Necessary links (in no particular order):
RedHat
The GNU Project
The Apache Software Foundation
The Comprehensive Perl Archive Network
PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (documentation)
PostgreSQL (documentation)
Open Secure Shell
The National Institute of Standards and Technology
WebMin

This is the process for configuring a new RedHat 7.3 installation to become a skyBox capable of running (and developing) skyBuilders timeLines. In order to be capable of this, there are a few required services and utilities:

• http service with middleware: Apache mod_perl and mod_php
• RDBMS: PostgreSQL
• GUI for maintenance and development: XFree86, Gnome
• Editing and Network Utilities: the GNU Project system of software tools

skyBox3, the machine used for this trial run has specs as follows:

• CPU: Intel Celeron 900MHz, 128MB cache
• RAM: 507MB + 16MB shared
• Hard Drives: Maxtors
  hda = ~19500MB
  hdc = ~39000MB
• CD-ROM: BCD 48SB I/OMAGIC
• NICs:
  NetGear FA310TX
  SiS 900 PCI
• Display Adapter: SiS 630/730
• Monitor: Hitachi CM751U

Install RedHat 7.3

Partitioning recommendation:

IP Address: 206.253.4.20 NetMask: 255.255.255.224 Gateway: 206.253.4.1

Note: During the install process, in the network configuration section, once the IP and netmask were indicated, the interface filled in two other fields. It suggested .30 as the gateway, and .1 as the name server. Odd.

DNS Servers:
209.87.64.70
209.87.79.232

The choices made during installation are logged in /root/install.log and a kickstart file for the RedHat Anaconda installer is in /root/anaconda-ks.cfg

Add crontab for NIST clock synchronization
(add other things like updating the root hints file and the file db later)
# cd /root
# mkdir scripts
# cd scripts
Download http://jesse.skybuilders.com/scratch/other/misc_linux/miscScripts.tar
# tar -xvf miscScripts.tar
# crontab clockSync.cron
To see current settings, # crontab -l

Enable ssh for all users except root.
SSH lives in /etc/ssh
Edit sshd_config
Find the commented line that reads "# PermitRootLogin off"
Add the following line, "PermitRootLogin on"
Go to the end of the file
After the last line, add a line that reads "AllowUsers   dtd jesse bobdoyle" ("AllowUsers" followed by a tab followed by a space-delimited list of usernames to allow)
Test login

There is an upgrade for openSSH (possibly available from the website), which patches a security hole to which we are not, under our current settings, vulnerable. The ideal version would be 0.9.6e
To report current version:
# rpm -q <rpmname>
To upgrade with verbose and progress bar:
# rpm -Uvh <rpmname>

Possibilities
WebMin? Probably unnecessary.
SFTP? May already be enabled under SSH. Requires research. timeLines File Server would be preferable (with directory- and file-level permissioning for all files (not just skyPages)).

Locate Apache httpd

• /etc/httpd is the program directory
• /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf is the configuration file
• /var/www/html is the wwwroot/home directory for the server
• # service httpd start/restart/stop/status can be used to control the service

Set httpd to start on boot
To check the current setting:
# chkconfig httpd --list
To set the service to start on boot:
# chkconfig httpd --level 3456 on

Test http service
Open any browser to skybox3.skybuilders.com
The index page should be the Apache test page

Locate Perl
Perl is not a service - it runs when called.
/usr/bin/perl is Perl itself (this is the path that needs to go in the first line of every file)
Apply settings to each directory that wants to run Perl in sections in httpd.conf (if the default example is used, Perl will try to execute for any file in the directory, not limited by file type)

Test Perl
Download test.pl and/or simpletest.pl into a Perl-enabled directory
direct a browser at the file and check the output

Test PHP
Download test.php
direct a browser at the file and check the output

Make appropriate changes to php.ini
php.ini is in /etc
Here are the lines to look for that show their default values, each followed by the line that should replace it:

