Roundup Tracker - Issues

Issue 2551005

classification
mod_python discontinued
Type: security Severity: normal
Components: Documentation Versions: 2.0.0alpha
process
Status: fixed fixed
:
: rouilj : joseph_myers, rouilj, schlatterbeck, tekberg, tobias-herp
Priority: normal :

Created on 2018-10-09 18:26 by tekberg, last changed 2019-10-11 02:40 by rouilj.

Messages
msg6265 Author: [hidden] (tekberg) Date: 2018-10-09 18:26
[Ralf, hope you don't mine me putting you in the nosy list.]
In docs/installation.txt, section 'Configure a Web Interface' mod_python is listed 
as one of the web interface options. After taking a while to get it to build and 
install properly with virtualenv and python 3.6, I encountered this page when 
getting ready to create an apache mod_python.load file:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Apache_HTTP_Server/mod_python

which has a link to this page:

http://blog.dscpl.com.au/2010/06/modpython-project-is-now-officially.html

The first 2 lines in the body of the second link's page are:

Thursday, June 17, 2010
The mod_python project is now officially dead.

The first link says that mod_python has "multiple security, performance and 
stability issues". The module mod_wsgi is the recommended alternative.

Since mod_python was declared dead in June 2010, and has problems with security, 
performance and stability, should it be listed as an alternative web interfaces in 
roundup's doc/installation.txt? Removing it may someone else the effort of building 
and installing it.
msg6269 Author: [hidden] (rouilj) Date: 2018-10-09 21:49
Hi Tom:

In message
<1539109581.88.0.545547206417.issue2551005@psf.upfronthosting.co.za> ,
Tom Ekberg writes:
>New submission from Tom Ekberg:
> [...]
>In docs/installation.txt, section 'Configure a Web Interface' mod_python
>is listed [...]
>which has a link to this page:
>
>http://blog.dscpl.com.au/2010/06/modpython-project-is-now-officially.html
>
>The first 2 lines in the body of the second link's page are:
>
>Thursday, June 17, 2010
>The mod_python project is now officially dead.
>
>The first link says that mod_python has "multiple security, performance and 
>stability issues". The module mod_wsgi is the recommended alternative.
>
>Since mod_python was declared dead in June 2010, and has problems
>with security, performance and stability, should it be listed as an
>alternative web interfaces in roundup's doc/installation.txt?

Yeah we should probably remove it, or at least list it last and
suggest mod_wsgi as an alternative.

Were you able to successfully deploy roundup under mod_wsgi using the
installation instructions?

If not, do you have updates to the doc with something that works?

It looks like there may be a few variations of issues with the wsgi
setup/docs. From a 1.4 setup issues were discussed at:

  https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12408871/setup-roundup-with-wsgi-and-apache

  https://community.webfaction.com/questions/4165/roundup-issue-tracker-install

These:

  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/modwsgi/FS4sClyxkCM
  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/modwsgi/VAz3bSF9bH4

suggest dropping

    httpd = make_server('', 8917, app)
    httpd.serve_forever()

at the end of the doc example. I don't have a setup here to test with
and I am not familiar with wsgi so ...

Have a great day.
msg6277 Author: [hidden] (joseph_myers) Date: 2018-10-10 01:35
If mod_python is obsolete (cf. issue 2550821 reporting a Roundup patch 
needed to work with current mod_python, as of 2013), that definitely 
indicates that testing with mod_python and Python 3 (cf. issue 2550973) 
should not be needed before making a release with Python 3 support.

(Personally I think we should be moving towards a release with the current 
state of the Python 3 support, suitably marked experimental, simply 
because we're not likely to get much more testing of that support without 
a release.  Although I expect more issues are still present, I'm gradually 
writing automated tests for my own instance code to prepare to move to 
Python 3 in my production use, and whereas when I started writing such 
tests I was routinely finding Python 3 issues in Roundup, I'm no longer 
finding such issues routinely when I add tests.)
msg6278 Author: [hidden] (schlatterbeck) Date: 2018-10-10 08:17
On Tue, Oct 09, 2018 at 06:26:21PM +0000, Tom Ekberg wrote:
> [Ralf, hope you don't mine me putting you in the nosy list.]
Fine, thanks

> http://blog.dscpl.com.au/2010/06/modpython-project-is-now-officially.html
> 
> The first 2 lines in the body of the second link's page are:
> 
> Thursday, June 17, 2010
> The mod_python project is now officially dead.

I've personally never used mod_python, I'm using wsgi in production and
the built-in webserver for testing.

So, yes, let's drop support for mod_python and remove it from the
documentation.

On Tue, Oct 09, 2018 at 05:48:49PM -0400, John P. Rouillard wrote:
> Were you able to successfully deploy roundup under mod_wsgi using the
> installation instructions?

I'm running several instances with mod_wsgi.
And there is uwsgi which seems to be better supported, no experience
with that so far.

> suggest dropping
> 
>     httpd = make_server('', 8917, app)
>     httpd.serve_forever()
> 
> at the end of the doc example. I don't have a setup here to test with
> and I am not familiar with wsgi so ...

My wsgi script looks like this:

#!/usr/bin/python
from roundup.cgi.wsgi_handler import RequestDispatcher
tracker_home = '/path/to/tracker'
application = RequestDispatcher(tracker_home)

On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 01:35:21AM +0000, Joseph Myers wrote:
> 
> (Personally I think we should be moving towards a release with the current 
> state of the Python 3 support, suitably marked experimental

Do we have someone who volunteers for a release manager?
I'm quite busy and it would more likely be end of the year for a
release, so if someone steps up I'd gladly help where I can.

Ralf
-- 
Dr. Ralf Schlatterbeck                  Tel:   +43/2243/26465-16
Open Source Consulting                  www:   http://www.runtux.com
Reichergasse 131, A-3411 Weidling       email: office@runtux.com
msg6293 Author: [hidden] (tobias-herp) Date: 2018-10-24 08:38
I tried to setup a Roundup instance yesterday with mod_python, and
failed. Then I noticed mod_python to be a dead horse anyway, and changed
to roundup-server behind an apache virtual host.

Perhaps we could find a place for configuration types which are not
recommended anymore, without deleting them completely?

That way, people who use mod_python with other software or remember to
have read about Roundup supporting mod_python in the past, would know
about the reasons.
msg6673 Author: [hidden] (rouilj) Date: 2019-10-02 21:38
I have added comments to the top of apache.py indicating mod_python support is deprecated with roundup 2.0 in rev 5889:a243a036e7f3.

Working through cleaning directions that reference mod_python.
msg6731 Author: [hidden] (rouilj) Date: 2019-10-11 02:40
Closing. whatsnew-0.8.txt still references mod_python, I am leaving it as a historic artifact.

The windows service installation references mod_python. But that section is marked deprecated, so users can ask and we can try to figure out a
new recommendation. Maybe they can use a wsgi on windows?
History
Date User Action Args
2019-10-11 02:40:44rouiljsetpriority: normal
status: open -> fixed
resolution: fixed
messages: + msg6731
2019-10-02 21:38:35rouiljsetstatus: new -> open
assignee: rouilj
versions: + 2.0.0alpha, - devel
2019-10-02 21:38:06rouiljsetmessages: + msg6673
2018-10-24 08:38:30tobias-herpsetnosy: + tobias-herp
messages: + msg6293
2018-10-10 08:17:37schlatterbecksetmessages: + msg6278
2018-10-10 01:35:25joseph_myerssetnosy: + joseph_myers
messages: + msg6277
2018-10-09 21:49:12rouiljsetnosy: + rouilj
messages: + msg6269
2018-10-09 18:26:21tekbergcreate