Install Appaserver

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Apache Group

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Add yourself to the apache group. Both the apache user and group are called “www-data”.

This step is optional. However, having group-centric security is completely secure and most flexible.

Equally effective, you could add yourself to the “admin” group, or you could create an “appaserver” group.

If you do either, remember to add the apache username (www-data) to this group.

Log back in for this to take effect.

Appaserver generates many temporary files. Therefore, it should be installed in /var. Ideally, /var should be on its own filesystem.

/etc/profile

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Set these global environment variables in /etc/profile.

Appending dot to your path is safe and convenient.

/etc/profile

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This step is optional. However, having group-centric security is completely secure and most flexible.

If /var is on its own filesystem, then links to cgi-bin need to be symbolic.

Remember to source this file before proceeding.

/usr/lib/cgi-bin

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The s-bit on a directory's group says: for all new files and subdirectories, set the group name to the directory's group, not the default group of the user creating the file or subdirectory.

Set permissions for the $CGI_HOME directory.

Remember, this might be either “admin” or “appaserver” group.

Leave world access to read and execute. Virtual hosts run as other user IDs, so they need to execute here.

/var/www

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Set permissions for the $DOCUMENT_ROOTdirectory.

Remember, this might be either “admin” or “appaserver” group.

/var/appaserver

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Create the appaserver directory.

Remember, this might be either “admin” or “appaserver” group. Remember,this must match

“APPASERVER_HOME=” in /etc/profile.

/var/appaserver

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Point your browser to the download directory.

Make a note of the latest version of appaserver.

/var/appaserver

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Download the latest version of appaserver.

Change directory to APPASERVER_HOME

/var/appaserver

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Untar it.First, make sure you're in either an empty directory or an appaserver directory. The tar file doesn't have a root directory.

Compile Appaserver

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Compile appaserver.

Compile Appaserver

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Successful compilation.

Directory /var/log/appaserver

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Make the appaserver log file directory.

Have it participate in the group-centric paradigm.

Remember, this might be either “admin” or “appaserver” group.

File appaserver.err

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Create the old appaserver error file. Some computer programs still send messages here.

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Create the first appaserver application error file. Each application gets its own error file.

Appaserver Error File

Appaserver Configuration File

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Copy the appaserver configuration template to /etc/appaserver.config, then secure it.

Remember, this might be either “admin” or “appaserver” group.

Appaserver Configuration File

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Edit the appaserver configuration file. You should only need to set the MySQL password.

Appaserver Configuration File

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Make sure MySQL works.

Make sure sql works.

Create Database

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Create the template database.

Appaserver Configuration File

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Set the default database to template.

Edit /etc/appaserver.config

Create Template Application

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Get the create and insert template SQL statements.

Create Application Table

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Run the create and insert template SQL statements.

Upgrade Appaserver Database

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Execute the upgrade scripts just in case any database changes were made.

Link to /var/www

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Apache only sees what is inside of $DOCUMENT_ROOT.Make these five directories available to apache.

You may have to add “Options FollowSymLinks” to your apache configuration file.

Appaserver's horizontal menu is accomplished with Dynarch's hmenu. However, hmenu is no longer supported. The hmenu version deployed is an unlicensed, trial version. Two attempts to contact the author about purchasing a distribution license went unanswered. To use the vertical menu instead, set frameset_menu_horizontal_yn to 'n' in the template_application table.

Create /var/appaserver/data

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Create the data directory and secure it.

Link icons to /var/www

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Two operations have icons: delete and detail. Make these icons available to apache.

At the botton-left corner of each frame, a “Top” button appears. Make this icon available to apache.

Login Screen

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Point your browser to template.

Login with nobody/changeit.

Welcome To Appaserver

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Become role=System.

If something is wrong, then check:1) /var/log/appaserver/appaserver_template.err2) /var/log/apache2/error.log

Add Yourself

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Choose the menu sequence:<Insert><Security><Appaserver User>

Add Yourself

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Enter your user name information.

A convenient mechanism to generate passwords is to allow the user to log in with the password of “changeit”. Then instruct the user to run Change Password.

This flag overrides APPLICATION.frameset_menu_horizontal_yn.

Press <Submit>

Add Yourself

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The bottom frame automatically displays the Role Appaserver User table, ready for inserting.

Assign yourself to the System role.

Press <Submit>

Add Yourself

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You're in!

Log In As Yourself

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Remember? Your password is “changeit”.

Deactivate User=nobody

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Choose <Lookup> <Security> <Appaserver User>

Deactivate User=nobody

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Query where login_name = 'nobody'

Deactivate User=nobody

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Delete the password. An empty password prevents logging in.

Deactivate User=nobody

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Press <Submit>

Change Your Password

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Choose the process “Change Password.”

Change Your Password

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Type in and confirm your new password.

Press <Submit>

Create Empty Application

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Select <Process><Create Empty Application>

Create Empty Application

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The Destination Application becomes the database name. So, only letters and numbers.

Create Empty Application

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Set the default database in /etc/appaserver.config. The executable “sql” will now connect to your new database.

Create Empty Application

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You can override the default database by setting $DATABASE.