modplax

Middleware that installs, integrates, and manages web servers, application servers, database servers, and more.

Table of contents

• Table of contents
• Features
• Supported platforms
• Installation
• Complete the installation
• Use command-line parameters to install Modplax
• Use command-line parameters to uninstall Modplax
• Modplax Agent
• Customize the settings of installed servers
• Server management commands
• Bugs and feature requests
• Using the issue tracker
• Versions of included software
• Versioning
• Creators
• Copyright and license

Features

Feature	Notes
⊛ TARS 9 Modplax optionally installs each of the following web servers, application servers, and database servers: Apache HTTP Server Apache Tomcat Ruby on Rails Node.js PHP MariaDB	If you are installing Apache Tomcat, the Modplax installer installs the JRE in the install directory, so you do not need to install a separate JRE. For more information about the software versions, see the Versions of included software.
⊛ All components that you install are installed under the specified installation directory without affecting any other existing software.
⊛ Customize the settings of installed servers.	You can easily change the ports of the servers, the location of the database storage, and the installation directory at any time during or after installation. For more information, see the Customize the settings of installed servers.
⊛ The Modplax installer supports silent install/uninstall. You can also specify all installation options in a silent install/uninstall.	For more information about silent installation/uninstallation, see the following article: Use command-line parameters to install Modplax Use command-line parameters to uninstall Modplax
⊛ Automatically integrates application servers with a web server.	Integrate Apache Tomcat, Ruby on Rails, Node.js, and PHP with Apache HTTP Server.
⊛ Provides a GUI tool to check the status of servers and to start/stop.
⊛ All servers can be started as services or as regular processes. This can be controlled by the Server management commands.

Supported platforms

• Operating systems
  • Microsoft Windows: Server 2008+, Vista+
  • Linux: Modplax was designed from the beginning to enable Linux support. We will support Linux in the near future.

Installation

1. Download the latest release

   Download the installer file for your platform: https://github.com/tars9/modplax/releases/

    e.g., modplax-X.X.X.X-windows-x64.zip
   

2. Run the installer.

   Unzip the downloaded archive and run the installer.

   Follow the prompts to install TARS 9 Modplax. You'll be asked for the following information.

   • Language selection

     

     • Select the installation language.

       The default installation language is the language that is detected by the user's default Windows language.

   • Components

     

     • Select the components to install.

   • Install Location

     

     • Destination Folder

       This is where TARS 9 Modplax will be installed.

   • Apache HTTP Server configuration options

     

     • Domain name

       This is a hostname for the server. The value specified in domain name must be a valid Domain Name Service (DNS) name that can be resolved by the system. The default is "localhost". When specifying a self defined domain name, be sure the IP address and server name pair are included in the hosts file below:

       C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
       

     • Port

       This is a HTTP port.

     • Install Apache HTTP Server as a service

       This is an option for registering Windows service. This option allows application to start automatically at system boot.

   • Apache Tomcat configuration options

     

     • Ports

       These are the Apache Tomcat ports. Stick with the default unless you're running another application on the same ports.

     • Install Apache Tomcat as a service

       This is an option for registering Windows service. This option allows application to start automatically at system boot.

   • Ruby on Rails configuration options

     

     • Port

       This is a HTTP port.

     • Install Ruby on Rails as a service

       This is an option for registering Windows service. This option allows application to start automatically at system boot.

   • Node.js configuration options

     

     • Port

       This is a HTTP port.

     • Install Node.js as a service

       This is an option for registering Windows service. This option allows application to start automatically at system boot.

   • MariaDB configuration options

     

     • Data directory

       This is where MariaDB database files will be stored.

     • Modify password for database user "root"

       This is a password for database user "root".

     • Port

       This is a MariaDB port.

     • Install MariaDB as a service

       This is an option for registering Windows service. This option allows application to start automatically at system boot.

   • Additional configuration options

     

     • Create the desktop icons for TARS 9 Modplax

       This option allows to create the desktop icons.

     • Create the start menu folder for TARS 9 Modplax

       This option allows to create the start menu folder.

     • Run TARS 9 Modplax Agent at user logon

       This option allows TARS 9 Modplax Agent to start automatically at user logon.

Complete the installation

Start your web browser and type localhost, or http://127.0.0.1 or http://localhost in the address bar. You can test the installed application server from the Modplax test page.

Note: If you set the HTTP server port to a port other than 80, type http://localhost:<port>, http://127.0.0.1:<port> or http://localhost:<port> in the address bar (e.g., http://localhost:20080).

