News & Blog

Ubuntu 8.10, Intrepid Ibex, just released, is now our recommended OS platform.

It’s available from the OS dropdown when you configure your vMachine instance while adding to cart.

As always, any additional notes or custom configuration requests should be placed in the “Notes” field when you place your order, as well.

We are also working new Rails instances, with lots of new plugins (ActiveMerchant) available preinstalled, as well as vMachines for both Django 1.01 as well as 1.1 instances.

We currently have Adempiere 3.52+ available, as well, running on Postgres 8.3 - we are preparing the list of installed packages for a future blog post!

j

Ademipere 3.52 (and 3.51, FWIW) are now available.

They are running on either Ubuntu Hardy 8.04 LTS, or Ubuntu Intrepid 8.10, your choice.

Both are running on PostgreSQL 8.3 and the latest PLJava.

All our VMs have RDP access (via xrdp) built in on request, and the usual KVM VNC, and SSH access as well.

The ZK Web UI on 3.52 is a big step forward from 3.51, and is pretty impressive!

We can also help you integrate your Adempiere backend with other SAAS  Services (aka ESB / Enterpise Service Bus),such as Jitterbit integration / glue software http://www.jitterbit.com/Product/screenshots.php, also see here:http://jeff-davis.blogspot.com/2007/05/jitterbit-screencast-demonstration.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_service_bus

Also, a great find: daily Adempiere binaries and WebStore demo - (it’s .jsp, though :-/ ):

http://testadempiere.com/
Test ADempiere Web Components

http://testadempiere.com/webui/

And Workspace by Smilehouse - Finnish Adempiere => eCommerce bridge / transformation using OpenSyncro

http://workspace.smilehouse.com/overview.shtml

WS Open Interface API

http://www.opensyncro.com

As always, we can help you integrate / launch / evaluate these technologies, and plan your rollout strategy for them and Adempiere.

We can also just help you get started.

j

OK, after some serious work and refactoring, we are now up and running on Django 1.0b and Satchmo 0.8pre, as of today -

The new shop and Django features are quite impressive, and include many things we used to have to do ourselves.

You will see us gradually putting our Satchmo eCommerce ’shop’ back together over the next few weeks to be back up to full functionality.

As always, you may reach us for sales and support via email.

j

Please pardon our dust (please order by email or phone!) as we reimplement portions of our eCommerce engine to use the new updated Satchmo Release, 0.7 (we are using SVN trunk).

Previously, we were on the Satchmo 0.6 release (and we implemented the TrustCommerce payment engine for the project, for that release).

We hope to have the eCommerce signup capability back up and fully functional within a short time.

In the meantime, we can accept your orders and support emails through our usual email and phone channels.

Joe

Libre Hosters,

In addition to our usual Django vMachine instances, We now have a vMachine of Django’s Satchmo eCommerce engine available -

In keeping with our commitment to provide the latest ready-to-roll Django hosting, we now offer this  vm with Satchmo preconfigured.

This therefore includes:

• trml2pdf - http://paketler.pardus.org.tr/contrib/source/trml2pdf.html
• comment-utils - http://code.google.com/p/django-comment-utils
• Postgres 8.x (the latest available when you sign up, 8.2, 8.3, +) - http://www.postgresql.org/docs
• MySQL 5.x (the latest available when you sign up, 8.2, 8.3, +) - http://dev.mysql.com/usingmysql/python
• SQLite3  - http://www.sqlite.org/changes.html
• Any other DB available on request

Just indicate your preferred Database and any other packages you’d like installed in the “Custom Notes” field when you place your order.

Note that we run our shop on Satchmo and Django (and the Blog on WordPress).

j

The latest release of Ubuntu is out, Hardy Heron 8.04 LTS, and it’s gotten Great Reviews so far -

And we now have our vMachine available and ready to go, with the usual package buildouts of our favorite platforms.

We are finalizing the installation scripts and packages, but currently available are Rails 2.02 and Django 0.97-SVN with others forthcoming - watch this space for details on finalized package lists.  (Our previous postings on Django and Rails indicate some of the usual choices)

Also, as always, we use the KVM virtualization technology, which provides a number of technological advantages over the other v12n solutions.

Our vMachine is based on the minimal footprint of the Ubuntu JeOS release, which is now Fully optimized for KVM, including VirtIO, according to Canonical/Ubuntu -  we have a mere 700MB basic footprint for the guest, with a full array of services including ssh.

With your favorite stack from us, your vMachine will still typically be under 900MB, even with xrdp  for your remote desktop XWindows access!

We can host your site / solution and provide any technical assistance and consulting help which you may need.

New: We can also host your desktop!

In addition to the usual VNC (and of course SSH offerings, including X) We offer RDP via XRDP, and we are working on a fully open-source version of the GPLed NX NoMachine technology - and we also hope to be able to offer Qumranet’s (A cool vendor) SolidICE  technology - watch for an announcement.

