Tag Archives: CentOS

OpenVPN ALS Adito SSL VPN Gateway on CentOS

Overview

OpenVPN ALS Adito SSL VPN Gateway is a web-based SSL-VPN server written in Java and it is completely free and open-source.
The installation on CentOS 6 Linux Operating System is fairly simple using the next few steps (we will use CentOS Minimal x86_64).
Continue reading

Django Centos 6 Beginners Installation Guide

NOTE: This article was rewritten for CentOS 6.4. please read the updated post.

 

Django Centos 6

So you want your first django centos based web site? This is quite easy to install and configure. I’ll cover how to install Python/Django on your centos.

Django Centos

Prerequisite

  • Centos 6.x
  • Apache (httpd)

 

What is Python?

Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Its syntax is said to be clear and expressive.” from Wikipedia.

Visit http://www.python.org/

 

What is Django?

“Django is a high-level Python Web framework that encourages rapid development and clean, pragmatic design.” from https://www.djangoproject.com/

Installing Python

Prerequisites

you may need the EPEL repositories for Centos.

1
2
3
4
cd /opt/
wget http://mirrors.nl.eu.kernel.org/fedora-epel/6/i386/epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
rpm -Uvh epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
rm epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm -f
cd /opt/
wget http://mirrors.nl.eu.kernel.org/fedora-epel/6/i386/epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
rpm -Uvh epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm
rm epel-release-6-8.noarch.rpm -f

 

Installation Process

Simple as:

1
yum install python
yum install python

test python by typing: “python” and you should see something similar to:

As for this time being of writing (June 18 2012), the version of python@EPEL is 2.6.6

Django works with any Python version from 2.6.5 to 2.7. It also features experimental support for versions 3.2 and 3.3. All these versions of Python include a lightweight database called SQLite so you won’t need to set up a database just yet unless you need other SQL

 

Installing SQL

If you need other SQL Server else then SQLite,  you can follow:
MySQL/MongoDB/CouchDB on RHEL/Centos 6.3
If you don’t need SQL and you installed Python 2.5 or later, you can skip this step for now.

 

 

 

 

Installing Django

1
yum install Django
yum install Django

 

Testing Django

Test Django by typing python on your command and then:

1
2
import django
print django.get_version()
import django
print django.get_version()

As you can see, the RPM version is version 1.3.1, while the current release version is 1.4.1. while you are not too far behind using EPEL, you won’t get to play with the last options. Internationalization: in template code is not available in 1.3.1 for example but only from Django 1.4

 

 

Creating Project

From the command, cd into a directory where you’d like to store your app, then run the following command:

1
2
django-admin startproject mysite
cd mysite
django-admin startproject mysite
cd mysite

 

Starting Server

1
python manage.py runserver
python manage.py runserver

You’ve started the Django development server, a lightweight Web server – easier to startwithout having to deal with configuring a production server — such as Apache — until you’re ready for production.

Browse to http://127.0.0.1:8000/ with your Web browser. You’ll see a “Welcome to Django” page. It worked!

To change port:

1
python manage.py runserver 8080
python manage.py runserver 8080

If you need to start the server to answer not only locally, use:

1
python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

 

Remember: Apache loads Django environment when starting and keep running it even when source is changed! I suggest you to use Django ‘runserver’ (which automatically restarts on source code changes) in development sessions, unless you need some Apache-specific features.

 

Configure more…

Config Database

Edit mysite/settings.py. It’s a normal Python module with module-level variables representing Django settings.

Help here.

 

Django using Apache

To run your Django application inside apache – use either mod_python or mod_wsgi, Support for mod_python will be deprecated in a future release of Django. If you are configuring a new deployment, you are strongly encouraged to consider using mod_wsgi or any of the other supported backends.

 

Install mod_python

For this to work, you must have apache installed and configured.

1
yum install mod_python
yum install mod_python

python using mod_python

you need to configure you apache/VirtualHost to:

    AddHandler mod_python .py
    PythonHandler mod_python.publisher | .py
    AddHandler mod_python .psp .psp_
    PythonHandler mod_python.psp | .psp .psp_
    PythonDebug On</pre>
[/code]

 
<h3>Testing mod_python</h3>
Create a '<em>test.py'</em> file in your apache server. put inside:
[code lang="py"]<% req.write("Hello World!") %>[/code]

and browse to www.your.server/test.py and you should see the "Hello World!" there.
<h3>Django using mod_python</h3>
Edit your <tt>httpd.conf</tt> file:

[code lang="apache"]
<pre><Location "/mysite/">
    SetHandler python-program
    PythonHandler django.core.handlers.modpython
    SetEnv DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE mysite.settings
    PythonOption django.root /mysite
    PythonDebug On
</Location>

read more…

 

 

Install mod_wsgi

Deploying Django with Apache and mod_wsgi is the recommended way to get Django into production.

