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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 13 posts ] 
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 Post subject: SQL Server
PostPosted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 4:06 am 
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Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:48 pm
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Location: Florida - USA
I am using SQL Server now to run my programs and I would like to know if there is an easy way to convert this project from MySQL to SQL Server?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:33 am 
Well, we are currently using MySQL calls in the php code, so every db query would have to be changed to the mssql functions. I think there are libraries out there that would abstract the sql so that we could pick between MySQL and SQL with a simple variable, but we have not used them. Also, we would be unable to support SQL, as most of us probably don't have SQL servers to use for this.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 11:41 am 
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Location: Brisbane, Australia
Am trying not to be harsh, but here goes....

Open-AudIT is free (GPL) software. In this vain, it is written using other free software (PHP, MySQL).

We (the Devs) don't wish to spend time supporting another implementation, that we don't use.

The same arguement could be given as to why we don't have an ASP port.

Download MySQL, set it up. It's easy. If you (or maybe your boss) is nervous about using "free" software, you could always pay for support. You could also download VMWare Server, and run it in Windows or Linux in that.

To everyone else, have a look at the MySQL support options - they are SERIOUSLY good value.


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 Post subject: WAMP
PostPosted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:31 am 
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Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:16 am
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Location: Iowa
I use WAMP5. Really easy to use and install. It gives you everything you need for Open-Audit.

http://www.wampserver.com/en/


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 4:13 am 
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Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
[quote="Mark"]Am trying not to be harsh, but here goes....

Open-AudIT is free (GPL) software. In this vain, it is written using other free software (PHP, MySQL).

We (the Devs) don't wish to spend time supporting another implementation, that we don't use.

The same arguement could be given as to why we don't have an ASP port.

Download MySQL, set it up. It's easy. If you (or maybe your boss) is nervous about using "free" software, you could always pay for support. You could also download VMWare Server, and run it in Windows or Linux in that.

To everyone else, have a look at the MySQL support options - they are SERIOUSLY good value.


Just to provide another viewpoint (playing devil's advocate here); I can see why people are interested in support for other databases (and MS SQL Server support in particular). This feature would really help OA to stand out versus other similar free/open-source auditing and inventorying systems. This would likely impact the ability to attract new users and it could only help Open Audit to get better in the long run.

Up until now the project (Winventory/OA) has been very Windows-centric and naturally that means that it is used in a lot of windows-only environments where MS SQL Server is often the main database platform. When introducing open source software with management I find that it can really help one's case politically when the software supports the existing database infrastructure (one database platform to support instead of more than one). Support of course is always a consideration but in this case since MySQL use is so widespread I don't think it is really an issue.

Personally I think that making OA less operating-system or platform dependant is a great idea. The goal of having generic LDAP support, and multiple OS support (Windows, Linux and hopefully in future Mac OSX) is terrific but why not extend that to having wider database support too? Proprietary vendors often lock their products into supporting only one particular database. Isn't open source software really supposed to be about choice too? Obviously the goal is to keep OA relying on other free open source software but does that mean that support for other databases has to be excluded? (including support for other free databases such as PostgreSQL).

As mikeyrb points out there are free open source database abstraction layers out there (such as Pear MDB2: http://pear.php.net/package/MDB2) that could be used and that would not only make Open Audit more database neutral and the database interaction more reliable but would also provide better data security as well (with protection against SQL injection attacks etc). (I would consider the idea of an ASP port to really be a different issue as moving to something like MDB2 wouldn't really be a "port" so much as it would be a move to making the database support more neutral).

Again I'm just playing Devil's Advocate here... personally MySQL works well for me. I like the fact that it is free, fast, fairly lightweight, is OS independent, and is easy to find support for. I would consider MS SQL server support (or more generally multiple database support) as a "nice to have" feature but I can also understand that for many people it's a "must have".

I suppose that for the devs (and other contributors) what it really boils down to when considering whether to add new features is how much benefit could be derived from the effort involved in adding them. In this case since MySQL functions are used fairly pervasively in the code this would be a fairly major rewrite but consider that the potential benefit is great too (more users would likely adopt OA if it could run on their main database platform).

One important question: Who is supposed to be benefiting from new features? Do we care about limiting the addition of new features to only the ones that will directly benefit the devs? If a given feature has the potential to greatly expand the number of people using OA then I don't see why it wouldn't be seriously considered.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 3:13 pm 
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Fair comments Kris, and taken on board.
Have thought about the Pear_DB abstraction before - and you're right, because of the use of MySQL querires throughout the codebase, converting to this is a non-trivial task.

