---
title: Apache & Instiki on Solaris 10
date: 2005-08-21T21:31:10Z
modified: 2005-08-21T21:31:10Z
permalink: "https://redmonk.com/sogrady/2005/08/21/apache-instiki-on-solaris-10/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 550
categories:
  - RedMonk Miscellaneous
timestamp: 2005-08-21T21:31:10Z
tags:
  - RedMonk Miscellaneous
---

Because I’m trying to meet up with a friend of mine in from out of town today, I was forced to scratch a fishing trip to Ten Mile Creek out in Frisco, CO. So all of a sudden I found myself with an extra few hours of my schedule – which makes me feel sort of like I do when I put on a coat I haven’t worn for a while and find a $20 bill in one of the pockets. So as not to waste this unexpected gold mine of free time, I decided I’d get a few things up and running on our [V20Z](http://www.flickr.com/photos/sog/25695442/).

While I have plans for that box later this week (schedule permitting) I wanted to get a wiki up and running at a minimum and give it a domain so I can stop pointing to it with a straight IP. So during a leisurely lunch here at the [Handlebar & Grill](http://colorado.metrofreefi.com/10821/free-wifi-Handlebar+%26+Grill-Denver-CO.htm) (their network doesn’t lock down many ports, making SSH – as well as IMAP – feasible), I did the following:

1. Installed Apache using Blastwave (_pkg-get -i apache2_ \[1\]); incidentally, Blastwave is currently running a [fundraising effort](http://www.blastwave.org/sponsors/donation.html) and RedMonk was happy to contribute a modest sum. We encourage anyone using such community based resource to remember to donate, as bandwidth/hosting/etc cost money.
2. Did the basic Apache configuration bit; dropping in a new index page, etc
3. Installed Ruby (Blastwave has 1.8.1), also via Blastwave (_pkg-get -i ruby_)
4. Fetched the Ruby on Rails-based Instiki packages (_wget http://rubyforge.org/frs/download.php/5356/instiki-0.10.2.zip_) and unzipped them
5. Installed Instiki – got a weird error
6. Fetched 0.10.1 of Instiki and unzipped that (_unzip instiki.0.10.1.zip_)
7. Installed Instiki successfully (_ruby instiki_)
8. Configured Instiki to run in the background via the instructions [here](http://instiki.org/show/Getting+Instiki+to+Run+in+the+Background):
    > _nohup /opt/csw/bin/ruby /export/home/user/instiki-0.10.1/instiki
    >  –storage /var/instiki
    >  >& /var/logs/instiki.`date08212005.log &_
9. Pointed a test domain at it using the 1and1 Domain admin interface, which is pretty simple to use

One thing that I couldn’t figure out was how to get an Apache virtual host configured so as to make available a wiki.domain.com type URL. I tried a variation of this:

> ServerName wiki.mydomain.com
>  ProxyPass / http://127.0.0.1:2500/
>  ProxyPassReverse / http://127.0.0.1:2500/

as it was recommended by the Instiki page [here](http://instiki.org/show/RunningInstikiOnPortEighty). I kept getting some error about “‘\\ServerName’, perhaps mis-spelled or defined by a module not included” – anybody know what’s up with that? My Apache experience is limited mostly to .htaccess files and the like.

Right now, the wiki’s nothing more than a proof-of-concept/placeholder at the moment, but I’ll drop in a link here as soon as I’m happy with the status of the box itself.

This was a very basic install, but I do find it interesting that the deployment of Ruby on Rails apps is pretty much dead simple using the Blastwave & Solaris 10 combination (though I think Instiki’s documentation could be a bit better). I expected to have more trouble finding applications for Solaris than Linux, but who knows – maybe there’s something to these cross-platform dynamic languages 😉

Anyway, next up this week: Splunk for my local Linux box and another Solaris project.

\[1\] One complaint about pkg-get is that it demands a lot of user interaction; I had to key in “y” seven or eight times during the install. I’m used to unattended installations with Linux, and would prefer that.