Deploying Rails application - UK Web Hosting | Dedicated Server Windows and Linux VPS Forum

**krychek** · #1 (**permalink**) 02-02-2007, 18:53

I couldn't find anything about deploying rails apps on eukhost.com except:
http://blog.eukhost.com/2006/09/30/ruby-on-rails/, which is completely useless since i cant run sudo commands and rails should already be installed.
It doesn't say anything about how to run a rails app on the remote host!!!

The first problem was that eukhost didn't provide me SSH access to my domain. I asked them to provide me one so they said they had to move my account from UK to the US. (no SSH in the UK?!)

After I got SSH access I've tried Capistrano which won't work because svn is not installed on the remote system. So I couldn't checkout my repository.

I simply tried to copy my app onto the system but it didn't work maybe because fcgi/apache don't know where my app is. I don't think I can edit the httpd.conf since I'm not a sudoer. Maybe it's possible to edit it via cpanel but I don't know how.

I've found this page but surprisingly it doesn't say a word about cpanel. It only tells commands which i can't run because I'm no sudoer.

So please provide us a complete step by step tutorial on how to deploy ruby on rails application onto eukhost's remote shared system.

(Also it would be great if the latest rails was installed on the servers instead of 1.1.6)

**eUKhost.com** · #2 (**permalink**) 02-02-2007, 19:09

We don't have development knowledge of Ruby on Rails but we know how to install Ruby on Rails and how to install Gems needed for Ruby on Rails. It wont be possible for us to make any tutorials on Ruby on Rails as its a third party software and its core developers work through rubyonrails.org

You should consider our VPS Hosting plan if you need root access to install all necessary modules or you can simply provide us with details of what needs to be done on the server and we can do that for you.

**krychek** · #3 (**permalink**) 02-02-2007, 19:37

I don't want you to help me developing rails applications.
I only want to know how to make it possible to RUN rails applications on my remote server.
I think you need to know how to do this because you are the ones that offering rails services..

I won't consider any other plans cuz rails running environment should be provided even on the copper plan. I sent you an email asking you to install rails 1.2.1 but you told me that rails was already installed. (1.1.6)

**halv** · #4 (**permalink**) 03-02-2007, 09:37

To continue with this thread :

Has anyone on this website hosting deployed a Rails application in the UK with EUKHOST ?

Has anyone on this website hosting deployed a Rails application with EUKHOST ?

Where is the location of the Rails system on a shared server at EUKHOST ?

Where does the Rails appplication need to be put on a shared server so as to run successfully?

How do I check the status of Rails on my shared server ?

Any other users who have experience of these things I would be greatful for your Eukhost specific knowledge.

regards

Hal

**eUKhost.com** · #5 (**permalink**) 03-02-2007, 10:43

Please open a ticket on our helpdesk and mention all your requirements in it. I will assign that ticket to our CRO who will do all necessary research on ROR.

It may take some time for him to complete his research work but so far he's been successful with everything assigned to him so hopefully you wont be disappointed this time.

So far our knowledge has been limited to installation of Ruby on Rails and adding Gems required for RoR and nothing else. No one else needed anything else so we didn't do any research work so far. RubyonRails.org has also got incomplete information so that wont help anyone. We have to start working on it with some advanced research talent.

**halv** · #6 (**permalink**) 03-02-2007, 12:45

Hello eukhost,

I'm not sure if you were replying to myself or krychek. I am not disappointed I am just trying to find out how people who use EUKHOST have deployed their rails applications.
Anyway I will raise a ticket as suggested and in the meantime I will do some research myself,

regards

Hal

**eUKhost.com** · #7 (**permalink**) 03-02-2007, 13:05

Thanks Hal,

We'll need to do some research from our end as well as popularity of RoR is growing day by day and its sad to see that the makers don't have sufficient documentation. We will come up with some good solution for all Ruby on Rails requirements to capture RoR hosting market.

**krychek** · #8 (**permalink**) 03-02-2007, 15:24

halv has good questions. ("Has anyone on this website hosting deployed a Rails application with EUKHOST ?")

Most of the documentation tells how to deploy using Capistrano and Mongrel. Capistrano needs you to put your application into a subversion repository which can be extremely difficult if you have no knowledge about SVN.

EUKHOST doesn't support neither SVN or Mongrel. I think Mongrel is better application server than FCGI so EUKHOST should support it. SVN support would be good as well for those users who are experienced with using SVN.

You should still be able to deploy a rails app without Capistrano and Mongrel, cuz the necessary things are installed on EUKHOST's shared servers. But I'm not sure about the Apache configuration since I'm not able to find/read the httpd.conf file. This also has to be properly configured by EUKHOST. Apache 1.3 is running on the servers, maybe version 2.2 would be a better choice.

The UK servers also should have SSH access which is a must to have in order to be able to deploy rails apps. This is kinda funny that EUKHOST is offering rails services without SSH access to their servers. I've chosen a European host because I didn't want my Dedicated Server to be in the US. I hope it will be possible to move my account back to the UK if they'll have SSH access.