Use command-line parameters to install Modplax

All options you specify in the Modplax installer GUI can be specified as command-line parameters.

To install using command line parameters, run the Modplax installer from the "Command Prompt".

Open the "Command Prompt":

Press Windows Key + R, type "cmd" into the Run dialog, and press Enter.

Run the following command:

cd /d "<installer location>"
modplax-<version>-<platform>.exe [option ...]

Note: Modplax supports silent install. Silent install mode does not display any interactive interface. To install in silent mode, run the installer with the "/S" ("silent") option.

Usage of the Modplax installer:

☘ SYNOPSIS
    modplax-<version>-<platform>.exe [option ...]

☘ OPTIONS
    -v
        This command will create a verbose log which offers a lot of
        information about the installation.

    /NCRC (uppercase)
        Disables the CRC check.

    /S (uppercase)
        Runs the installer in silent mode.

    /?
        Display help.

♞ CUSTOM INSTALLATION OPTIONS
    --install_dir=<val> - Installation directory.

    --components=<all | [val | "val, val..."]>
        Specify the components to install. The default is "all".
        e.g., --components="apache, nodejs"

        The following components are available for this option:

          all, ant , apache, heidisql, java, mariadb, nodejs, php, ror,
          tomcat

    --apache_domain_name=<val> - The domain name of the Apache
        HTTP Server.

    --apache_http_port=<val> - The port of the Apache HTTP Server.

    --apache_svc_switch=<true | false> - A switch for installing the HTTP
        server as a service.

    --tomcat_http_port=<val> - The HTTP port of the Apache Tomcat.

    --tomcat_shutdown.port=<val> - The shutdown port of the Apache
        Tomcat.

    --tomcat_ajp_connector_port=<val> - The AJP connector port of the
        Apache Tomcat.

    --tomcat_ssl_redirect_port=<val> - The SSL redirect port of the
        Apache Tomcat.

    --tomcat_svc_switch=<true | false> - A switch for installing the
        Apache Tomcat as a service.

    --ror_http_port=<val> - The HTTP port of the Ruby on Rails.

    --ror_svc_switch=<true | false> - A switch for installing the Ruby on
        Rails as a service.

    --nodejs_http_port=<val> - The HTTP port of the Node.js.

    --nodejs_svc_switch=<true | false> - A switch for installing the
        Node.js as a service.

    --mariadb_data_dir=<val> - Location of the database storage.

    --mariadb_set_root_password=<val> - Modify password for
        database user "root".

    --mariadb_port=<val> - The port of the MariaDB.

    --mariadb_svc_switch=<true | false> - A switch for installing the
        MariaDB as a service.

    --create_desktop_icon=<true | false> - If true, create the desktop
        icons.

    --create_smprograms_icon=<true | false> - If true, create the start
        menu folder.

    --run_at_logon_switch=<true | false> - Run TARS 9 Modplax Agent
        at user logon.

Use command-line parameters to uninstall Modplax

All options you specify in the Modplax uninstall GUI can be specified as command-line parameters.

Note: The Modplax uninstaller "Uninstall.exe" is located in the installation directory.

To uninstall using command line parameters, run the Modplax uninstaller (Uninstall.exe) from the "Command Prompt".

Open the "Command Prompt":

Press Windows Key + R, type "cmd" into the Run dialog, and press Enter.

Run the following command:

cd /d "<installed directory>"
Uninstall.exe [option ...]

Note: Modplax supports silent uninstall. Silent uninstall mode does not display any interactive interface. To uninstall in silent mode, run the uninstaller with the "/S" ("silent") option.

Usage of the Modplax uninstaller:

☘ SYNOPSIS
    Uninstall.exe [option ...]

☘ OPTIONS
    -v
        This command will create a verbose log which offers a lot of
        information about the installation.

    /NCRC (uppercase)
        Disables the CRC check.

    /S (uppercase)
        Runs the uninstaller in silent mode.

    /?
        Display help.

♞ CUSTOM INSTALLATION OPTIONS
    --un_files_completely_removes=<true | false> - A switch that completely
        removes the TARS 9 Modplax.

    --un_files_data_files=<true | false> - A switch that removes the data
        files in the installation directory.

Modplax Agent

With Modplax Agent, you can easily start, stop and restart each server.

You can also safely start or stop all servers sequentially. This will start or stop each server in the following order:

• Start all servers

  MariaDB → Node.js → Ruby on Rails → Apache Tomcat → Apache HTTP Server

• Stop all servers

  Apache HTTP Server → Apache Tomcat → Ruby on Rails → Node.js → MariaDB

Change the settings of the installed servers

Modplax provides a setup tool that allows you to change the settings of servers even after installation.

