My experiences using ReactOS as a server OS
Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 10:47 am
Hi, if you do not know me, let me present...
My name is Julio and I am a kind of open source enthusiast. One of my favorite areas is the server maintenance, in fact I have some experience managing Windows Server 2003 with production web sites, and that's why I am familiar with the network protocols nature.
Due this year Microsoft retired its support to both Windows NT 5.1 and 5.2, and that action hurts me on the most deep site in my heart, so now I will do more efforts to get ReactOS more closer to the Windows NT 5.2 functioning.
Also, I am web programmer, I used to be from the old BASIC school and that's why I really love BASIC dialects and used in the past the pair ASP/VBScript to make websites under a WISA (Windows, IIS, MS-SQL and ASP) environment.
So, I am using a KVM virtual private server (VPS) bought on a cheap VPS provider, the VPS is open to network and I am doing several tests with real server software, here is a list of the software I am using in ReactOS:
HTTP: Nginx
FTP: IndiFTPd
CGI proxy: TinyWeb
CGI language: FreeBasic
Nginx lets me to serve different domains on the same IP address, through the 80 port, but is unable to execute CGI, then here TinyWeb does that work, TinyWeb it's the way to inter communicate the FreeBasic-based CGI binaries and the Nginx Webserver.
The following scheme explains the below:
Client Browser request >> Nginx at 80 port >> TinyWeb at 24xx port >> FreeBasic-based CGI binary file >> website dynamic data
And by his side, Indiftpd lets me to operate a light FTP server with total freedom...
So, this configuration WORKS, I've tested it over r67850 which I consider the most stable revision by the moment.
But this was not trouble-free, there are some things that don't let me enjoy the more appreciated thing in server management: stability
With the aim to reach this, ReactOS must be capable to stay a lot of time receiving remote request and not fail, I know that this is impossible, so I made a way to fix this: recurrent rebooting, rebooting every six hours lets me avoid unwanted BSOD's caused by paging fault or whatever other cause.
But here I found another trouble: ReactOS seems to have some incompatibilities with the KVM's USB devices, especially with the QEMU USB Tablet, which was already addressed in a Jira Bug Report: see https://jira.reactos.org/browse/CORE-10116
And by the moment that issue is my main head pain, that occurs some times and stops the system boot, really an unwanted behavior on production scenarios.
My name is Julio and I am a kind of open source enthusiast. One of my favorite areas is the server maintenance, in fact I have some experience managing Windows Server 2003 with production web sites, and that's why I am familiar with the network protocols nature.
Due this year Microsoft retired its support to both Windows NT 5.1 and 5.2, and that action hurts me on the most deep site in my heart, so now I will do more efforts to get ReactOS more closer to the Windows NT 5.2 functioning.
Also, I am web programmer, I used to be from the old BASIC school and that's why I really love BASIC dialects and used in the past the pair ASP/VBScript to make websites under a WISA (Windows, IIS, MS-SQL and ASP) environment.
So, I am using a KVM virtual private server (VPS) bought on a cheap VPS provider, the VPS is open to network and I am doing several tests with real server software, here is a list of the software I am using in ReactOS:
HTTP: Nginx
FTP: IndiFTPd
CGI proxy: TinyWeb
CGI language: FreeBasic
Nginx lets me to serve different domains on the same IP address, through the 80 port, but is unable to execute CGI, then here TinyWeb does that work, TinyWeb it's the way to inter communicate the FreeBasic-based CGI binaries and the Nginx Webserver.
The following scheme explains the below:
Client Browser request >> Nginx at 80 port >> TinyWeb at 24xx port >> FreeBasic-based CGI binary file >> website dynamic data
And by his side, Indiftpd lets me to operate a light FTP server with total freedom...
So, this configuration WORKS, I've tested it over r67850 which I consider the most stable revision by the moment.
But this was not trouble-free, there are some things that don't let me enjoy the more appreciated thing in server management: stability
With the aim to reach this, ReactOS must be capable to stay a lot of time receiving remote request and not fail, I know that this is impossible, so I made a way to fix this: recurrent rebooting, rebooting every six hours lets me avoid unwanted BSOD's caused by paging fault or whatever other cause.
But here I found another trouble: ReactOS seems to have some incompatibilities with the KVM's USB devices, especially with the QEMU USB Tablet, which was already addressed in a Jira Bug Report: see https://jira.reactos.org/browse/CORE-10116
And by the moment that issue is my main head pain, that occurs some times and stops the system boot, really an unwanted behavior on production scenarios.