ARCHIVED: Web Services on the IU Research Database Complex
On this page:
- Introduction
- Software
- Port assignment
- Your
web_services
directory - Configuration
- Configure Apache
- Configure Tomcat
- Start and stop Web Services
- Get help
Introduction
In addition to providing a home for research databases, Indiana University's Research Database Complex (RDC) provides an environment for database-driven web applications with a research focus. This environment comprises a Dell 2950 with a 1.6 GHz Quad-core Intel Xeon processor and 8 GB of memory. This system is known as
rdcweb.uits.iu.edu
, and runs Red Hat Enterprise
Linux.
Software
Apache and Tomcat are available to host web applications. In addition, you also have the option of using
mod_jk
to facilitate communication between Apache and Tomcat.
The following scripting languages are available:
Port assignment
When accounts are created, each user is assigned a range of 10 ports. This lets you run multiple servers if needed.
Your web_services
directory
The web_services
directory in your home directory on rdcweb.uits.iu.edu
is where all the user-controlled files for Apache and Tomcat live. You can access this directory via /ip/username
, which is a symbolic link provided for your convenience.
Configuration
In addition to the Apache and Tomcat configuration files, two files control the behavior of your servers:
- The
rdc-web.conf
file, located in theweb_services
directory, can be edited to toggle on and off various options, such asPHP
,SSL
, andmod_jk
. Important instructions for editing this file are contained in the file itself. If this file is deleted, you will not be able to start your servers. - The
.rdc-env
file is located in your home directory. It contains various environment variables that tell Apache and Tomcat where to find files needed for their operation. This file is also used to restart your servers in the event of a system reboot. Edit.rdc-env
only if you need to add environment variables.
Configure Apache
The Apache configuration on rdcweb.uits.iu.edu
allows all users to share the Apache binaries and libraries. All users have their own configuration files. In this way, the deployment of new versions of Apache, and supporting libraries and modules, can be centrally managed.
The root of your Apache server is web_services/httpd
, and contains these subdirectories:
Directory | Description |
---|---|
conf |
Apache configuration files |
logs |
Apache access and error logs, and stored Pid-File modules |
perl |
Reserved for use by mod_perl
|
cgi-bin |
CGI scripts |
In the web_services/httpd/conf/
directory, you'll find some files that may need slight modifications:
File | Description |
---|---|
httpd.conf |
Main Apache configuration file |
ssl |
Configuration file for SSL server, if enabled |
workers.properties |
Configuration file for
mod_jk , if enabled
|
cgi-bin |
CGI scripts |
The web_services/httpd/conf/
directory contains these subdirectories:
Directory | Description |
---|---|
ssl |
SSL certificates and keys |
modules.d |
Contains configuration information for various modules |
cgi-bin |
CGI scripts |
Configure Tomcat
Tomcat server binaries and libraries are shared system-wide. As with Apache, each user has an individual set of configuration files. The root of your Tomcat server is
web_services/tomcat
, also referred to as
CATALINA_BASE
, and contains these subdirectories:
Directory | Description |
---|---|
conf |
Tomcat configuration files |
webapps |
Your RDC web applications |
shared |
Classes and libraries shared among all your web applications |
work |
Java code for servlets |
temp |
Temporary space used by Tomcat |
For more information about Tomcat directory structure for web applications and configuration, see Apache's Tomcat 5.5 Servlet/JSP Container page.
By default, your server.xml
file, located in the
conf
directory, will be configured for a non-SSL port and a Tomcat shutdown port when it is installed. You may add additional ports from your port assignment range as needed.
Start and stop Web Services
Example syntax for starting and stopping Web Services is:
boot-rdc-web.pl command service
In the above example, replace command
with
start
, stop
, restart
, or
status
, and service
with
apache
, tomcat
, or all
(if you are running both Apache and Tomcat).
To specify which services should be loaded in the event of a system restart, modify the boot variable in the
web_services/rdc-web.conf
file as shown in last line of this sample configuration file:
# To enable a feature, uncomment the line beginning with "-D". To disable # said feature, comment out that line (by preceding it with # ) # Enable support for perl #-D PERL # Enable SSL Support through Apache #-D SSL # Enable Java through Tomcat # NOTE : This only enables mod_jk for passing java requests through apache to # tomcat. You must have a tomcat instance running and properly # configured. This option _does not_ handle starting the tomcat # instance. #-D JAVA # NOTE : You cannot enable PHP4 and PHP5 simultaneously # Enable PHP4 support #-D PHP4 # Enable PHP5 support #-D PHP5 # Location of httpd.conf . may be changed, but should be done with caution. # This must be a path relative to /ip/$USERAME$ httpd_conf = httpd/conf/httpd.conf # This line enables apache and/or tomcat to start on boot. If you don't wish # to have your services start on boot, simply comment out this line. # Use ( all | apache | tomcat ) respectively. boot=all
Get help
For help configuring Web Services for your RDC database, email the UITS Campus Bridging & Research Infrastructure team.
This is document awpy in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-07-24 13:03:36.