To change the settings of the installed servers, run the setup tool from the "Command Prompt".

Open the "Command Prompt":

Press Windows Key + R, type "cmd" into the Run dialog, and press Enter.

Run the following command:

cd /d "<installed directory>\setup"
setup [command ...] [option ...]

To display help information for the setup tool, enter the following command:

setup -h

Note: The setup tool is located in the "setup" directory of the installation directory.

NAME
    setup - Set up the environment of the Modplax.

SYNOPSIS
    setup [command] [option ...]

DESCRIPTION
    Set up the environment of the Modplax.

COMMANDS
    setup
        Configure the installed products (default).

    install
        Install Application Platform Module (APM) and configure the installed
        products.

    update
        Update Application Platform Module (APM).

    restore
        Restore the configuration to run the installed products.

OPTIONS
    --trg_arch=<x64 | x86>
        Specify the processor architecture of the package to install. Defaults
        to current processor architecture.

    --install_dir=<val>
        Installation directory to be set in the configuration files. The default
        is the directory where the current package is installed.

        Specify this option if you have moved installed packages to another
        location.

    --installed_dir=<val>
        Use it when the install directory to set up and the directory where the
        installed package exists are different. The default is the directory
        where the current package is installed.

    --apm_list=<all | all-s | [val | "val, val..."]>
        Specify the APMs. The default is "all-s". This option is only used with
        the "install" and "update" command.
        e.g., setup install --apm_list="apache, nodejs"

        The following values are available for this option:

            all             : All modules.
            all-s           : All modules (silent mode).
            ant             : Apache Ant.
            apache          : Apache HTTP Server.
            heidisql        : HeidiSQL.
            java            : Java SE.
            mariadb         : MariaDB.
            mariadb-data    : MariaDB's default database file.
            nodejs          : Node.js.
            php             : PHP.
            ror             : Ruby on Rails.
            tomcat          : Apache Tomcat.

        By default, Update overwrites existing modules with newer versions of
        the files. For the following modules, if the module already exists
        during the update, the module is removed and installed:

          ant, heidisql, java, jreext, php

    --apache_domain_name=<val>
        The domain name of the Apache HTTP Server.

    --apache_http_port=<val>
        The port of the Apache HTTP Server.

    --tomcat_http_port=<val>
        The HTTP port of the Apache Tomcat.

    --tomcat_shutdown_port=<val>
        The shutdown port of the Apache Tomcat.

    --tomcat_ajp_connector_port=<val>
        The AJP connector port of the Apache Tomcat.

    --tomcat_ssl_redirect_port=<val>
        The SSL redirect port of the Apache Tomcat.

    --ror_http_port=<val>
        The HTTP port of the Ruby on Rails.

    --nodejs_http_port=<val>
        The HTTP port of the Node.js.

    --mariadb_data_dir=<val>
        Location of the database storage. This option allows you to set the data
        path for the database.

        CAUTION: If you set up using this option after installation, the
        database files will not be moved to the new path. Move the database
        files manually.

    --mariadb_port=<val>
        The port of the MariaDB.

    -y, --assumeyes
        Assume yes; assume that the answer to any question which would be asked
        is yes.

    --create_desktop_icon=<true | false>
        If true, create the desktop icons.

    --create_smprograms_icon=<true | false>
        If true, create the start menu folder.

    -h
        Display this help and exit.

EXAMPLES
    Install Application Platform Module (APM) and configure the installed
    products.
        setup install [option ...]

    Update Application Platform Module (APM).
        setup update [option ...]

    Set the domain name and port of the Apache HTTP Server.
        setup --apache_domain_name=localhost --apache_http_port=20080

    Set the HTTP port, shutdown port, AJP connector port, and SSL Redirect port
    of the Apache Tomcat.
        setup --tomcat_http_port=28080 --tomcat_shutdown_port=28005
            --tomcat_ajp_connector_port=28009 --tomcat_ssl_redirect_port=28443

    Set the HTTP port of the Ruby on Rails.
        setup --ror_http_port=23000

    Set the HTTP port of the Node.js.
        setup --nodejs_http_port=23001

    Set the port of the MariaDB.
        setup --mariadb_port=23306

    If you moved the installed package to another location, reconfigure the
    installation directory.
        setup --install_dir="C:\Program Files\Modplax-new"

ADVANCED USAGE
    If the installation directory to set up and the directory where the
    installed package exists are different, specify the directory of the
    installed package using the --installed_dir option.
        setup [command] --installed_dir="C:\Program Files\Modplax-external"
            [option ...]