We always offer (at least) three flavors of Ubuntu:

• Long-Term-Support (Dapper, 6.06, as of this writing)
• Current (Gutsy as of this writing)
• New alpha/prerelease (Hardy Heron 8.04 Alpha 4 as of this writing)

Once Hardy is released, these will shift one-to-the-right, along with the next pre-release (Intrepid Ibex).

Please also note that you can always get a the 64-bit amd64 version on request, although the 32-bit i386 version is the default.

j

Railsters,

We have launched an interim release of the latest Ruby on Rails 2.02 platform on Ubuntu Gutsy 7.10.

Although our longer-term plan is to provide Rails 2.02 on the more recent Ubuntu Hardy 8.04 LTS / Debian-based platform, this release supports the latest Rails with the usual plugins and support you’ve come to expect from Libre Hosting.

We follow the recommended installation procedure for Ubuntu with Rails, found here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RubyOnRails

We also include many defaults and well-chosen packages by us as well as favorites within the community, such as Mongrel, MySQL, OpenSSL, and so forth.

Here’s the way we installed it - let’s start with a few useful utilities, ssh, mysql, lighty, followed by basic ruby and gems only:

apt-get update
apt-get -y install wget mc ssh curl lynx zip unzip arj rar unrar rsync rzip build-essential
apt-get -y install mysql-server libmysqlclient15-dev lighttpd
apt-get -y install ruby rdoc irb libyaml-ruby libzlib-ruby ri libopenssl-ruby ruby1.8-dev
apt-get -y install rubygems

Note that we only want the basic ruby language install - everything else will be maintained by gems, including rails, so we install only rubygems itself from Debian/Ubuntu, and install Rails (and any/all other Ruby dependencies) directly via gems. Be sure you don’t step on gems by using apt-get to install ruby packages! Always use gems.

Also, note that the update –system updates the libraries to gems’ dependency needs, not Ubuntu’s - so now further ruby (and Rails-related) packages will install consistently with gems.

Here we go:

gem update –system
gem install rails -y –include-dependencies
gem install mongrel

apt-get -y install libmysql-ruby
gem install mysql

apt-get -y install imagemagick libmagick9-dev
gem install rmagick

gem install capistrano
gem install puppet

NOTE: RMagick does not install due to version conflicts with the older version of ImageMagick found in Ubuntu7.10. We will address this issue shortly.

PostgreSQL and/or SQLite3 can also be installed on request - as well as GeoKit, and the Rails examples.

Thanks,
LH Staff

The Libre Hosting vPanel offers links to launch various viewer programs automatically, including the universally available VNC (Virtual Network Computing, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VNC).

Although there is a Java-based VNC viewer available in the vPanel as well, which you can simply launch from within your browser, we also offer the ability to launch your local, native viewer of choice, and offer support for VNC, RDP (both the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection, or RDC, as well as the Linux-based RDesktop and TSClient programs), and even No-Machine NX and FreeNX.

To simply connect to your vMachine with your existing VNC client manually, just point your vnc client to librehost.com, and connect to your vnc port number, which can be found on your vPanel Status page, right at the top, in the General Information section, under Ports.

We are also listening to any suggestions you, the reader, might make with respect to new protocols and viewers to support - we are aware of the new Vinaigre client for Linux, and are looking forward to some more technical information on supporting the SPICE protocol from Qumranet, the authors of KVM, which we use for our virtualization. We will also be happy to implement and support Citrix - Contact us today to discuss your Citrix-based VM access needs.

We also may choose to enhance the NX protocol, and incorporate it natively into our infrastructure - this is a pet project of management - let us know if this is something that you’d like to see happen in the near future.

Now, on to the cookbook-style HOWTO:

1) The “Launch” links work much like “media” links - they merely launch your viewer and contain the information you need to pass to it to find your vMachine and display it properly, and the file type / file extension (and MIME type) are used in order for your browser to determine the correct viewer program to launch on your local computer, in order to work and properly view your vMachine. So some clients can be launched directly from the link, and for certain other clients and platforms we need to use a small script to then launch the actual viewer, with the correct configuration and file.

2) Your viewer program (such as your client and platform’s flavor of VNC, RDP, NX, etc) must be installed on your client system that you’re browsing from.

3) When you click on the launch link, it must correctly launch your viewer. This is why you need to associate it properly when you click on it for the first time.

4) We have helper scripts for some/most OSes and clients, here:

Windows

Click on the ‘rdp’ link next to your vMachine Thumbnail -

This will open a dialog box in Windows which shows it is a “Remote Desktop Connection” and will ask you if you want to open it (possibly “with RDP File”). Click OK. and the built-in Windows RDP client will open and allow you to access your vMachine (be it a Windows, Linux, or any other vMachine which has been RDP-enabled!).

Tested with Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT4. Add your experiences as comments or forum postings and and we will update this list.

Linux

5) For VNC, cut/paste this into /usr/local/bin/launchvnc.sh :

#!/bin/sh
echo `cat $1` >/tmp/launchvnc.log # create log if desired
vncviewer `cat $1`

And associate clicking on .vnc files (or the application/x-vnc mime-type) with the above script, by clicking on one of the ‘vnc’ links in the vPanel, and following your dialogs to associate it with the script, above.

