Difference between revisions of "Web Server"

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This entry contains information on the packages installed in the web server and the process followed for their installation.
 
This entry contains information on the packages installed in the web server and the process followed for their installation.
  
 
The Wiki began very late in the process, so it will be completed slowly over time.
 
The Wiki began very late in the process, so it will be completed slowly over time.
 +
 +
== Volunteer Web Server Introduction ==
 +
 +
Accounts are setup to try to use the same username and password as MIT Athena. To login to the server you need to point an SSH (secure telnet) client to:
 +
  sailing.mit.edu
 +
 +
Users also have a local password, different than the Athena password, which is required to use "sudo".
 +
 +
A general knowledge of both [http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/ HTML] and [http://www.php.net PHP] is expected.
 +
 +
The web site is maintained in a git repository.
 +
 +
The main public website is at:
 +
  public_html
 +
 +
The secure parts of the site are at:
 +
  ssl_html
 +
 +
Utility files (very important - they define the framework of the site) are at:
 +
  includes
 +
 +
Always keep the general structure of the website as is; please do not create new directories unless you have consulted the webmaster.
  
 
== General Server Setup ==
 
== General Server Setup ==
  
Two servers have been setup since the Wiki was started, both using Debian:
+
History of server updates since the site was established:
 
* [[2009 - Dell Optiplex 760]]
 
* [[2009 - Dell Optiplex 760]]
 
* [[2004 - Custom Build]]
 
* [[2004 - Custom Build]]
Line 49: Line 70:
 
You're done. Check that the certificate has updated.
 
You're done. Check that the certificate has updated.
  
== Weather Station ==
+
*** UPDATE 2012-2013 ***
 +
MIT now uses "chain" certificates from a comercial authority (hopefully to prevent people from getting the "we don't know your Certificate Authority" warning/error in browsers. In order to make this work, when you get the Certificate:
  
The Weather Station is a '''[http://www.davisnet.com/weather/products/vantage2.asp Vantage Pro2]''' hard wired model.
+
*FIRST TIME ONLY*
 +
Update the configuration of Apache to use a "ChainFile":
 +
1 - Find ssl.conf
 +
2 - Uncomment SSLCertificateChainFile
 +
3 - Use value: /home/mitna/CA/chain.pem
 +
    e.g. SSLCertificateChainFile /home/mitna/CA/chain.pem
 +
4 - Create /home/mitna/CA/chain.pem by copying *only* the
 +
    contents of the "Intermediates/root only" part of the
 +
    certificate (first 2 parts)
 +
5 - Restart apache (or do it after updating sailing.pem)
  
=== NEW ===
+
*FUTURE YEARS*
W View did not make me happy (it could not give 'real-time' results, only show things about every minute or even more... plus I could not get it to save data to the database to interface easily with PHP.
+
1 - Update "sailing.pem" as before
 +
2 - Check if "chain.pen" needs updating
  
So, I looked more around, and found this super easy program to use:
+
== Weather Station ==
  
  http://www.joejaworski.com/weather/
+
The Weather Station is a '''[http://www.davisnet.com/weather/products/vantage2.asp Vantage Pro2]''' hard wired model.
 
+
Since our station is in USB and next to the computer, the ONLY software needed is:
+
  vproweather
+
  http://www.joejaworski.com/weather/vproweather-0.6.tgz
+
 
+
I downloaded/untared it to:
+
  /usr/local/pkgs/vproweather-0.6/
+
 
+
A simple 'make' (using sudo) was all that was needed to compile it. Then, running it with:
+
  /usr/local/pkgs/vproweather-0.6/vproweather -x /dev/ttyUSB0
+
 
+
Gives real time data, and using '-l' instead of '-x' gives low/high data.
+
 
+
I put this in a cron to run the real-time every 1 minute (fastes crontab can do) and update a table in the database, which is then used by the rest of the site (table: weather).  The low/high will run once a day.
+
 
+
Hopefully I'll be able to create a daemon which updates the table every 10 seconds or so... we'll see.
+
 
+
=== "Dynamic" Update ===
+
 
+
In order to update the weather information dynamically, I got the following packages online:
+
 
+
  ajax-dynamic-contant.js - from DHTMLGoodies.com (Alf Magne Kalleland)
+
  ajax.js - Simple AJAX Code Kit (SACK) - twilightuniverse.com (Gregory Wild-Smith)
+
 
+
I then modified '''vpro.php''' to create a file in
+
  html/inc/weather.txt
+
which updated every time the cron process runs and which is read by the ajax tools.
+
 
+
The header function in '''format.php''' now calls a set of javascript functions which load the weather.txt file, instead of using sql to obtain the information from the database.
+
 
