From owner-freebsd-questions Wed Jul 17 16:13: 2 2002 Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.FreeBSD.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5DA2337B400 for ; Wed, 17 Jul 2002 16:12:55 -0700 (PDT) Received: from waha.hpu.edu (waha.hpu.edu [198.199.136.16]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 285D243E58 for ; Wed, 17 Jul 2002 16:12:47 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from waichan@hpu.edu) Received: from nohea.admin.hpu.edu (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by waha.hpu.edu (8.10.2+Sun/8.10.2) with ESMTP id g6HNCgJ07575 for ; Wed, 17 Jul 2002 13:12:42 -1000 (HST) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.0.5762.3 content-class: urn:content-classes:message MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Subject: RE: webct on freebsd? Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 13:12:41 -1000 Message-ID: <571FCD9BF8258F4A80EB3ACA6CDC63FA0159450D@nohea.admin.hpu.edu> X-MS-Has-Attach: X-MS-TNEF-Correlator: Thread-Topic: webct on freebsd? Thread-Index: AcItMpx9qeFYFD8bTlKiqsFL+RHoOAArGN3g From: "Wai Chan" To: "Tim Kellers" Cc: , , Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG We are looking into the webct db version. It is logical to store quizes, ... in a db, however, we are not rushing into the new db version, 'cus we do not have much faith with webct. It is still buggy and have a lot of problems with different version and brand of browsers (eg: not all IE 5 or above are supported, not all Netscape 4 or above are supported). I agree with you that webct consists more than just Perl. However, perl scripts are the only core engine for webct and runs on a server. Java applets and Java scripts are clients side codes, will be only downloaded and executed on the client's web browser but not on a server, will not be affected by the version and brand of server OS. In other words, you may ignore java stuff and all other client side codes when choosing a server, as long as you have the right verion of perl and Apache on FreeBSD, I pretty sure webct will run just fine. This is what I would do to get webct on a FreeBSD box. 1. linux compatibility (not sure if you need it, most likely not, but load it just in case) 2. install webct (which installs webct's verion of perl 5.6.1 and Apache). 3. download/compile/install Apache for FreeBSD. 4. copy the httpd.conf (webct version) to FreeBSD Apache httpd.conf. 5. check/modify the httpd.conf to make sure all the path in the conf is reflecting the FreeBSD Apache instead of webct apache. 5. start the FreeBSD Apache (do not run the webct apache). By now, older version of webct (the version doesn't require a license daemon, eg: ver 3.6) should work fine. Now, the hard part is to get the webct license daemon work (eg: webct ver 3.7 or above). The license daemon is a compiled binary executable file for Solaris or Redhat, so ... hope the license binary execues on FreeBSD. If unsuccessful, enable_linux (linux compatibility) on FreeBSD (linux_enable=3D"yes" in /etc/rc.conf) to try again. If still fail to = run the license daemon, you will need to get the source code from webct and recompile. Good Luck! BTW, I think you mean linux compatibility instead of redhat emulation. Thanks! best wishes, Wai Chan -----Original Message----- From: Tim Kellers [mailto:timothyk@serv1.wallnet.com]=20 Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 3:38 PM To: Wai Chan Cc: questions@freebsd.org; el@njit.edu; kellers@njit.edu Subject: RE: webct on freebsd? Thanks for the reply, Wai. I believe we are running Campus edition of WebCT on our main production server --from what I learned at a meeting I attended on Monday, the Oracle DB version isn't available (to NJIT, anyway) until sometime in September. With the availability of that upgrade being on or just after the beginning of the new semester and the history of WebCT "upgrades" breaking the extant production version rather spectacularly (and egregiously for the admin of the WebCT box), it's doubtful that anyone is going to rush into the new version. In fact, if I can get Campus Edition to run at a production level, I see no reason to rush into a newer version. Have you ever used WebCT under Redhat emulation? Do you (or anyone else) know if that is feasible/preferable? I'm fairly sure that the current WebCT we are using is a bit more than just perl based. I think the "chat" functions are all java applets. Thanks for you help and input, Tim Kellers CPE/NJIT On Tue, 16 Jul 2002, Wai Chan wrote: > Hi, > > webct should run on FreeBSD without problem. I could be wrong, but=20 > after plaing with it for a period of time, the webct campus edition is > simply whole brunch of perl scrips (the version of perl is more=20 > important than anything else) and plain text files, and a apache web=20 > server with customized httpd.conf. There is a webct campus vista=20 > edition, which uses oracle db instead of plain text files, I have no=20 > knowledge about this edition. > > FreeBSD was officially supported by the first generation of webct.=20 > However, the latest version, webct only supports Solaris and Redhat=20 > (not all favors of linux, and FreeBSD is no longer listed as supported > OS). If you are running webct on FreeBSD and if you need help from=20 > webct, then ... unless you are webct's $best$ customer. So, if you=20 > are stucked with x86 boxes and need to run webct, Redhat is your safe=20 > choice. > > We run webct and other apps with this rules I set: > If not FreeBSD on x86, then Solaris on Sun. > We are running our webct on a Sun E250 box. > > Good Luck! > > Wai. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Tim Kellers [mailto:timothyk@serv1.wallnet.com] > Sent: Monday, July 15, 2002 5:55 PM > To: questions@FreeBSD.ORG > Subject: webct on freebsd? > > > > My division at work is considering splitting-off our non-credit and=20 > certificate students from the University-wide WebCT server --which=20 > currently hosts all Distance Learning students. > > Universitry Information Services has recommended we purchase a SUN box > and install the SUN flavor of WebCT. However, they are so backlogged=20 > that it isn't even a possiblity until sometime in September (after the > Fall semester has started). > > I have a spare --well, not really a spare, but a development box--=20 > Dell PE 2500 (dual processor, 933MHZ each, with a gig of ram and 42=20 > gigs free RAID 5 HD space) that's running FreeBSD 4.6-STABLE. I'd=20 > like to try and take a shot at installing WebCT on that box and, if=20 > possible, using it as the eventual production server to host our WebCT > courses. > > Does anyone have any experience or suggestions as to how I might make=20 > that happen? ("Forget it, it's impossible!" comments are also=20 > welcome). > > For the record, this box also supports the Linux ABI (v 7.1.x) and=20 > SVR4, but I'm not sure if either of those features is even relavent. > > TIA > > Tim Kellers > CPE/NJIT > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message