[ome-users] Omero.web on a macX server

[Stephen Ogg]

Hi Alex -

I had the same problem on my Xserve with the 64 bit server vs 32 bit  
mod_python and ICE libraries. I could recompile mod_python to be 64  
bit compatible, but then ran into the same problem you did, where ICE  
is only 32 bit. The solution would really be to have a 64 bit ICE, but  
I don't have the skills to make sure that would work with all the  
downstream omero stuff.
In the end, I configured the apache webserver to run in 32 bit mode.  
Here's how I did it - warning: this may screw up your install so make  
sure you make backups, etc. Also, as a further disclaimer, I'm only a  
biologist, so anything I tell you regarding computer system  
administration may be wrong. There may be better ways of doing what I  
did, but here's what worked for me:

On my Xserve running OS X 10.5.7, the webserver application is a fat  
binary file called "httpd" and is in "/usr/sbin". If I run the "file"  
command on this binary, I get the following results:

sekudu:sbin administrator$ file httpd
httpd: Mach-O universal binary with 4 architectures
httpd (for architecture ppc7400):	Mach-O executable ppc
httpd (for architecture ppc64):	Mach-O 64-bit executable ppc64
httpd (for architecture i386):	Mach-O executable i386
httpd (for architecture x86_64):	Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64

The trick is to (after making a backup) remove the 64 bit  
architectures from the binary, that way, it's forced to run as a 32  
bit application. To do this you need the "lipo" command

lipo httpd -remove x86_64 -output httpd
lipo httpd -remove ppc64 -output httpd

Those commands remove the 64 bit executables from the fat binary,  
rename it as "httpd"  and you're left with the following:


sekudu:sbin administrator$ file httpd
httpd: Mach-O universal binary with 2 architectures
httpd (for architecture ppc7400):	Mach-O executable ppc
httpd (for architecture i386):	Mach-O executable i386

restarting the machine then restarts apache2 as a 32 bit application.  
Of course the downside is that it's now running in 32 bit mode rather  
than 64 bit. Plus, everytime you update your system software, if Apple  
has updated the apache2, your "httpd" will be replaced with a brand  
new copy from Apple that will have the 64 bit architectures in the fat  
binary -requiring you to remove them again.

The real solution would be to make sure everything the omero needs is  
64 bit compatible.

Hope that this is helpful to you and anyone else trying to run omero  
on OS X server with 64 bit architecture machine.

Steve

Stephen Ogg
Institute of Medical Biology
8A Biomedical Grove
Singapore 138648

stephen.ogg at imb.a-star.edu.sg




On 15 Jun 2009, at 18:45, Alex Sossick wrote:

> Dear All
>
> Does anyone have any helpful suggestions installing omero.web on a mac
> Xserver. 10.5.7 I have hit a wall, basically ICE is a 32bit app, and  
> the web
> server server on the Mac Xserver is a 64 bit app.
>
> I have a solution in that I can install apache and mod_python using  
> mac
> ports and not use the apple installed webserver, though I would  
> rather use
> the apple installed webserver if possible.
>
> Below is what I have done so far
>
> Thanks
>
> Alex
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> So far I have worked out that to use the Web server installed on the  
> Xserve
> you need to down load and install the very latest mod_python,
>
> https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/quetzalcoatl/mod_python/
>
> In the httpd.conf file when you add the Location info, you also need  
> to add
> to the PythonPath where python is,
>
> PythonPath
> /opt/Ice-3.3/python'
>
> <Location "/">
>    SetHandler python-program
>    PythonHandler django.core.handlers.modpython
>    SetEnv DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE omeroweb.settings
>    PythonDebug On
>
>    PythonPath "['/usr/share/omero/omero_dist/lib/python/',
> '/usr/share/omero/omero_dist/lib/python/omeroweb', '/opt/Ice-3.3/ 
> python'] +
> sys.path"
>
> </Location>
>
>
> -- 
> Alex Sossick
> Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute
> University of Cambridge
> Tennis Court Rd
> Cambridge CB2 1QN
> UK
>
> email ajs17 at cam.ac.uk
> tel 01223 334082
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> ome-users mailing list
> ome-users at lists.openmicroscopy.org.uk
> http://lists.openmicroscopy.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/ome-users