TclTk 2003

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Tcl/Tk 2003
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Using Starkits for Easy Deployment of Server
Applications

• Mark Roseman
• courseforum
• T E C H N O L O G I E S

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The Canonical Tcl Server App

• socket -server Accept portnum
• proc Accept sock args
• fconfigure sock -blocking 0
• fileevent sock readable Readable sock
• proc Readable sock
• do something interesting

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That was easy! On to the next application.

• Ummm.forgetting something?
• Oh yeah, better post it on SourceForge so others
  can take advantage of my brilliance!

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If it was hard to develop, it should be hard to
install!

• Download the latest source
• Unpack in Sites directory of your home dir
• Configure Apache
• Open Terminal.app, type sudo vi
  /etc/httpd/httpd.conf
• Remove the leading from these lines
• LoadModule php4_module libexec/httpd/libphp4.so
• AddModule mod_php4.c
• Modify the DirectoryIndex line to read
• DirectoryIndex index.html index.php index.htm
  index.php3 index.cgi

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And so on

• Keep configuring Apache
• AddType application/x-httpd-php .php AddType
  application/x-httpd-php-source .phps
• Then sudo apachectl restart
• Install MySQL (luckily someone packaged that up
  nicely.. Download it here)
• Check if its running
• /usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqladmin status
• Oh yeah and set a root password on it
• /usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqladmin -u root password
  sniggle

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Oh, but the fun has just begun!

• Better set up MySQL for your Wiki
• /usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql -uroot -p mysql gt
  grant select, insert, update, delete, lock tables
  on wiki. to wiki_at_localhost identified by
  'password' gt create database wiki gt \q
• . Hack hack hack hack hack.
• . Tell PHP about it.. Hack hack
• Modify the Wiki code to include the database
  hack hack hack hack.

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Glad we spent all that time developing our
application.
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A New Breed of Server Apps

• Personal / Small Group Server Apps
• SOHO market adopting
• Broadband, WiFi, Bluetooth
• Windows XP, Mac OS X
• Weblog, Wiki, webmail, file sharing, calendars,
  MP3 streaming, document management
• Normal users, not network admins

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Deploying Tcl Server Apps

• The Starkit story so far
• Deployment Requirements
• Dependencies
• Installation / Configuration
• Starting and Stopping
• Platform Issues
• particularly Mac and Windows
• Miscellaneous Issues
• - packaging, builds, obfuscation, integration

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The Starkit story so far

• Tclkit Tcl, Tk, incr Tcl, Metakit, TclVFS
• Starkits and Starpacks
• Platform-neutral or platform-specific
• Package up your whole development tree
• Way beyond simple code wrapping
• Jean-Claude Wippler Tcl2000
• Steve Landers Tcl2002
• Gets you pretty far (e.g. wikit)

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CourseForum / ProjectForum

• Wiki-like app
• Non-tech users
• Education
• Business
• Cross-platform
• Unix, Win, OS X
• Web Browser
• Easy to use tool
• Try before you buy

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Dependencies

• Typical Wiki Apache/IIS, scripting engine, other
  libraries, external database, CVS,
• Trend is towards more layers (app servers)
• Barriers to entry
• Initial install (dont screw up!)
• Upgrade can break your app
• Tradeoffs must be taken into account early!
• Developer benefit from external packages
• Increased complexity for end users
• Understand the context youre running in

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Reducing Dependencies

• Solution 1 bundle everything
• Setup script to automate install
• Can make sense for larger systems
• Solution 2 roll your own (subsets)
• TclHttpd (or mini-variants)
• Metakit (or SQLite)
• Build subset libraries (e.g. version control)
• CF/PF one file, no externals, lt 2mb

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Installation
Next
Next

• Install copy
• Uninstall delete
• Well maybe

Next
Next
Next
Next
Next
Next
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Configuration

• Get rid of the text based configuration files!
• Web-based configuration

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Starting and Stopping

• Start the application, stop the application
• Consider a simple GUI for this yes, even for a
  server!
• New Users
• Feedback
• Choosing ports

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Running as a Daemon

• Different than initial use
• Unix rc.d / inittab
• Windows services
• Mac OS X StartupItem
• more later

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Unix Platform Issues

• Not a lot of extra issues here
• Running as setuid

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Windows Platform Issues

• Start / Stop GUI
• Installers / Uninstallers
• Windows Services
• TclSvc
• Tcl Dev KitService Mgr
• FireDaemon

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Mac OS X

• Unix for the Masses
• Opportunity for smaller developers
• Rewards innovation
• Culture of supporting small shops
• Actually pay for software
• Easy to get the word out
• Free High-Quality Developer Tools and Docs
• Beware port is a four letter word!

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Mac OS X GUI

• Tk not quite there yet (sniff!)
• Small Cocoa app
• 200 lines ObjC
• InterfaceBuilder
• A few hoursto develop

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Mac OS X Application Bundles

• App is a directory
• Cocoa launcher
• Starpack guts
• Communicate via Unix pipes (!)
• Setuid

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Mac OS X Packaging
So we have a Starpack a virtual file system in a
file in an Application Bundle which looks like
a file system in a file, inside a Disk Image a
virtual file system in a file yikes!!!

• Application Bundles
• Disk Images
• Installers if needed
• StartupItem
• Known location
• Shell scripts
• Run (Unix-style) executable

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Other Issues

• Integration
• Avoiding port conflicts
• Firewalls
• Proxy / Virtual Hosting
• Branding
• Development Process
• Builds
• Testing
• Code obfuscation (procomp / tbcload)

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CourseForum / ProjectForum

• Full power of Tcl, Metakit, etc.
• With Starkit, drop development tree on users
  machine
• Small app, quick to download, code protected
• Runs like native apps, easy to setup and use

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Remember that OReilly Article?

• Ive got one of those if-only-Id-known-that-befo
  re sort of feelings
• Nice work. You're right, it couldn't be simpler.

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Deployment is a Tcl Strength

• Cross platform
• Easy to embed/extend
• Code hiding when needed
• Starkit goes way beyond simple wrapping
• Network server apps run by end users
• Important new niche
• Tips here to ease deployment further
• Start thinking about deployment early!

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Thanks!

• www.markroseman.com/tcl
• www.courseforum.com
• And announcing
• tcl.projectforum.com
• Free, powerful collaborative workspaces for
  Tcl/Tk based open source projects and their
  teams.
• Yes its easy to install but we do hosting too!