        setup --trg_arch=x64
            --installed_dir="C:\Program Files\Modplax-external"
            --apache_http_port="20080"
            --tomcat_http_port="28080"
            --tomcat_shutdown_port="28005"
            --tomcat_ajp_connector_port="28009"
            --tomcat_ssl_redirect_port="28443"
            --ror_http_port="23000"
            --nodejs_http_port="23001"
            --mariadb_port="23306"
            --create_desktop_icon="true"
            --create_smprograms_icon="true"
            -y

    Change the database storage location.
        setup --mariadb_data_dir="C:\Program Files\Modplax\mariadb-data-new"

        CAUTION: If you set up using this option after installation, the
        database files will not be moved to the new path. Move the database
        files manually.

    Revert to the previous settings.
        setup restore

    Revert to the previous settings in the specified backup directory.
        setup restore --backup_dir="backup/yyyyMMdd.HHmmss.SSS"

Server management commands

Modplax provides the following server management tools:

Management tool	Description
apachectl	Apache HTTP Server control interface.
tomcatctl	Apache Tomcat control interface.
rorctl	Ruby on Rails control interface.
nodejsctl	Node.js control interface.
mariadbctl	MariaDB control interface.
modplaxctl	Control interface for all TARS 9 Modplax servers.

Note: The server management tools are located in the "bin" directory of the installed directory.

Using the above tools, you can start, stop, restart, install service, uninstall service, and check startup status of each server.

As with the Modplax Agent, You can also safely start or stop all servers sequentially using "modplaxctl".

For detailed usage, run the server management tool with the "-h" option (e.g., apachectl -h).

Bugs and feature requests

Have a bug or a feature request? Please first search for existing and closed issues. If your problem or idea is not addressed yet, please open a new issue.

Using the issue tracker

The issue tracker is the preferred channel for bug reports, features requests and submitting pull requests, but please respect the following restrictions:

• Please do not use the issue tracker for personal support requests.

• Please do not derail or troll issues. Keep the discussion on topic and respect the opinions of others.

• Please do not post comments consisting solely of "+1" or ":thumbsup:". Use GitHub's "reactions" feature instead. We reserve the right to delete comments which violate this rule.

Versions of included software

This version of Modplax contains the following software releases:

• Apache Ant 1.9.11
• Apache HTTP Server 2.4.17
• Apache Tomcat 8.0.26
• HeidiSQL 10.1.0.5578
• JRE 8u60
• MariaDB 10.3.15
• Node.js 8.11.2
• PHP 7.2.1
• Ruby 2.4.1

Versioning

TARS 9 software version numbers consist of 4 parts: MAJOR.MINOR.BUILD.PATCH.

MAJOR and MINOR may get updated with any significant TARS 9 software release. Given a version number MAJOR.MINOR.BUILD.PATCH, increment the:

1. MAJOR version when you make incompatible API changes.
2. MINOR version when you add functionality in a backwards-compatible
   manner. When the MAJOR version number is incremented, the MINOR version
   and PATCH version MUST be reset to zero.
2. BUILD must get updated whenever a release candidate is built from the
   current trunk. The BUILD number is an EVER-INCREASING NUMBER representing
   a point in time of the product trunk
4. PATCH version when you make backwards-compatible bug fixes. PATCH must
   get updated whenever a release candidate is built from the BUILD branch.
   When a BUILD version number is incremented, the patch version MUST be
   reset to zero.

For instance: 1.1.3.8 -> 1.1.4.0 and 1.2.5.7 -> 2.0.6.0

The BUILD and PATCH numbers together are the canonical representation of what code is in a given release. The BUILD number is always increasing as the source code trunk advances, so build 150 is always newer code than build 145. The PATCH number is always increasing for a given BUILD. Developers and testers generally refer to an instance of the product as BUILD.PATCH. It is the shortest unambiguous name for a build.

See the Releases section of our GitHub project for changelogs for each release version of Modplax.

Creators

Dongwoon Kim

Copyright

Copyright (c) TARS 9. All rights reserved.

NOTICE: All information contained herein is, and remains the property of
TARS Nine ("TARS 9") and its suppliers, if any. The intellectual and
technical concepts contained herein are proprietary to TARS 9 and its
suppliers and may be covered by Republic of Korea and Foreign Patents,
patents in process, and are protected by trade secret or copyright law.
Dissemination of this information or reproduction of this material is
strictly forbidden unless prior written permission is obtained from TARS 9.

License

See TARS 9 Freeware License.