• file_uploads = Off
  file_uploads = On
• memory_limit = 8M
  memory_limit = 16M
• SMTP = localhost
  ; SMTP = localhost
• sendmail_from = me@localhost.com
  ; sendmail_from = me@localhost.com
• ; sendmail_path =
  sendmail_path =
  [in this case "/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i"]
• magic_quotes_gpc = On
  magic_quotes_gpc = Off

Set postgresql to start on boot
To check the current setting:
# chkconfig postgresql --list
To set the service to start on boot:
# chkconfig postgresql --level 3456 on
PostgreSQL configuration is in /var/lib/pgsql/data/postgresql.conf

Test pgsql
To make a database (which will be owned by the operating system user who issues the command):
   bash-2.05a$ createdb <dbname>
All user and db management can be done through the PostgreSQL interactive terminal (which accept both SQL statements and Postgres metacommands) called psql (man psql for reference):
bash-2.05a$ psql
which takes you to a prompt which looks like:
=#
To add/manage users:
PGSQL User Management
To create users:
=# CREATE USER
Every db must be VACUUMed at least once every billion transactions with the vacuum command in psql (or risk catastrophic data loss). See Routine Vacuuming.
Host Based Access configuration file is in /var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf
A few useful tools.
To list all postgresql users:
skyTemplate=> SELECT * FROM pg_user;
To list all postgresql databases:
skyTemplate=> SELECT * FROM pg_database;
To find out the currently selected database, look at the name in the prompt:
skyTemplate=>

Configure pgsql users and databases.
First, users must be added to pgsql. Probably one user should have authority over everything (probably root). Then there should be one user defined for each site on the machine. Perhaps db.inc, if it doesn't have a username and password combination hardcoded into itself (The install image may be based on a running site. Maybe it should compare its FQDN to the username it has in order to notice when it is new.), should generate one and instruct the user to add it to pgsql. (Once it is able to connect, it could change its password dynamically.)

1. PostgreSQL must be configured to allow users other than the operating system users to login securely. This is controlled from the file /var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf
   In this file, copy lines 221 and 222 to the bottom of the file, and comment out line 250. There is a good description of what this allows in the lines preceding 221.
   Add a new line; a duplicate of the first copied line. Substitute the word "skyTemplate" for the word "sameuser" in the new line. This will allow all users a connection point that will let them create their own dbs without giving them access to template1.
   Copy line 190 to the bottom of the page (to allow remote connections with md5 password validation; description available just pre-190). Edit the ip in this line to match the machine's ip.
   All user management should be done as the user postgres.
   These edits will only be applied the next time the service restarts. The skyTemplate db must first be created.
   
2. As root, start a session as the postgres user:
      # su postgres
   which takes you to a prompt which looks like:
      bash-2.05a$
   
3. Connect to template1 as user postgres. (Whenever in psql, be sure to expect confirmations of any action; a null response is a sure sign of no action performed.)
      bash-2.05a$ psql template1
   
4. Create a new db called "skyTemplate".
      template1=# CREATE DATABASE "skyTemplate";
   
5. Exit psql.
      template1=# \q
   
6. Exit postgres user session.
      bash-2.05a$ exit
   
7. Restart the postgresql service.
      # service postgresql restart
   
8. Create a new db user. This new user should correspond to the site that db will be supporting. For example, our test site is called "app.skybuilders.com". The corresponding username should be "app_skybuilders_com". This should also be the name of the database. Permissioning allows users other than the admin user "postgres" to connect only to "skyTemplate" and the database with the same name as the user.
   To make users (outside psql) as user postgres:
      bash-2.05a$ createuser <options> <username>
   In this case:
      bash-2.05a$ createuser -d -P -A app_skybuilders_com
   -d = allowed to create databases
   -P = prompt for a password
   -A = not allowed to create users
   The password for the new user will now be prompted for. This should be a secure password, carefully kept track of, with the usual precautions of length, and a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. This password will be required by the timeLines installation script later in order to initialize the database and enable the application.
   (man createuser for details, user dropuser to delete users, and ALTER USER from inside psql to change setting for a user)
   (The postgres password will be challenged for here unless the appropriate modification has been made in /var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf and the service restarted. Do remember to restore standard settings after the user is created.)
   (To change the user's password, should it become necessary: Connect to template1 and use ALTER USER (psql should respond "ALTER USER"), then exit psql and the postgres user session:
      bash-2.05a$ psql template1
   template1=# ALTER USER <username> WITH PASSWORD <newpassword>;
   template1=# \q
   bash-2.05a$ exit)
   
