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Leveraging Cold Fusion with Open Source Software: A Practical Approach

Join Stephan Greene, a Senior Systems Specialist at VA and Linux consultant at Washington Square Associates, as he discusses the experience of using Cold Fusion with various open-source products. This talk will explore the benefits and challenges involved, contrasting two different approaches to software integration. Greene will share insights from his extensive Cold Fusion experience, focusing on the architecture of data-driven web applications and the importance of community support in open-source software. Learn how turning to open-source tools resolved critical project challenges effectively.

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Leveraging Cold Fusion with Open Source Software: A Practical Approach

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  1. Using Cold Fusion with Open Source Software“Making the Marriage Work” Stephan Greene Senior Systems Specialist, VA Linux Systems Consultant, Washington Square Associates, Inc. sgreene@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 weren’t 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 Open Source Developers Netscape Closed Source Other App CF Server External MyODBC Doesn’t Matter Other DB MySQL 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_HOST=xyz.foo.bar #MYSQL_LOG="d:t:S:O,/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_HOSTMYSQL_PWDMYSQL_LOGMYSQL_HOMEMYSQLHOME” ...

  16. ODBC Configuration [ODBC Data Sources] ... PROJECT1=MySQL ... [ODBC] Trace=0 TraceFile=/tmp/odbctrace.out TraceDll=/opt/coldfusion/lib/odbctrac.so InstallDir=/opt/coldfusion/odbc ... [PROJECT1] Description=PROJECT1 Driver=/usr/local/mysql/lib/libmyodbc_mysql.so SERVER=localhost ...

  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. <CFFILE ACTION="Upload”|”Write”> 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 <CFFILE ACTION="Upload" FILEFIELD="formfield" DESTINATION="directory" NAMECONFLICT="behavior" ACCEPT="file_extension" MODE="permission" ATTRIBUTES="file_attributes">

  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 -p<pwd> <database> < 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. What’s 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. What’s Not So Great About CF on Solaris? • It’s a port • Windows Registry Emulator • Allaire’s documentation and support is better for NT but improving • Add-on packages work better on NT • Verity • Bugs and Memory Leaks?

  24. What’s 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. What’s 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 • Don’t Expect To Change, But It Doesn’t 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 customer’s 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 Weikart’s 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@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?Message_ID=256760

  32. Installing the Linux Cold Fusion Stub • Build and install mod_coldfusion.so per instructions in README • httpd.conf: LoadModule coldfusion_module libexec/mod_coldfusion.so • Edit /opt/coldfusion/cfremote.ini • Edit <CF Server>:/opt/coldfusion/cfdist.ini and run /opt/coldfusion/bin/cfdist • Check logs for success|error 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 Fusion’s Future in the Linux World • IMHO: • Cold Fusion’s real strength is the developer tool (CF Studio) and it’s 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

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