= UoL LAMP HowTo Install Python Flask Applications

Tags: [[HowTo]] [[Install]] [[Pain in the proverbial]] [[UoL LAMP Server]]

== Python 2

=== Difficulties

This installations is made more difficult by 3 things:

1. Suse Linux does not have mod_wsgi in its repositories, so you're going to have to compile it.
2. mod_wsgi seems picky about where it picks python apps and libraries from
3. The LAMP servers don't put things where you'd expect them to be.
4. Some other stuff that I don't quite understand

=== Requirements

Before installation can start, the following packages will have to be installed by IT services:

- libmysqlclient-dev
- python-dev

=== Start Services

Start the Apache and MySQL and make sure that they are restarted when the server is rebooted.

{{{
sudo /sbin/chkconfig uol.apache2 on
sudo /etc/init.d/uol.apache2 start
sudo /sbin/chkconfig uol.mysql on
sudo /etc/init.d/uol.mysql start
}}}

=== Proceduce

1. Install {{{mod_wsgi.so}}} into the directory {{{/local/apache2/etc/}}}
 1. Compile `mod_wsgi`. See: [[HowTo Compile mod_wsgi for LAMP servers]]
 2. Copy `mod_wsgi.so` from the directory {{{/local/apache2/etc/}}} of an existing UoL LAMP python Flask application.
2. Clone the application from the `git` repository into `/local/` directory.
3. Install virtualenv:
 a. First switch to python 2.7 by running the command `source /opt/python2/etc/python-env.sh`

{{{
easy_install --install-dir=/local/python virtualenv
}}}

    ''For some reason that I can't work out (point 4. above), it would only pick up some of the python libraries from a virtual env and not when they were installed in `/local/python/`.  Maybe this was because of the order that I installed things, but I couldn't get it to work without the virtual environment.''
4. Create a virtual environment in the application directory.

{{{
cd /local/{application directory}
/local/python/virtualenv --no-site-packages BASELINE
}}}

    ''`BASELINE` is the name of the virtual environment.  It could be called anything, but it's called that!  Also note that you need to use the full path to the `virtualenv` utility, since `/local/python` isn't in `$PATH`.''

5. Activate the environment, install the required packages, then deactivate.  This example shows some common requirements:

{{{
source BASELINE/bin/activate
easy_install flask
easy_install flask-sqlalchemy
easy_install mysql-python
easy_install flask-wtf
easy_install WTForms-Components
deactivate
}}}

6. Load the WSGI module into Apache, by editing the file `/local/apache2/etc/loadmodule.conf` by adding this line at the end.

{{{
LoadModule wsgi_module /local/apache2/etc/mod_wsgi.so
}}}

7. Add the WSGI config to the Apache config file `/local/apache2/etc/httpd.conf`:

{{{
<Directory /local/{application directory}>
    WSGIProcessGroup {application name}
    WSGIApplicationGroup %{GLOBAL}
    Order deny,allow
    Allow from all
</Directory>

WSGIDaemonProcess {application name} user=wwwrun threads=5 python-path=/local/{application directory}/BASELINE/lib/python2.6/site-packages:/local/python:/usr/lib64/python2.6/site-packages:/usr/share/doc/packages/ home=/local/{application directory}/
WSGIScriptAlias / /local/{application directory}/{path to *.wsgi}
}}}

    ''The two hard won things here are the values for the `python-path` and `home` arguments.  The `python-path` must contain every directory where python libraries are installed, including a sub-directory of the virtualenv directory you created earlier.  The `home` must point to your application directory, or you won't be able to pick up your own modules.''

8. Restart apache:

{{{
sudo /etc/init.d/uol.apache2 restart
}}}

9. Create any databases that are required and given the appropriate user permissions.

10. Update the application settings in {{{/local/{application directory} }}}

10. Pray.

== Other Possible Stuff (**Not required last time used!**)

1. You may need to give `wwwrun` extra permissions to the `/local/{application directory}` directory.
2. You might need to pray a bit more.

{{{
setfacl -m u:wwwrun:rwx /local/{application directory}
setfacl -m d:u:wwwrun:rwx /local/telomere/{application directory}
}}}

=== Gotchas

- [[Python Flask Gotchas Import Database Module Fails]]

== Python 3

=== Create Environment

1. Add python 3 to your path by adding the following line to `.profile` file in your home directory:

{{{
PATH=$PATH:/opt/python3/bin/
}}}

  You will need to log off and log back in to add the above to your current environment.

2. Change directory into `/local/` and create a virtual environment:

{{{
cd /local/ && virtualenv --no-site-packages venv
}}}

3. Activate the virtual environment:

{{{
source /local/venv/bin/activate
}}}

4. Download the application repository from GitHub, cd into the application directory and install the requirements by running the command:

{{{
pip install -r requirements.txt
}}}

=== Apache Setup

1. Edit the Apache config:

{{{
vi /local/apache2/etc/httpd.conf
}}}

2. Amend the values below the comment `# List of resources to look for when the client requests a directory` to be:

{{{
# List of resources to look for when the client requests a directory
DirectoryIndex index.html

### 'Main' server configuration #############################################
<Directory /local/downloads>
    SetEnv FLASK_SECRET_KEY {{{Some Secret Key}}}
    SetEnv ENV1 env1_value
    SetEnv ENV2 env2_value
    SetEnv ENV3 env3_value
    WSGIProcessGroup application
    WSGIApplicationGroup %{GLOBAL}
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
</Directory>

WSGIDaemonProcess application user=wwwrun threads=5 python-path=/local/venv/lib/python3.5/site-packages home={{{path to application folder}}}
WSGIScriptAlias / {{{path to application}}}

}}}

    Change the values of:
     - {{{Some Secret Key}}} to be somethin' secret
     - {{{path to application folder}}} to be the application folder
     - {{{path to application}}} to be the path to the actual application

    And changing ENV1, 2 & 3 to be appropriate environment values.

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