Brightbox v2.0.2 Gem released 12 Jun 08
Today we tagged and released v2.0.2 of our new Brightbox deployment gem on Rubyforge. It should be available just as soon as the main gem repository synchronises, or you can grab it from our testing repository at http://gems.brightbox.net/testing/
Documentation for the gem is on the wiki. If you have any tips or find any errors, please feel free to update the wiki yourself (or drop us a note if you’re shy!)
This gem is a complete rewrite, to take advantage of the latest features of Capistrano and Rails. The Gem works with latest versions of Capistrano (v2.0.2 of the gem has been updated to work with Capistrano 2.4 as well as 2.3) and supports the deployment of Rails applications with a slant towards those created with Rails v2.x
NEW FEATURES SINCE BETA
NGINX support
The gem creates configurations for both Apache and NGINX so that those who prefer to use NGINX can use the gem as well as their favourite webserver.
Apache SSL support
If you set :ssl_certificate to the path of an SSL certificate stored on your server then the gem will create an SSL configuration for that site. (Note that there can only be one SSL site per Brightbox due to limitations in the way Apache uses certificates).
Simple local shared area management
The capistrano release management system shares certain directories and files between releases - log files and the public/system directory. We have extended that function so that you can create your own directories and files that are shared between releases. Simply set the :local_shared_dirs and :local_shared_files variables and the Brightbox gem will make sure those areas are always shared between releases. Great for upload directories or for sharing the config/database.yml between releases.
Documented config/deploy.rb
We have included documentation for all the Brightbox features directly in the config/deploy.rb. Find the feature section, uncomment the appropriate lines and alter to suit.
Monit management
If you stop an application monit will stop monitoring it until you start it again. This should eliminate a lot of noise from monit.
NEW FEATURES
Deploy with a single command
You can deploy a Rails application onto the Brightbox system with a single command deploy:initial. We’ve tried to reduce the amount of work required to get an application working. You can follow our simplified initial deployment guide on our wiki
Focus on new deployment
The Brightbox gem is designed to allow you to quickly deploy an application to your new Brightbox. We’ve created sensible defaults for many of the Brightbox command options, and trimmed as much of the fat as we can from the deployment process. But because the gem generates Capistrano files you can tailor this starting point to your exact needs using the full power of Capistrano.
Deploy your working copy
The gem uses the new ‘:none’ scm option in Capistrano that simply zips up the current directory and deploys it on the server. No more messing around with version control security until you’re ready. Just deploy and go.
Checks your database configuration
The gem will check the database.yml for the Rails environment you are deploying to and will warn you if any of the details do not conform to Brightbox Standards.
Automatically creates databases and gems
Rails now has rake commands for creating databases and installing required gems. Where these are available the recipes will use them automatically. For Rails 2.0 users we’ve created a simple ’stop gap’ rake task that you can use to specify your required gems.
Separate server and client gems
Once the gem is released all new brightboxes will come with the server gem preinstalled. For older boxes you will need to install the server tools manually. Log into your brightbox and run:
sudo gem install brightbox-server-tools -y --no-ri --no-rdoc
Logs Rotated
The gem asks the operating system to monitor the size of the application logs and rotate them when they get too big or too old. No longer should a neglected log file bring your server to its knees.
Mongrels Cleaned
Mongrel tend to be dirty when it falls over and leaves PID files lying around to trap the unwary. The new gem cleans up dirty PID files before it restarts.
Works alongside Capistrano
We’ve simplified the recipes so that, wherever possible, they augment the existing Capistrano deployment commands we all know and love rather than replacing them. That way your deployments gain the benefits of Capistrano improvements as well as improvements in the Brightbox gem. Free software at its best.