6) For RDesktop, cut/paste this into /usr/local/bin/launchrdesktop.sh :

#!/bin/sh
echo `cat $1` >/tmp/launchrdt.log # create log if desired
rdesktop `cat $1`

Then, associate clicking on .rdt files (or the application/x-rdt mime-type) with the above script, by clicking on one of the ‘rdt’ links in the vPanel, and follow the dialogs to associate it with the script, above.

Apple Mac

TBD.

Please don’t hesitate to add your questions, comments, or experiences as blog comments or forum postings and and we will update this list.

Cheers,
Joe

Libre hosters,

We now have an official RoR Install image, that we use for Rails vMachine customers, based on Ubuntu.

It follows the recommended installs for both Ubuntu as well as RoR, and includes many defaults and well-chosen packages by us as well as favorites within the community.

Here’s the way we installed it - let’s start with a few useful utilities, plus ssh access:

apt-get update
apt-get -y install wget mc ssh curl lynx zip unzip arj rar unrar rsync rzip

Now we install the basic Ruby, as indicated here: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RubyOnRails

apt-get -y install ruby rdoc irb libyaml-ruby libzlib-ruby ri

Note that we only want the basic ruby (1.85+) language install - everything else will be maintained by gems, including rails, so we install only rubygems itself from Debian/Ubuntu, and install Rails (and any/all other Ruby dependencies) directly via gems. Be sure you don’t step on gems by using apt-get to install ruby packages! Always use gems. here we go:

apt-get -y install rubygems
gem update –system

Note that the update –system updates the libraries to gems’ dependency needs, not Ubuntu’s - so now further ruby (and Rails-related) packages will install consistently with gems.

So let’s do it:

gem install rails -y –include-dependencies

And here are some other useful utilities and preparatory things from http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/RailsOnUbuntu, including MySQL, Mongrel, OpenSSL, and so forth:

apt-get -y install build-essential
apt-get -y install ruby1.8-dev
gem install mongrel –include-dependencies
apt-get -y install libmysql-ruby mysql-server
apt-get -y install libmysqlclient-dev
gem install mysql –include-dependencies
apt-get -y install libopenssl-ruby
apt-get -y install imagemagick
apt-get -y install libmagick-dev
gem install rmagick –include-dependencies

Note that the choices we made during the installations include:

• RubyGems 0.9.4
• mongrel 1.0.1 (ruby)
• fastthread 1.0 (ruby)
• mysql 2.7 (ruby)

And finally, lots of people, us included, like the ruby-based sysadmin tools of puppet and capistrano:

gem install puppet capistrano –include-dependencies

That’s it! You’re ready to roll with Libre Hosting on Rails!

Note that all RDocs are installed for the Ruby packages, as well.

Here’s a complete list of ruby gems packages installed:

actionmailer (1.3.5) Service layer for easy email delivery and testing.
actionpack (1.13.5) Web-flow and rendering framework putting the VC in MVC.
actionwebservice (1.2.5) Web service support for Action Pack.
activerecord (1.15.5) Implements the ActiveRecord pattern for ORM.
activesupport (1.4.4) Support and utility classes used by the Rails framework.
capistrano (2.1.0) Capistrano is a utility and framework for executing commands in parallel on multiple remote machines, via SSH.
cgi_multipart_eof_fix (2.3) Fix an exploitable bug in CGI multipart parsing.
daemons (1.0.8) A toolkit to create and control daemons in different ways
facter (1.3.8) Facter collects Operating system facts.
fastthread (1.0) Optimized replacement for thread.rb primitives
gem_plugin (0.2.2) A plugin system based only on rubygems that uses dependencies only
highline (1.4.0) HighLine is a high-level command-line IO library.
mongrel (1.0.1) A small fast HTTP library and server that runs Rails, Camping, Nitro and Iowa apps.
mysql (2.7) MySQL/Ruby provides the same functions for Ruby programs that the
MySQL C API provides for C programs.
needle (1.3.0) Needle is a Dependency Injection/Inversion of Control container for Ruby. It supports both type-2 (setter) and type-3 (constructor) injection. It takes advantage of the dynamic nature of Ruby to provide a rich and flexible approach to injecting dependencies.
net-sftp (1.1.0) Net::SFTP is a pure-Ruby implementation of the SFTP client protocol.
net-ssh (1.1.2) Net::SSH is a pure-Ruby implementation of the SSH2 client protocol.
puppet (0.23.2) System Automation and Configuration Management Software
rails (1.2.5) Web-application framework with template engine, control-flow layer, and ORM.
rake (0.7.3) Ruby based make-like utility.
rmagick (1.15.10) RMagick is an interface between the Ruby programming language and the ImageMagick and GraphicsMagick image processing libraries.
rubygems-update (0.9.4) RubyGems Update GEM
sources (0.0.1) This package provides download sources for remote gem installation