Using rt4-fcgi with RT on Debian?

RT Users
1

Hi all,
I thought I’d start a new thread for this, since the question got asked in
a thread that didn’t specifically relate to FCGI. I was told by one list
member to install the rt4-fcgi package to help serve RT on Debian through
Nginx. I’ve done so, but am not sure how to get it working or what
commands, if any, are available.

I have the ‘rt’ site in Nginx set to use 127.0.0.1:8485, and that works
initially if I use spawn-fcgi. However, I then run into the problem I had
last week, where Firefox says the page isn’t redirecting properly. The
message is:

The page isn’t redirecting properly
Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this
address in a way that will never complete.

The initial page works correctly, but I get the above as soon as I log in.
If I run the useful command I just found, tail -f /var/log/messages, I see
only come configuration problems from an hour before when I most recently
tried to access the site. The Nginx error log for RT is empty, and the
access log shows only the failed attempts I made earlier in the day.

I have a feeling that my changes to the name, location, and other settings
just haven’t taken effect yet. In trying to restart the server to get these
configuration changes to register, though, I run into the small problem
that I have no idea how to restart it. I’m still using spawn-fcgi because
it’s the only way I know to get the site working; how would I use rt4-fcgi
instead? Once I have it running, how would I restart it? Change the port?
If anyone has suggestions, I’d appreciate them. I know all this stuff must
seem painfully obvious and simple to most everyone, but documentation on
rt4-fcgi is nowhere to be found, so I’m not sure where else to ask.

Alex Hall
Automatic Distributors, IT department
ahall@autodist.com

2

Just a quick update: I added
Set(WebPort , 8485);
to my configuration, killed the FCGI server, re-spawned it, and the error I
was getting when trying to log in went away. I’d still like to know how to
use rt4-fcgi, to avoid having to use kill and spawn-fcgi just to apply a
configuration update, but at least I can log in and start configuring RT
for use.On Fri, Sep 2, 2016 at 3:15 PM, Alex Hall ahall@autodist.com wrote:

Hi all,
I thought I’d start a new thread for this, since the question got asked in
a thread that didn’t specifically relate to FCGI. I was told by one list
member to install the rt4-fcgi package to help serve RT on Debian through
Nginx. I’ve done so, but am not sure how to get it working or what
commands, if any, are available.

I have the ‘rt’ site in Nginx set to use 127.0.0.1:8485, and that works
initially if I use spawn-fcgi. However, I then run into the problem I had
last week, where Firefox says the page isn’t redirecting properly. The
message is:

The page isn’t redirecting properly
Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this
address in a way that will never complete.

The initial page works correctly, but I get the above as soon as I log in.
If I run the useful command I just found, tail -f /var/log/messages, I see
only come configuration problems from an hour before when I most recently
tried to access the site. The Nginx error log for RT is empty, and the
access log shows only the failed attempts I made earlier in the day.

I have a feeling that my changes to the name, location, and other settings
just haven’t taken effect yet. In trying to restart the server to get these
configuration changes to register, though, I run into the small problem
that I have no idea how to restart it. I’m still using spawn-fcgi because
it’s the only way I know to get the site working; how would I use rt4-fcgi
instead? Once I have it running, how would I restart it? Change the port?
If anyone has suggestions, I’d appreciate them. I know all this stuff must
seem painfully obvious and simple to most everyone, but documentation on
rt4-fcgi is nowhere to be found, so I’m not sure where else to ask.

–
Alex Hall
Automatic Distributors, IT department
ahall@autodist.com

Alex Hall
Automatic Distributors, IT department
ahall@autodist.com

3

Hi Alex,

[I see you replied since I started this email.]

Some comments inline, but first let me say:

I’ve used Debian for a long time. I’ve also used RT for a while - both
installed via the deb packages and installed from source. With either
route, it is pretty painless.