I hope EUKHOST's research on RoR will go fast as I've already lost almost a week as I haven't been able to run my rails application.

**halv** · #9 (**permalink**) 03-02-2007, 18:14

krychek I suppose as a last resort there is the dedicated server option upon which one has more freedom to install what one wants ? But it is much more expensive of course. Hopefully it won't come to that though.

I've got a spare linux pc at home so I am going to do a few trial installs from scratch and see where that gets me

Hal

**krychek** · #10 (**permalink**) 04-02-2007, 09:12

halv: http://www.eukhost.com/packages.php
Every plan should be able to run rails..

**letimati** · #11 (**permalink**) 05-02-2007, 15:55

I have just signed up for a reseller account as i got the link form the rubyonrails.org and now yous are saying yous have to do some research before yous can tell us how to move applications onto your servers.

I know how to build RoR applications but i dont want to spend days trying to find how to set up servers to get them working. If you advertise on the rubyonrails website hosting you should really have some knowledge on it.

I dont actually think it will be to difficult but i think the point i am trying to make is one of false advertising.

**eUKhost.com** · #12 (**permalink**) 05-02-2007, 19:08

We have many customers who are running Ruby on Rails on our servers. We have installed n number of Gems for them and they are enjoying Ruby on Rails hosting service with eUKhost. I never said that we dont have any knowledge of Ruby on Rails.

I mentioned that we dont have development knowledge of Ruby on Rails and we just provide RoR service like we support ASP.NET, PHP, XML, DHTML, Java and many other languages of various platforms. You cannot expect a hosting company to know Java development if Java is supported.

Please correct your statement about false Advertising.

**letimati** · #13 (**permalink**) 05-02-2007, 23:28

Sorry just to clarify i dont want you to help me develop my applications that would be beyond the service of a web hosting. However i did read on your home page you have tutorials on Ruby on Rails and as your a hosting company i thought it would be how to deploy my rails application on my Dedicated Server as i am only really learning the ins and outs of hosting my own website hostings.

Dont worry if i dont decided to move my account i will learn how to do it form another forum.

Just to bring your attention to why i thought this i quote form your home page

"Our support section includes latest flash tutorials and FAQs on Hsphere, Plesk, Web site hosting Studio, osCommerce, Zen Cart, Joomla, Wordpress, Mambo, Ruby on Rails, Dreamweaver, FTP, WHM, phpmyadmin, python, phpbb, vbulletin forums in our support website hosting."

If you just point me to the tutorials on Ruby on Rails I will change my quote.

**krychek** · #14 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 10:15

It seems like lots of people have the same problem. Just google for "rails application error".
I tried everything they're suggesting on the different forums but i still get the error 500 page.

It also may be a problem that ruby is not installed in /usr/bin/ruby as it should be but /usr/local/bin/ruby . This means you have to make extra changes in the dispatch.fcgi file.

Some people also say that even if you successfully start your app with fcgi it doesn't mean it's gonna be running after the next deployment.. or just the next day. As the rails book says: "FastCGI is a rocket that sometimes blows up in strange ways on the launching pad."

Id say mongrel would be a better choice. I just don't know if it's possible on shared hosting..

**letimati** · #15 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 12:17

Here is a forum with a good thread on it giving a step by step guide.

http:// railsforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=271

**letimati** · #16 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 21:57

here is a screen cast with a talk about deployment of a rails application.

http:// podcast.sdruby.com/2006/11/6/episode-012-deployment

**krychek** · #17 (**permalink**) 07-02-2007, 19:17

letimati: were you able to make your app run with these helps? I wasn't..

I watched the screen cast, the dude said you shouldn't use shared hosting for rails app except for blogs.. I'm beginning to worry..

I cant afford a VPS Hosting host.

**berbilfruit** · #18 (**permalink**) 09-02-2007, 18:38

Hi all,

Admittedly I haven't got very far with the application itself but I've been able to successfully start a Rails app on my VPS Hosting. The URL is www. gigscene.co.uk, I'm developing locally at the moment but keep checking back.

I ran into a couple of irregularities that a good Google search fixed just fine. I'm using the built in Apache server and have added the fcgi extension, and so far no problems.

PM me if you have any questions and I'll see what I can suggest. Not claiming to be any kind of authority here, just might have come across the same problems as someone else!

Anyone who hasn't used Rails I'd say its the business, seriously. Dynamic web applications up and going in no time. Says the man with no application online ; )

**krychek** · #19 (**permalink**) 12-02-2007, 18:49

berbilfruit: As I can see you have a blank app running on your server. I was able to make a blank app run even on shared host. Btw it's easier to deploy on VPS Hosting cuz you have complete freedom.. Shared host is a different story.. Id like to hear from someone who successfully deployed on shared system.

**krl** · #20 (**permalink**) 15-03-2007, 18:53

by the way, has anyone deployed a Rails application with EUKHOST ?

Can you tell me how to??

thanks,

Krl