[ic] This is how IC 4.9.7 is installed and run. Or... is it?

Kitepilot Solutions LLC interchange-users@icdevgroup.org
Mon May 19 11:24:01 2003


(See disclaimer and apologies at the end)
Please correct me if I am wrong...
This is how I set up IC 4.9.7 on a Red Hat 7.2/3 server hosting virtual
domains and making IC available to all of the virtual domains:

Considerations:
I have root access.
I am installing from the tarball for reasons exposed in other messages.

I first run "perl -MCPAN -e 'install Bundle::Interchange'" as root, that
will install all the perl I will need.

Then I create the interch group/user combo:
/usr/sbin/groupadd -g 52 interch
/usr/sbin/useradd -u 52 -g interch -c "Interchange server" -s /bin/bash -r
-d /usr/local/interchange interch

I "untar the ball" (gotta love this UNIX jargon...  :) and run ./configure
as root.
I use mostly all defaults to keep it simple, and I am sure I understand
the few defaults I change.
I have also researched most of the questions during installation and I am
able to understand most of them.
(No, I am *NOT* a UNIX/apache/perl/nothing guru...   ):

Then I run makecat (as root, more below), and here is where things begin
getting interesting and lay the core of my unknowns..

If I understand this IC thing correctly, the interch user is there only to
run the IC daemon.
Assigning the "foundation" to interch is nothing else that a convenience,
it is NOT a requirement.
If I run makecat as interch it doesn't work because of permissions
problems...
So far, I don't see any reason why not to run makecat as root...
The "please correct me" part comes into mind...

When makecat runs, I enter the information about the domain that will own
the store: a username with rights to the domain, directories under and/or
available to that domain/user and particular configurations of my
installation.
So far, I believe I understand most of my local problems.

When the "owner" of the store runs the "admin" part of IC, he/she has
access to the files because they are either under their WEB space or they
are under directories he/she has access to.
When someone visits the store, the scripts available to the visitor are
run under the interch user.
That keeps things functioning and access controlled.

As obvious as this sounds (and if it is correct), this process/interaction
is not explained anywhere (or I haven't found it) and (again if it is
correct), I believe it would be pretty useful for ignorants like me.
I appreciate your cooperation on expanding this document.
Enique A. Troconis
Kitepilot Solutions LLC

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Disclaimer and apologies:

This is not legal advice bla,bla,bla, use it at your own risk bla,bla,bla,
the copyrights belong to bla,bla,bla, there are not warranties
bla,bla,bla...
OK, done and over with it...   :)

First and foremost, *THANKS* to all you people that volunteer time to
answer my dumb questions.
This is my humble effort to collaborate with this forum creating a
cookbook-recipe about my install/setup experience and to explain how and
why different IC components will interact afterwards.
This is also my invitation to correct the document so it is useful for me
and any future ignorant victim (like myself) trying their best to cope
with this complex system.
I *REALLY REALLY* appreciate your help.

I am not an expert on anything (let alone UNIX) and apologize from my
time-to-time (rather often) dumb question.
I make a great effort investigating answers and bothering my own team of
UNIX-guru friends before I come to this list, but my stupidity glows on
and by itself...   :)

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PS:  I would be more than glad to create a page in the wiki documentation
of IC, but I haven't been able to log in to it because it refuses to
create a username for me.
I have read all the wiki documentation I have been able to but my priority
is to get IC up and running in my server.
If anyone thinks this is a good start for an IC cookbook, please post it
at wiki, help me out to log in or wait until I get there...