1
yum install mod_wsgi
yum install mod_wsgi

 

to use mod_wsgi, create an apache folder inside your project and create a django.wsgi file:

import os, sys
sys.path.append('/var/www/django')
sys.path.append('/var/www/django/mysite')
os.environ['DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE'] = 'mysite.settings'

import django.core.handlers.wsgi

application = django.core.handlers.wsgi.WSGIHandler()

 

and configure your apache with:

<VirtualHost *:80>

ServerName www.example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
WSGIScriptAlias / /var/www/django/mysite/apache/django.wsgi

# Alias /robots.txt /var/www/django/mysite/static/robots.txt
# Alias /favicon.ico /var/www/django/mysite/static/favicon.ico
Alias /static/admin/ /usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/django/contrib/admin/media/
Alias /static/ /var/www/django/mysite/static/
Alias /media/ /var/www/django/mysite/media/

<Directory /var/www/django/mysite>
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>

<Directory /var/www/django/mysite/media>
Order deny,allow
Allow from all
</Directory>

<Directory /var/www/django/mysite/static>
Order deny,allow
Allow from all
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>

 

read more on: multiple django sites with apache & mod_wsgi

 

 

That’s it!

 

You’ve Python / Django installed on your Centos 6.3 and a new project template waiting for you to work on.

 

Continue reading…

* this article is an edited version of an older article.

Tutorial: Your first WSGI Python web application served on Apache HTTPd.

Abstract

We’ll create a new python project using wsgi (web server gateway interface)

 

Introduction

Python based web applications can be served in several ways. You can use the old and good CGI interface, or use the more common used mod_python. FastCGI and SCGI are also an option. but most of those ways supports the WSGI interface which is the recommended way. You can learn more about each way, and the cons and pros of each, and what is wsgi  in this great tutorial/article: How to use python in the web.

We’ll build a skeleton for a Python based WSGI web application hosted on Apache HTTPd. I’ve choosed WSGI over other methods to promote web application portability across a variety of web servers.

 

Prerequisities

  • Python
  • Apache HTTPd Service running and working. trim instance is better.

 

Setup

mod_wsgi

red-hat/fedora/centos: install mod_wsgi using:

yum install mod_wsgi

debain/ubuntu: install mod_wsgi using:

apt-get install mod_wsgi

 

Virtual Application

configure your httpd with:

1
2
3
4
5
WSGIScriptAlias /myapp /var/www/myapp/myapp.wsgi
<Directory /var/www/myapp>
   Order allow,deny
   Allow from all
</Directory>
WSGIScriptAlias /myapp /var/www/myapp/myapp.wsgi
<Directory /var/www/myapp>
   Order allow,deny
   Allow from all
</Directory>

 

WSGI

Create the file myapp.wsgi at ‘/var/www/myapp’ and fill it with the example from mod_wsgi documentation:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
def application(environ, start_response):
    status = '200 OK'
    output = 'Hello World!'
 
    response_headers = [('Content-type', 'text/plain'),
                        ('Content-Length', str(len(output)))]
    start_response(status, response_headers)
 
    return [output]
def application(environ, start_response):
    status = '200 OK'
    output = 'Hello World!'

    response_headers = [('Content-type', 'text/plain'),
                        ('Content-Length', str(len(output)))]
    start_response(status, response_headers)

    return [output]

You may need to restart your apache using: service httpd restart.

Now use your browser to see the ‘Hello World’ response from your first wsgi server.

Helloworld

 

More information

 

Happy wsgi python-ing…!

Load Balancing SSH Connections using Pen on CentOS Linux

Overview

Load Balancing SSH Connections using Pen, a load balancer for “simple” tcp based protocols such as http or smtp.
It allows several servers to appear as one to the outside and automatically detects servers that are down and distributes clients among the available servers. This gives high availability and scalable performance.

Continue reading

Load balancing Remote Desktop Services using Pen

Overview

Load balancing Remote Desktop Services using Pen, a load balancer for “simple” tcp based protocols such as http or smtp.
It allows several servers to appear as one to the outside and automatically detects servers that are down and distributes clients among the available servers. This gives high availability and scalable performance.

Continue reading

Schedule tasks on Linux using Cron

Overview

Cron is the time-based job scheduler in Unix-like computer operating systems.
Cron enables users to schedule jobs (commands or shell scripts) to run periodically at certain times or dates.
It is commonly used to automate system maintenance or administration, though its general-purpose nature means that it can be used for other purposes.
Continue reading

VMware Zimbra Active Directory User Mailbox Sync

Overview

Zimbra Active Directory User Mailbox Sync script uses Zimbra utility to Add or Remove mailboxes according to the AD User List.
You can sync all AD users at once or Create a Security Group And add members in order to assign a mailbox.
Continue reading

sSMTP a Gmail sendmail relay replacement for Linux

Overview

sSMTP – a simple and lightweight MTA used to deliver mail from a computer to a mail hub (SMTP server) using Gmail SMTP servers.
Unlike Exim4, it does not receive mail, expand aliases, or manage a queue.

Continue reading

VirtualEnv Tutorial / VirtualEnvWrapper Beginner Tutorial

VirtualEnv Tutorial Overview

Virtualenv tutorial. In this tutorial I will show you in easy steps how to install and use VirtualEnv & VirtualEnvWrapper on your CentOS 6.x environment.

 

Install Python

1
yum install python
yum install python

Continue reading

How to Set-Up Git / GitHub on Centos 6.3

Git

 

Introduction

“Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency.

Continue reading