
frame, a “Top” button appears.
Make this icon available to
apache.
Login Screen
Point your browser to template.
Login with nobody/changeit.
©Tim Riley
Welcome To Appaserver
If something is wrong, then check:
1) /var/log/appaserver/appaserver_template.err
2) /var/log/apache2/error.log
Become role=System.
©Tim Riley
Add Yourself
Choose the menu sequence:
<Insert><Security><Appaserver User>
©Tim Riley
Add Yourself
Enter your user name information.
This flag overrides
APPLICATION.frameset_menu_horizontal_yn.
Press <Submit>
©Tim Riley
A convenient mechanism to
generate passwords is to allow the
user to log in with the password of
“changeit”. Then instruct the user to
run Change Password.
Add Yourself
The bottom frame automatically displays the Role
Appaserver User table, ready for inserting.
Press <Submit>
Assign yourself to the System role.
©Tim Riley
Add Yourself
You're in!
©Tim Riley
Log In As Yourself
Remember? Your
password is
“changeit”.
©Tim Riley
Deactivate User=nobody
Choose <Lookup> <Security> <Appaserver User>
©Tim Riley
Deactivate User=nobody
Query where login_name = 'nobody'
©Tim Riley
Deactivate User=nobody
Delete the password. An empty
password prevents logging in.
©Tim Riley
Deactivate User=nobody
Press <Submit>
©Tim Riley
Change Your Password
Choose the process “Change Password.”
©Tim Riley
Change Your Password
Press <Submit>
Type in and confirm your new password.
©Tim Riley
Create Empty Application
Select <Process>
<Create Empty Application>
©Tim Riley
Create Empty Application
The Destination Application
becomes the database name.
So, only letters and numbers.
©Tim Riley
Create Empty Application
Set the default database in
/etc/appaserver.config. The
executable “sql” will now
connect to your new database.
©Tim Riley
Create Empty Application
You can override the default database
by setting $DATABASE.
©Tim Riley