Brightbox gem 2.3 13 Feb 09

I’m pleased to announce that we have just pushed a new revision to the Brightbox gem up to Rubyforge. 

Version 2.3 of the gem fixes some issues reported to us by our users. A quick summary of the changes from the release notes:

• Removed the Capistrano task which calls the db:check:config rake task. This task was introduced to help with a common config mistake, but just resulted in a different mistake becoming common.
• Removed the Capistrano task which calls rake gems:install. Running this as sudo was causing some permissions errors caused by initialising the Rails stack as root.
• Fixed how we track the commands the gem depends upon, the deploy:check command now works as expected.
• Gem dependencies are now installed by listing them in deploy.rb, extra examples have been added to the boilerplate deploy file.

The change in the way we handle gem dependencies was the reasoning behind making this a minor version release. Previously we simply called the inbuilt Rails 2.2 gem install task.  However we found some issues where customers with fresh deployments when running this command as root would result in files being created that could not then be removed during subsequent deployments. We took the decision to use the inbuilt capistrano dependencies to handle the installation of remote gems (examples are available inside the deploy.rb that the brightbox command automatically generates for you).

Update 24/2/2009: We’ve just pushed a new version, 2.3.2 that changes slightly how the gem dependencies work. You now specify a dependency with an alternate source in your deploy.rb like this:

depend :remote, :gem, "tmm1-amqp", ">=0.6.0", :source => "http://gems.github.com"

Brightbox Gem v.2.2 – now with Passenger support 12 Jan 09

Today I am pleased to announce a new release of our Brightbox Gem, version 2.2. This release brings us the long anticipated support for Phusion Passenger (a.k.a. mod_rails).

We’ve made it super easy to deploy your application using Passenger instead of the mongrel configuration recommended previously and there is documentation on how to use this on your Brightbox over at our wiki. New deployments are ready to go on Passenger immediately provided you have Ubuntu Hardy 8.04 already installed on your Brightbox. If you’re still on Ubuntu Dapper 6.06 then you can upgrade by simply ordering a new box, moving your data over and then cancelling the old box.

There is no automated way to move existing mongrel installs over to Passenger, but there is a very simple procedure outlined on the wiki page which will have you up and running in a few minutes.

If you have any questions or spot any bugs in this latest release then please let us know, we now have a forum on which we will be happy to answer your Passenger and Brightbox gem questions.

Update 12/01/2009: After spotting a regression which snuck in just before we released version 2.2, version 2.2.1 has just been released and should be propogating around the Rubyforge mirrors right now.

Update 2 13/01/2009: I found a better way to handle passenger restarts. This has been added to the gem and the version has been bumped to 2.2.2

Brightbox Gem v2.1.2 released 9 Oct 08

I have released v2.1.2 of the Brightbox deployment gem onto Rubyforge today. This update to the gem is thanks to all the feedback we’ve received from customers over the summer.

The documentation on the wiki has been updated to cover the new features and fixes. If you have any tips or find any errors, you can edit the wiki yourself, or just let us know.

NEW FEATURES

Cluster support

The gem handles mongrels that are not on the same server as the web server. All you need do is set the mongrel host to ‘:remote’ and the gem will work out from your :app definitions where the mongrels are.

Nginx SSL support

Those using Nginx can now deploy SSL automatically in the same way as Apache.

Enhanced shared area management

We’ve improved the shared area system so that it now works globally across all your servers (assuming you have a shared network drive). Simply set global_shared_path to a directory on the network and list your shared directories and files in global_shared_dirs and global_shared_files.

Adjustable monit monitoring

You can now increase (or decrease) the amount of memory and cpu your mongrels are allowed to use and change the url that monit checks to determine if your application is working properly.

‘Rich’ maintenance page

Many customers are unhappy with the slightly stark standard Capistrano maintenance page. So we’ve improved the system allowing you to have a fully styled static web site where the simple maintenance page once lived.

Simple staging environment

The gem has been altered so that it will work properly with the standard Capistrano multistage extensions.

Easier management of rake tasks

Two new tasks have been created so that you can easily change and extend the rake tasks that are run after code deployment.

FIXES AND ENHANCEMENTS
Other improvements include:

• REST verbs now work with page cached content.
• The apache deflate module is on by default.
• The gem now detects which web server you have in place and manipulates the correct one.
• Separate error pages for each of the 5xx error pages on Nginx.
• Going into maintenance returns the correct 503 error and doesn’t change the URL.
• Static assets are cached aggressively in the browser, with fine control available in deploy.rb if required.

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.

Brightbox Gem v2 beta 9 May 08

We’re proud to announce the beta version of our new Brightbox deployment gem. It is available from the Brightbox gem testing repository at http://gems.brightbox.net/testing. You can add this repository to your list by following these instructions.

This gem is a complete rewrite, to take advantage of the latest features of Capistrano and Rails. The Gem works with the current version of Capistrano (2.3) and supports the deployment of Rails 2.x applications.

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.

Automatically creates database configuration

The standard ‘mysql’ command allows you to put the database, username and password in a file called ‘.my.cnf’ in the ‘rails’ user home directory on the server. The mysql command will then read that file and logon to the database directly. If your application is short of a ‘production’ section in its config/database.yml then the recipes will take the contents of ‘.my.cnf’ and create a production section dynamically.

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.

NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We’d like as many Brightbox customers to use the new gem and let us know what they think of it so that we can hone it to perfection. Please give it a go and then pop along to our Brightbox Beta discussion group (http://groups.google.com/group/brightbox-beta) and let us know any feedback or problems.