For installing from source, all the perl dependencies are available
for RT 4.4.1 in jessie, jessie backports, and stretch repositories.

jessie backports
libencode-perl

stretch
libdata-page-pageset-perl
libhtml-formattext-withlinks-andtables-perl

Here is the list of dependency packages:

libterm-readkey-perl
libregexp-common-net-cidr-perl
libencode-perl
starlet
libtext-wikiformat-perl
libtime-parsedate-perl
libuniversal-require-perl
libtree-simple-perl
libdata-page-pageset-perl
libdatetime-perl
libmodule-versions-report-perl
libipc-run3-perl
libdata-guid-perl
libemail-address-list-perl
liblocale-maketext-fuzzy-perl
libxml-rss-perl
libhtml-mason-psgihandler-perl
libtext-wrapper-perl
libhtml-mason-perl
libdata-ical-perl
libhtml-scrubber-perl
librole-basic-perl
libdatetime-format-natural-perl
libsymbol-global-name-perl
libscope-upper-perl
liblocale-maketext-lexicon-perl
libdbix-searchbuilder-perl
libhtml-quoted-perl
libconvert-color-perl
libdate-extract-perl
libjson-perl
libtext-quoted-perl
libcss-squish-perl
libhtml-rewriteattributes-perl
libhtml-formattext-withlinks-andtables-perl
libtext-password-pronounceable-perl
libapache-session-perl
libbusiness-hours-perl
libmime-tools-perl
libregexp-ipv6-perl
libnet-cidr-perl
libdate-manip-perl
libcrypt-eksblowfish-perl
libgd-graph-perl
libperlio-eol-perl
libgnupg-interface-perl
libipc-run-perl
libgraphviz-perl
libcrypt-x509-perl
libstring-shellquote-perl
libcrypt-ssleay-perl
libcss-minifier-xs-perl
libjavascript-minifier-xs-perl

You’ll want to pin the preferences for those other repositories like so:

% head -n -0 /etc/apt/preferences.d/*
==> /etc/apt/preferences.d/100_request_tracker_4_4_packages_from_jessie_backports
<==
Package: libencode-perl
Pin: release n=jessie-backports
Pin-Priority: 995

==> /etc/apt/preferences.d/200_request_tracker_4_4_packages_from_stretch <==
Package: libdata-page-pageset-perl
Pin: release n=stretch
Pin-Priority: 995

Package: libhtml-formattext-withlinks-andtables-perl
Pin: release n=stretch
Pin-Priority: 995

==> /etc/apt/preferences.d/500_stretch_pinning <==
Package: *
Pin: release n=stretch
Pin-Priority: 90

And lastly, when installing (from source) you’ll need to tweak a line
in the rt-test-dependencies file:

rt-4.4.1/sbin/rt-test-dependencies

remove this line:
% grep Mozilla rt-4.4.1/sbin/rt-test-dependencies
Mozilla::CA

That perl module is covered by a Debian package by a different name.

Here is the configure I use. Very similar to the Debian package configure:

./configure --enable-graphviz --enable-gd --enable-gpg
–with-rt-group=root --with-web-user=www-data
–with-web-group=www-data --with-web-handler=fastcgi
–with-libs-group=root --with-db-type=Pg --with-db-dba=postgres

You’ll want to change the web-handler to fcgi.

That is the gist of installing from source.

Hi all,
I thought I’d start a new thread for this, since the question got asked in a
thread that didn’t specifically relate to FCGI. I was told by one list
member to install the rt4-fcgi package to help serve RT on Debian through
Nginx. I’ve done so, but am not sure how to get it working or what commands,
if any, are available.

I have the ‘rt’ site in Nginx set to use 127.0.0.1:8485, and that works
initially if I use spawn-fcgi. However, I then run into the problem I had
last week, where Firefox says the page isn’t redirecting properly. The
message is:

The page isn’t redirecting properly
Firefox has detected that the server is redirecting the request for this
address in a way that will never complete.

Look at the HTTP headers and see what is exactly happening. Use
Firebug, or LiveHTTPHeaders, or the developer tools in Chrom(e|ium).

The initial page works correctly, but I get the above as soon as I log in.
If I run the useful command I just found, tail -f /var/log/messages, I see
only come configuration problems from an hour before when I most recently
tried to access the site. The Nginx error log for RT is empty, and the
access log shows only the failed attempts I made earlier in the day.

Sure. It sounds like nginx doesn’t actually serve anything, thus
nothing to log. Perhaps tweak logging for nginx.

I have a feeling that my changes to the name, location, and other settings
just haven’t taken effect yet.

From your reply it sounds like you are on the right track.

Cheers!

-m