How to Install Gorg

1. Introduction

Gorg is a back-end XSLT processor for an XML-based web site. XML source files are transformed and served on-the-fly. Output files and their dependencies are cached. Its main features are:

Works with apache, lighttpd or webrick (ruby's own web server)
Uses efficient caching
Generates consistent HTTP headers when several web nodes serve the same content
Implements its own compression (aka mod_gzip), i.e. it does not rely on the web server to compress its output
Supports client-side caching
Your XSL can accept and write cookies
Provides its own search engine (site indexing will be substantially updated in a later version)

Gorg allows you to serve your own local copy of http://www.gentoo.org. It can use either a cgi or a fastcgi script with apache or lighttpd, or even use its own stand-alone web server. Its name is short for Gentoo.org because it was created with Gentoo's site in mind when it was felt that a replacement for AxKit was required.

Gorg has been tested on x86, amd64, alpha, sparc, ppc, mips & hppa with the following packages:

Code Listing 1.1: Test environment

>=net-www/apache-2.0.55
>=www-apache/mod_fcgid-1.0.8 

>=dev-lang/ruby-1.8.4
>=dev-libs/fcgi-2.4.0  
>=dev-ruby/ruby-fcgi-0.8.6
>=dev-libs/libxml2-2.6.23
>=dev-libs/libxslt-1.1.15
(In the unlikely case you want to fiddle with gorg's own search engine)
>=dev-db/mysql-4.0.26 (up to and including 5.*)
>=dev-ruby/ruby-dbi-0.0.21
>=dev-ruby/mysql-ruby

2. Installing Gorg

Define your USE flags to allow apache with or without mod_fcgi, or not depending on how you want to use it. The mysql USE flag is only required for the integrated search engine.

Important: You might have to keyword some dependencies for your architecture. You can keyword the required packages or accept a foreign architecture. gorg has been installed and tested on x86, amd64, alpha, sparc, ppc, mips & hppa.

Code Listing 2.1: Emerging gorg

(Check dependencies are available for your architecture)
# emerge -pv gorg

(Install gorg)
# emerge gorg

3. Configuring Gorg

Configuring apache

Note: You may skip this section if you are not going to use apache at all.

If you want to use fastcgi, which you should anyway, you'll need to add -D FCGID to the APACHE2_OPTS variable in /etc/conf.d/apache2.

Then, integrate the apache configuration directives from the provided sample file /etc/gorg/vhost.sample into your own vhost configs, e.g.: /etc/apache2/vhosts.d/10_gorg.conf. Comments in the sample config file will guide you.

Finally, copy or symlink the (c)cgi scripts from /usr/lib/ruby/site_ruby/<ruby-version>/gorg/fcgi-bin/gorg.fcgi and /usr/lib/ruby/site_ruby/<ruby-version>/gorg/cgi-bin/{gorg,search}.cgi into your web site (f)cgi directories and check they are executable. You should copy search.cgi only if you are going to use the integrated search engine.

Configuring gorg

Create a copy of the sample config file /etc/gorg/gorg.conf.sample named /etc/gorg/gorg.conf and edit it. Comments will help you define your own parameters. You need to define at least your web document root directory.

If you do not want to use the default /etc/gorg/gorg.conf config file, you'll need to define an environment variable called GORG_CONF that points to the config file.

Important: If you use caching, and it is recommended that you do so, do make sure that the cache directory defined in your config file has proper permissions. If you use apache, the apache user needs full access to that directory.

Getting the missing files

Assuming you'll serve your local copy of CVS, or a copy if, or symlinks to it, you need to download some files from the dyn directory.

Code Listing 3.1: Get the missing files

(Go to your htdocs directory)
$ cd /path/to/your/document/root
/htdocs $ cd dyn
/htdocs $ wget -O news-index.xml http://www.gentoo.org/dyn/news-index.xml?passthru=1
/htdocs $ cd ..
(Do the same for any other data you may need from the /dyn directory)

You also need to make the pictures available to your browser. The images directory is one level above htdocs. Just define a symlink to it and you're set.

Code Listing 3.2: Make a symlink to the pictures

/htdocs $ ln -si ../images images

(It should look like this:)
/htdocs $ ls -l
drwxr-xr-x   3 neysx users  128 Sep 14 17:45 css
drwxr-xr-x  31 neysx users  744 Oct 26 00:03 doc
drwxr-xr-x   3 neysx users  544 Nov  2 16:53 dtd
drwxr-xr-x   3 neysx users  168 Nov  3 16:24 dyn
-rw-r--r--   1 neysx users 1406 Jun  7  2003 favicon.ico
lrwxrwxrwx   1 neysx users   10 Oct 21 22:29 images -> ../images/
-rw-r--r--   1 neysx users  190 Nov  9  2002 index.xml
drwxr-xr-x  16 neysx users  384 Apr  1  2004 main
drwxr-xr-x  17 neysx users 6960 Nov  3 15:34 news
drwxr-xr-x   8 neysx users  192 Oct 23 14:52 proj
drwxr-xr-x   4 neysx users   96 Sep 17 14:05 security
drwxr-xr-x   3 neysx users  736 Nov  2 16:40 xsl

Your local CVS probably shows a few more entries, but at least those mentioned above should be available and kept up-to-date. Also remember to keep your images directory current.

4. Running Gorg

The stand-alone web server

The easiest way to try it out is to run gorg. It should display something like:

Code Listing 4.1: Run gorg

$ gorg

Starting the Gorg web server on port 8008

Hit Ctrl-C or type "kill 31479" to stop it

Point your browser to http://localhost:8008 and you should see your favorite site.

With apache

Restart apache (/etc/init.d/apache2 restart) and visit http://localhost assuming you're installing on your own workstation.

If you used static fastcgi servers, you should see them with top -u apache.

If it doesn't work, try the stand-alone web server (type gorg). If this doesn't work either, check your /etc/gorg/gorg.conf config file. If it does work, please check your apache config files and your logs.

The contents of this document, unless otherwise expressly stated, are licensed under the CC-BY-SA-2.5 license. The Gentoo Name and Logo Usage Guidelines apply.

Page updated May 7, 2012

Summary: This guide describes how to install and configure gorg.

Xavier Neys
Author

Joshua Saddler
Editor

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