NAME

INSTALL - Apache mod_perl installation instructions

DESCRIPTION

How to build, test, configure and install mod_perl

PREREQUSITES

Apache version 1.1.x, 1.2.0+ or 1.3a1+

Perl version 5.003 or higher

If you do not have Perl version 5.003_01 or higher, fetch and install ExtUtils::Embed from CPAN <URL:http://www.perl.com/CPAN/modules/by-module/ExtUtils/ExtUtils-Embed-1.12.tar.gz>

Win32 users, see INSTALL.win32

Build and install mod_perl

In this current directory run:

perl Makefile.PL
make
make test (optional)	
make install

Makefile.PL will search for apache source trees to configure against, if no source trees are found, you will be prompted for a path to one.

When asked:

"Configure mod_perl with ../apache_xxx ?"

answering 'y' just tells Makefile.PL where we can find src/*.h

When asked:

"Shall I build httpd in $adir for you?"

answering 'y' will run ../apache_xxx/Configure and httpd will be built when running 'make'

To avoid this prompt and default to the first apache source tree found to configure and build against, use the following command:

perl Makefile.PL DO_HTTPD=1

To avoid the prompts and avoid building httpd, use the following command:

perl Makefile.PL NO_HTTPD=1

You may wish see the instructions below on how to build by hand.

In any case, you need to 'make install' so the perl side of mod_perl will be installed.

By default, all callback hooks except for PerlHandler are turned off. You may edit src/modules/perl/Makefile, or enable when running Makfile.PL Possible arguments are:

PERL_INIT
PERL_TRANS
PERL_HEADER_PARSER
PERL_AUTHEN
PERL_AUTHZ
PERL_ACCESS
PERL_TYPE
PERL_FIXUP
PERL_LOG
PERL_CLEANUP

PERL_STACKED_HANDLERS
PERL_METHOD_HANDLERS
PERL_SECTIONS
PERL_SSI

Example to enable PerlAuthenHandler and PerlFixupHandler:

perl Makefile.PL PERL_AUTHEN=1 PERL_FIXUP=1

To enable all callback hooks:

perl Makefile.PL ALL_HOOKS=1 

To enable _all_ of the above, set EVERYTHING=1

perl Makefile.PL EVERYTHING=1

To enable tracing set PERL_TRACE=1

perl Makefile.PL PERL_TRACE=1

Linking Perl extensions static with httpd

Normally, if an exension is linked static with Perl it is listed in Config.pm's $Config{static_exts}, in which case, mod_perl will also link this extension static with httpd. However, if an extension is linked static with Perl after it is installed, it is not listed in Config.pm. You may either edit Config.pm and add these extensions, or configure mod_perl like so:

perl Makefile.PL "PERL_STATIC_EXTS=Something::Static Another::One" 

Testing mod_perl

Running 'make test' will start an httpd on port 8529 running under the uid and gid of the 'perl Makefile.PL' process, the httpd will be terminated when the tests are finshed.

To change the default port say:

perl Makefile.PL PORT=xxxx

To simply start the newly build httpd before 'make install' run:

make start_httpd

To shutdown this httpd run:

make kill_httpd

See t/README on how to run the mod_perl test suite by hand

NOTE to Ben-SSL users: httpsd does not seem to handle '/dev/null' as the location of certain files, you'll have to change these by hand. Tests are run with 'SSLDisable'

Using an alternative Configuration file

If you wish to use a Configuration file without having mod_perl's Makefile.PL give it's copy to apache's Configuration, configure like so:

perl Makefile.PL CONFIG=Configuration.custom

Where Configuration.custom is the name of any file relative to the apache source tree you build against. See the "building apache and mod_perl by hand" instructions below on how to add the mod_perl information to your custom Configuration file.

Building apache and mod_perl by hand

** Only if you did not let Makefile.PL take care of this already **

mod_perl Makefile

When Makefile.PL is run $APACHE_SRC/modules/perl/Makefile will be modified to enable options (e.g. ALL_HOOKS=1)

You may also edit mod_perl-x.xx/src/modules/perl/Makefile before or after running Makefile.PL if you wish

Makefile.tmpl

apache_1.1.x users: copy src/Makefile.tmpl to apache_xxx/src/

apache 1.2.0+ users: no need to modify the Makefile.tmpl for mod_perl

Configuration

Edit apache_xxx/src/Configuration, and add:

Module perl_module	   modules/perl/libperl.a

We suggest you add this entry at the end of the Configuration file if you want your callback hooks to have precedence over core handlers.

Add the following to EXTRA_LIBS:

EXTRA_LIBS=`perl -MExtUtils::Embed -e ldopts`

Add the following to EXTRA_CFLAGS:

EXTRA_CFLAGS=`perl -MExtUtils::Embed -e ccopts` \ 
             `perl -Mmod_perl -e subversion`

mod_perl source files

Copy the source files into the apache build directory: (For apache versions < 1.2 you'll need to mkdir src/modules/ first)

cp -r src/modules/perl  apache_xxx/src/modules/

Run:

% perl Makefile.PL DYNAMIC=1 && make install

When prompted, you must tell Makefile.PL where to find apache sources (for header files), answer 'n' when asked "Shall I build httpd in ../apache_x.x.x/src for you?"

Follow the apache install docs from there

Configuring and building with Stronghold

You must first build and install Stronghold without mod_perl, following Stronghold's install procedure.