+
Now the weather information updates dynamically, without having to reload a page.
+
 
+
=== OLD ===
+
The linux software is [http://www.wviewweather.com/ W View]. I followed the [http://www.wviewweather.com/release-notes/wview-User-Manual.html User Manual] detailed instructions.
+
 
+
Install (untar) to:
+
<ul><li>/usr/local/pkgs/wview-3.3.0</li></ul>
+
 
+
Commands (what should be done next time in order, I did not do it in this order):
+
<ul>
+
<li>Installed mysqlclient-dev: sudo apt-get install libmysqlclient-dev</li>
+
 
+
<li>Installed libpng-dev: sudo apt-get install libpng12-dev</li>
+
 
+
<li>Install 'radlib':</li>
+
  <ul>
+
  <li>get .tar</li>
+
  <li>install to  /urs/local/pkgs/radlib-2.7.0</li>
+
  <li>./configure</li>
+
  <li>make</li>
+
  <li>sudo make install</li>
+
  <li>edit /etc/ld.so.conf --> add /usr/local/lib --> run ldconfig</li>
+
  </ul>
+
 
+
<li>Install 'libgd' (all with sudo):</li>
+
  <ul>
+
  <li>get .tar</li>
+
  <li>install to  /usr/local/pkgs/gd-2.0.35</li>
+
  <li>./configure</li>
+
  <li>make</li>
+
  <li>make install</li>
+
  </ul>
+
 
+
<li>./configure --enable-mysql</li>
+
<li>sudo make</li>
+
<li>sudo make install</li>
+
</ul>
+
  
<i>Not working! Will need to check USB drivers/connection</i>
+
The server uses WeeWX with various extensions to collect and publish the weather data from the station.

Latest revision as of 14:49, 27 January 2016

This entry contains information on the packages installed in the web server and the process followed for their installation.

The Wiki began very late in the process, so it will be completed slowly over time.

Volunteer Web Server Introduction

Accounts are setup to try to use the same username and password as MIT Athena. To login to the server you need to point an SSH (secure telnet) client to:

 sailing.mit.edu

Users also have a local password, different than the Athena password, which is required to use "sudo".

A general knowledge of both HTML and PHP is expected.

The web site is maintained in a git repository.

The main public website is at:

 public_html

The secure parts of the site are at:

 ssl_html

Utility files (very important - they define the framework of the site) are at:

 includes

Always keep the general structure of the website as is; please do not create new directories unless you have consulted the webmaster.

General Server Setup

History of server updates since the site was established:

SSL Server Certificates

When certificates expire (they are given for one year at a time), you need to send a new certificate request to

 mitcert@mit.edu

Follow the directions at:

 http://web.mit.edu/apache-ssl/www-rev11/README.certificate

Do everything out of /home/mitna/CA (you don't need to do anything on Athena, all local on the server)

The files you really need at the end are:

req.pem sailing.key (I like this name instead of https-key.pem)

(rename the old ones reqYY-YY.pem and sailingYY-YY.key, where YY-YY are the years the file is valid, e.g. 07-08 were the first ones)

Feel free to delete foo.

 E-mail req.pem to mitcert@mit.edu
 SAVE sailing.key, it is essential

When you receive the Certificate:

Again in /home/mitna/CA

1 - Rename sailing.pem to sailingYY-YY.pem
2 - Create a new sailing.pem
3 - Put in it:
  a) the contents of sailing.key
  b) the exact e-mail with the certificate, starting with
     Certificate:
  then the rest.
  Include all --- BEGIN --- and --- END --- lines
4 - Restart apache (sudo apache2ctl restart)

You're done. Check that the certificate has updated.

      • UPDATE 2012-2013 ***

MIT now uses "chain" certificates from a comercial authority (hopefully to prevent people from getting the "we don't know your Certificate Authority" warning/error in browsers. In order to make this work, when you get the Certificate:

  • FIRST TIME ONLY*

Update the configuration of Apache to use a "ChainFile":

1 - Find ssl.conf
2 - Uncomment SSLCertificateChainFile
3 - Use value: /home/mitna/CA/chain.pem
    e.g. SSLCertificateChainFile /home/mitna/CA/chain.pem
4 - Create /home/mitna/CA/chain.pem by copying *only* the
    contents of the "Intermediates/root only" part of the
    certificate (first 2 parts)
5 - Restart apache (or do it after updating sailing.pem)
  • FUTURE YEARS*
1 - Update "sailing.pem" as before
2 - Check if "chain.pen" needs updating

Weather Station

The Weather Station is a Vantage Pro2 hard wired model.

The server uses WeeWX with various extensions to collect and publish the weather data from the station.