Re: [Arx-users] ArX server requirements

[Walter Landry]

Kevin Smith <address@hidden> wrote:
> On Sat, 2004-12-11 at 09:46 -0500, Walter Landry wrote:
> > Kevin Smith <address@hidden> wrote:
> > > Can I serve a readonly ArX archive from a $2/mo web host that only gives
> > > me ftp access?
> > 
> > Yes, although it is not as easy as it might be.  You have to manually
> > update the .listing file each time you commit.  Making that easier is
> > on my todo list, about halfway through the list of "Things that will
> > happen".
> 
> Ugh. Ok. As long as it can happen. Being able to serve ArX from *any*
> cheap/free web host is one of its compelling features.
> 
> It is really hard to find any information about .listing on the web. Is
> this a GNU arch invention, or did it come from somewhere else?

I think it came from somewhere else.

> I was quite surprised by all this because darcs doesn't seem to have
> this limitation. If I understand correctly, it never needs to do a
> directory listing because it keeps inventory and manifest files that
> list everything it needs to know about.

That sounds a like the moral equivalent of a .listing file.

> I'm not sure about that, though.

I thought that darcs requires a cgi script to serve over http.  If you
are allowed to run cgi scripts, then you can just use one that
generates .listing files on the fly.  Jan Hudec has already written
one

  http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-arch-users/2004-09/msg00840.html

I have not audited it for security problems.

> > > Can I serve a readonly ArX archive from *any* web server software (e.g.
> > > boa, thttpd, jetty), or is it tuned to only work with certain servers
> > > like apache?
> > 
> > If you can configure the webserver to handle webdav, it will be more
> > robust.  But if you are willing to update .listing files, then _any_
> > webserver will do.
> 
> Is there any realistic way to avoid the need for listings at all?

Run webdav or a cgi script.

> If not, I guess automatic, robust .listing support is going to be
> pretty important (to me).

It is not possible to make it really robust.  You can make it robust
enough, though.

Walter