Then, you may rebuild following the instructions above to:

Build and install mod_perl

 or

Building apache and mod_perl by hand

Before running `make test', you must add your `StrongholdKey' to t/conf/httpd.conf

I you are configuring by hand, be sure to edit src/modules/perl/Makefile and uncomment #APACHE_SSL

For Solaris 2.5 users, there has been a report related to the REGEX that comes with Stronghold, after building Apache with mod_perl would produce core dumps. To get around this:

In STRONGHOLD/src/Configuration, Change:

Rule WANTHSREGEX=default

To:

Rule WANTHSREGEX=no

Installing on multiple machines

You may wish to build httpd once, then copy it to other machines. The Perl side of mod_perl needs the apache headers files to compile, to avoid dragging and build apache on all your other machines, there are a few Makefile targets to help you out:

'make tar_Apache'

This will tar all files mod_perl installs in your 'site_perl' directory, into a file called 'Apache.tar'. You can then unpack this under 'site_perl' on another machine.

'make offsite-tar'

This will copy all header files from the apache source directory you configured mod_perl against, then it will 'make dist' where you'll a mod_perl-x.xx.tar.gz created, ready to unpack on another machine to compile and install the Perl side of mod_perl.

Notes

BSDI users

Gary Shea <shea@xmission.com> discovered a nasty BSDI bug (seen in versions 2.1 and 3.0) related to dynamic loading and two workarounds:

Turns out they use argv[0] to determine where to find the link tables at run-time, so if a program either changes argv[0], or does a chdir() (like apache!), it can easily confuse the dynamic loader. The short-term solutions to the problem are pitifully simple. Either of the following will work:

1) Call httpd with a full path, e.g. /opt/www/bin/httpd

2) Put the httpd you wish to run in a directory in your PATH before any other directory containing a version of httpd, then call it as 'httpd' -- don't use a relative path!

AIX users

The following problem:

> I am having problems 'make'ing mod_perl 0.99. The 'make' command fails > attempting to compile httpd with the message: > > 'ld: cannot findexport file: perl.exp' > > I am running Perl 5.004_01 on AIX 3.2.5.1. We currently have Apache

Is answered by Eric Bartley <bartley@cc.purdue.edu>: Yes this is something I had run into with perl & mod_perl on AIX. It's a nit between AIX's awkward dynamic libraries and perl's configuration and installation. The story goes like this: to build a dynamically loaded extension you have to provide the linker with a list of symbol names to be exported. This is what perl.exp does for perl. Most people only need this to build libperl, at which time the linker needs to find this file in the current working directory so "-dE:perl.exp" works. However, Embeded application will also need this because the will be exporting these symbols (or importing I'm not exactly sure). Now that perl.exp is installed in the PERL5LIB directory the linker needs the full path to perl.exp (or you could copy it the the cwd of the compile). Edit Config.pm and search for the line that reads ccdlflags='-bE:perl.exp'. Add the path to the CORE directory for this version of perl. For example in my installation of perl 5.004_01 this line now reads:

ccdlflags='-bE:/usr/local/lib/perl5/aix/5.00401/CORE/perl.exp'

This command will tell you where your Config.pm lives and the path to the CORE directory:

perl -MConfig -e 'print "$Config{archlibexp}/Config.pm\n"'

Perl Static Extensions

If you wish to use a module that is normally linked static with your Perl, it must be listed in static_ext in Perl's Config.pm to be linked with httpd during the mod_perl build.

To list your static extensions, run this command:

perl -V:static_ext

If your module is not listed, add it to this line in Config.pm:

static_ext=' '

more info

Type 'perldoc mod_perl' for info on configuring, running and writing Apache/Perl scripts and modules.

Using PerlIO

See 'perldoc mod_perl' for an explaination See the Perl INSTALL document for more information.

Here's how to configure your perl with sfio:

% Configure -des -Duseperlio -Dusesfio 

With Perl version 5.003_93 or higher, there is no need to configure with sfio for using Perl's read() and print() functions, STDIN and STDOUT are tie'd to the client connection.

Support

For comments, questions, bug-reports, announcements, etc., send mail to majordomo@listproc.itribe.net with the string "subscribe modperl" in the body. (Thanks to Mark A. Imbriaco <mark@itribe.net>)

Thanks to James Cooper <pixel@tiger.coe.missouri.edu>, there is a hypermail archive for this list at:

http://www.coe.missouri.edu/~faq/lists/modperl/

IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS

Please send mail to modperl@listproc.itribe.net with the output of:

Output of perl -v; perl -V

version of the mod_perl package.

which script from the eg/ directory you are using. (please try a script from there first.)

your apache server version details and your server configuration.

the output of 'make test'

a copy of /tmp/mod_perl_error_log

if you get a core dump, please send a backtrace if possible (be sure to add '-g' to EXTRA_CFLAGS in the Apache Configuration file).

Here's how to get a backtrace:

% cd mod_perl-x.xx
% touch /tmp/mod_perl_srm.conf
% gdb ../apache_x.xx/src/httpd
(gdb) run -X -d `pwd/t'
[now make request that causes core dump]
(gdb) bt

If the dump is happening in libperl a -DDEBUGGING enabled libperl would help show us what's really happening.

Go to your Perl source tree:

% rm *.[oa]
% make LIBPERL=libperld.a
% cp libperld.a $Config{archlibexp}/CORE
% cd $Config{archlibexp}/CORE
% mv libperl.a libperle.a
% ln -s libperld.a libperl.a

$Config{archlibexp} is:

% perl -V:archlibexp

Rebuild httpd, let's see a new backtrace. After we're done debugging, ln -s libperle.a libperl.a

if you can compile but not run a mod_perl, send mail to modperl@listproc.itribe.net with the output of:

Output of perl -v; perl -V

version of the mod_perl package.

which script from the eg/ directory you are using. (please try a script from there first.)

your apache server version

cpanm mod_perl

perl -MCPAN -e shell
install mod_perl