9. Connect to skyTemplate as the new db user. (Notice that the psql prompt ends with a ">" rather than a "#", to show that you are not a superuser (postgres).)
      # psql skyTemplate <username>
   
10. Create the database corresponding to the new user's site. The user is automatically given ownership of the db created. psql should respond "CREATE DATABASE".
       skyTemplate=> CREATE DATABASE "<dbname>";
    
11. Connect to the new database.
       skyTemplate=> \c "<dbname>";
12. PostgreSQL and databases are now configured.

Install the timeLines application

1. Download the installation archive file.
2. Create a directory under the web root (in this case "/var/www/html/") using the domain name of the new site (in this case "/var/www/html/app.skybuilders.com").
3. Decompress the installation archive into the the new directory. All necessary application server pages, directories, and image files will now be in place.
4. Permissions must be set on the application directory. Create a group called "skyApp", if it has not yet been created. This will be the group that gives anonymous and administrator access to all timelines application sites.
      # /usr/sbin/groupadd skyApp
5. Add users to this group. The apache user (in this case "apache") must be added so that requests to the web server will have permission to operate on the site. Other users that may need to be added to this group are any non-root administrators of the machine or the site, or any users who require ftp or sftp access (though any users who require different perissioning from the web users should be permissioned separately).
      # /usr/sbin/usermod -G skyApp apache
   # /usr/sbin/usermod -G skyApp dtd
6. Change the group setting for the site directory (recursively, for all the files and directories below it).
      # cd /var/www
   # chown -R :skyApp app.skybuilders.com
7. Set permissions for the site directory (recursively, for all the files and directories below it).
      # chmod -R 775 *.*
8. Restart the web server httpd.
      # service httpd restart

Enable virtual servers under apache.
In /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf, add these lines to the virtual servers section (substituting the appropriate machine name and domain name):

   NameVirtualHost *

   <VirtualHost *>
     ServerName skybox3.skybuilders.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html
   </VirtualHost>

   <VirtualHost *>
     ServerName app.skybuilders.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/app.skybuilders.com
   </VirtualHost>

Note: Apache 2.0.40-8 (RedHat 8.0 distribution) does not currently support the IP wildcard, '*' in the example above. This version requires IP numbers to entered directly into the httpd.conf entries for NameVirtualHost and VirtualHost entries.

Save the file and restart httpd.

Enable proper logging for pgsql.
In /etc/init.d/postgresql, edit the line that reads:
   su -l postgres -s /bin/sh -c "/usr/bin/pg_ctl -D #PGDATA -p /usr/bin/postmaster start > /dev/null 2>&1" < /dev/null
Edit it to read:
   su -l postgres -s /bin/sh -c "/usr/bin/pg_ctl -D #PGDATA -p /usr/bin/postmaster -o '-i' start >> /var/log/pgsql 2>&1" < /dev/null
Save the file and restart postgresql.
Documentation on php.net is for version 4.2.0 and above. This machine is running 4.1.2. Perhaps an upgrade is in order (let us hope for a painless experience).
php 4.2.3 RPMs
Download all relevant RPMs and follow the instructions on the page. Very easy.

Run the timeLines installation script.
This script will build the new database's schema and populate it with initial data. Open a timeLines-compatible browser (Mozilla > 1.1, Netscape > 4.0, IE > 4) and navigate to the following URL (where <domain name> is the domain name of your new site):
   http://<domain name>/timelines/
timeLines will now challenge for the database password for the new site (as set in the section Configure pgsql users and databases).

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