NAME

INSTALL - Apache mod_perl installation instructions

DESCRIPTION

How to build, test, configure and install mod_perl

PREREQUISITES

Apache version 1.3.6+

Perl version 5.004 or higher (5.005_03 or higher recommended)

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/src ?"

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/src/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 Makefile.PL

Possible arguments are:

PERL_POST_READ_REQUEST
PERL_TRANS
PERL_INIT

PERL_HEADER_PARSER
PERL_AUTHEN
PERL_AUTHZ
PERL_ACCESS
PERL_TYPE
PERL_FIXUP
PERL_LOG
PERL_CLEANUP
PERL_CHILD_INIT
PERL_CHILD_EXIT
PERL_DISPATCH

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

If a file name `makepl_args.mod_perl' is found in the same directory as the mod_perl build location with any of these options, it will be read in by Makefile.PL

Example:

% ls -1 .
apache_1.3/
makepl_args.mod_perl
mod_perl-1.12/

% cat makepl_args.mod_perl
EVERYTHING=1 DO_HTTPD=1

% cd mod_perl-1.12
% perl Makefile.PL && make test && make install

You'll see all options enabled and you will not be prompted for apache source location, it will default to ../apache_1.3

There is a sample makepl_args.mod_perl in the eg/ directory, in which you might find a few options to enable experimental features to play with too! :-)

Installation of Apache header files

By default, the apache headers files are installed into $Config{sitearchexp}/auto/Apache/include

The reason for installing the header files is to make life simple for module authors/users when building/installing a module that taps into some Apache C functions, e.g. Embperl, Apache::Peek, etc.

If you wish not to install these files, tell Makefile.PL like so:

perl Makefile.PL APACHE_HEADER_INSTALL=0

Linking Perl extensions static with httpd

Normally, if an extension 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

Configuration

Edit apache_xxx/src/Configuration, adding:

AddModule 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` 

mod_perl source files

Copy the source files into the apache build directory:

% 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

Compilers

On most systems, both Perl and Apache+mod_perl must be built using the same compiler. Sometimes Perl's configuration will choose one compiler, e.g. cc, but Apache's configuration chooses a different one, e.g. gcc. If you run into this problem, consult Perl's and Apache's INSTALL documents on how to ensure both are built with the same compiler.

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

If you build mod_perl as a DSO you will get core dumps as soon as you try to use xs modules in perl, e.g. use Fcntl or use Socket. The following patch to perl 5.005_3 does fix that problem:

--- perl5.005_03/ext/DynaLoader/dl_aix.xs.orig	Fri Mar  3 17:00:58 2000
+++ perl5.005_03/ext/DynaLoader/dl_aix.xs	Sun Apr  2 13:37:05 2000
@@ -74,8 +74,8 @@
 } Module, *ModulePtr;
 
 /*
- * We keep a list of all loaded modules to be able to call the fini
- * handlers at atexit() time.
+ * We keep a list of all loaded modules to be able to reference count
+ * duplicate dlopen's.
  */
 static ModulePtr modList;
 
@@ -88,7 +88,6 @@
 
 static void caterr(char *);
 static int readExports(ModulePtr);
-static void terminate(void);
 static void *findMain(void);
 
 static char *strerror_failed   = "(strerror failed)";
@@ -165,7 +164,6 @@
	if (!mainModule) {
		if ((mainModule = findMain()) == NULL)
			return NULL;
-		atexit(terminate);
	}
	/*
	 * Scan the list of modules if have the module already loaded.
@@ -222,7 +220,16 @@
	mp->refCnt = 1;
	mp->next = modList;
	modList = mp;
-	if (loadbind(0, mainModule, mp->entry) == -1) {
+	/*
+	 * Assume anonymous exports come from the module this dlopen
+	 * is linked into, that holds true as long as dlopen and all
+	 * of the perl core are in the same shared object. Also bind
+	 * against the main part, in the case a perl is not the main
+	 * part, e.g mod_perl as DSO in Apache so perl modules can
+	 * also reference Apache symbols.
+	 */
+	if (loadbind(0, (void *)dlopen, mp->entry) == -1 ||
+	    loadbind(0, mainModule, mp->entry) == -1) {
		dlclose(mp);
		errvalid++;
		strcpy(errbuf, "loadbind: ");
@@ -336,12 +343,6 @@
	safefree(mp->name);
	safefree(mp);
	return result;
-}
-
-static void terminate(void)
-{
-	while (modList)
-		dlclose(modList);
 }
 
 /* Added by Wayne Scott 

Please make sure that you rebuild both perl and mod_perl after applying this patch.

more info

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

Support

See the SUPPORT file.