ARCHIVED: Completed project: Website Services and MySQL Infrastructure Upgrade

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Primary UITS contact: Brian McGough

Completed: August 21, 2008

Description: The IU website and MySQL database services infrastructure is being rebuilt on new hardware in a Red Hat Enterprise Linux environment that includes a load balancer in front of the web server. This replaces the web services delivered via Veritas and Champion, the Analog Log Service, and the MySQL database service delivered via Triton and Callisto.

During migration, Veritas and Champion accounts will be copied over to the new Linux web server. This will occur on a daily basis to keep the contents of an account synchronized between the current web server and the new Linux web server. Account owners will not have to move the content of their accounts, although there will be options available to account owners to permit them to control how synchronization behaves or to stop synchronization altogether.

During this migration, current production sites and new Linux sites will co-exist. A simple web browser-based mechanism will be available that will allow account owners and contacts to view their Linux-based site to ensure complete functionality of web pages and web applications. During this time, account editors will be able to correct any problems in their new Linux site without impacting their existing site. Once account owners and contacts have tested the account and are satisfied with the results, the owner will notify the IU Webmaster that the account can be fully migrated. Once an account has migrated, the content on the new Linux web server will become active and the content in accounts on the current web server will no longer be accessible.

Log reports will be available for a short while on both the old and the new hardware.

The MySQL test and production accounts will each be moved for all accounts within a single day, with the test accounts moved and verified by account holders before the production accounts are moved.

Outcome: The focus of this project is to lifecycle update the hardware by moving the related website and database services onto virtual servers, improve disaster recovery and business continuity functionality, and update the software available to web account owners for use in building web pages.

Milestones and status:

  • June 2006: IUPUI servers (Champion/Ramoth) relocated to Wrubel Computing Center. Completed.
  • November 2006: Veritas and Champion virtual hosts transitioned from IP number-based to a name-based configuration. Completed.
  • July 2007: Test TrafficScript and place central web server behind load balancers. Completed.
  • September 2007: Build prototype Linux web server. Completed.
  • October 2007: Analog Log Service migrated to Linux. Completed.
  • November 2007: Callisto (mysql-test.iu.edu) migrated to Linux. Completed.
    Triton (mysql.iu.edu) migrated to Linux. Completed.
    Setting up the Linux web server environment. Scheduled throughout the month of November.
  • December 2007: Build production Linux web server and begin UITS testing. Completed.
  • January 2008: Begin UITS testing with selected customer sites. Completed.
  • February 2008: InfoShare held on the 5th. Customer testing of their own sites begins for a selected group representing power users employing a variety of tools and approaches. Completed.
  • March 2008: Customer testing opens for all. Migration begins. Completed.
  • May 2008: Migration of all Veritas and Champion accounts. Completed.
  • June-July 2008: Retire old servers. Completed.

    Note: One server remains. It is not in the critical path of this project and will be taken out of service by the end of this year.

Comment process: Send email to IU Webmaster.

Benefits:

  • Enhanced reliability
  • Enhanced security
  • Increased disk quota
  • Updated software

The following software upgrades will be available on the new web servers:

  • Apache 1.3.39
  • GCC 3.4.6 (C Language Compiler)
  • Python; will offer 2.3.6, 2.4.4, 2.5.1.
  • Perl 5.88; all existing modules will be upgraded to most recent stable version.
  • PHP v. 5.2.4; default version located at /usr/local/bin/php; v. 4.4.7 will be available at /usr/local/bin/php4; bang lines no longer required for PHP scripts, making installation of many PHP-based applications easier for customers.

Client impact: The new Linux environment requires using the Network ID passphrase for access to group accounts. This passphrase may be different from the login password currently in use. Clients are asked to test their websites. Some CGI applications won't work correctly without intervention.

Project team:

  • Bob Eckert
  • Mike Egolf
  • Mike Floyd
  • Michael Halla
  • Dick Hiatt
  • Kate Holden
  • Teresa Hunter
  • Jeannie Kellam
  • Laura Klein
  • Mat Klein
  • Jim Kippenbrock
  • Dan McKee
  • Dan Ondrik
  • Pete Percival
  • Tom Pfister
  • Robert Reynolds
  • Dawn Shanks-Lynch
  • Craig Spanburg
  • Manjit Trehan
  • Troy Williams
  • Dan Young

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Last modified on 2018-01-18 15:59:53.