Shall throw the idea to the other Devs, and see if we can all agree to helpout rewriting to use Pear_DB.....

So, consider it "on the list".


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2006 5:14 am 
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Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 4:41 am
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Location: Massachusetts
I've setup WINventory with MySQL (obviously) and I've setup some MS Sql servers also, recently. A brand new Webroot server that I run is bogged down half the time thanks to the MS SQL server that it installs. I think MySQL offers better performance from what i've seen, and is easier to setup. This may be because I use WAMP5?

side note- The WAMP5 literature indicates that it's not to be used for production environments, but I'm using it in production and haven't had any issues/problems. I'd probably have a difficult time convincing mgmt to use MySQL on a mission critical application, but inventory isn't so vital and I fly under the radar as far as tech politics go on this one!


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:28 am 
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Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2005 7:15 am
Posts: 71
I've said this before in the old Winventory forum, but there are some reasons people would want to go with SQL in lieue of MySQL (and trust me, I understand why Mark did not!):

Already purchased SQL backup agents
SQL administrator tools and familiarity of said tools
SQL dba would not have to learn new technology & procedures
Company mandate may not allow MySQL for some reason or another

Regarding VMWare server with Apache & MySQL - you still have to pay for a Windows OS license if you decide to go with IIS et al, rather than using the existing Windows license of a previously existing box. If going with Linux, there's the obvious issue of learning a new OS and being able to recover if something goes wrong when the new Linux admin doesn't know what to do!

Of course, disaster recovery processes have to be included here as well. If someone were running a SQL shop and had full documentation for their DR processes, then it wouldn't really be very hard to plug in the DR processes of the OA webserver.

I know that there is a lot of push to make this as free and open as possible, but there are a lot of software out there that supports MySQL in addition to SQL, depending on what kind of house you run.

With that said, please understand that I'm not complaining - (I love OpenAudit and I am running it here after a bit of configuration), just being the devil's advocate.

Rob

_________________
Server Info:
OS : Windows Server 2003
Auditing: ~300 machines
LDAP: Windows Server 2003 Active Directory


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 12:43 am 
No worries Rob, we are looking at implementing an abstraction to our database calls. It just won't happen in the next week :) In time, we'll get it rewritten.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 12:13 am 
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Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2005 7:15 am
Posts: 71
[quote="mikeyrb"]No worries Rob, we are looking at implementing an abstraction to our database calls. It just won't happen in the next week :) In time, we'll get it rewritten.


Good to hear! Another reason to go with Open Audit!

Best regards,
Rob

_________________
Server Info:
OS : Windows Server 2003
Auditing: ~300 machines
LDAP: Windows Server 2003 Active Directory


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 Post subject: Adding my vote too
PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:44 pm 
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Joined: Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:34 pm
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Hmm... was about to ask for this myself, we've got 13 servers and 3 installations of MS SQL server, so the last thing I want is to add yet more complexity to this network.

However, thinking about it, even if I do re-use an existing database, I've still got to find a machine to use as a webserver, and then I've got to check Open-AudIT won't clash with any existing software... potentially it could be quite a pain.

I'm now thinking it'll be easier to simply download VMware's free Server product, download a LAMP appliance from VMware and install open-AudIT on it's own virtual linux box.

While it adds another server, it's completely free and even though we're a 100% windows house, I suspect it will actually be easier than installing this on IIS alongside an existing website.

Ross


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 10:43 pm 
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Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2005 3:09 am
Posts: 2140
Location: Scotland
Open Audit will run fine on either Apache or IIS, so setting it up on an existing web server with IIS shouldn't present too many problems. As you say, you will find running it on the WAMP a breeze because most of the hard work is done for you.

To run on IIS, install PHP and MYSQL on the IIS box, neither will conflict with MS SQL or ASP as they are entirely separate technologies. MY SQL does NOT use the same ports as MS SQL and therefore you can have both running on the same machine.

Given the small size of OA's database (mine is about 12Mb for 100 or so machines) MYSQL shouldn't load up any half reasonable server.

The Audit however may prove more intensive, as it posts fairly constant streams of pages to the web server as it does its work, so while auditing, IIS may be slow. That said I have the whole thing running on an unused low spec Dell Workstation, not a server, using XAMPP as the WAMP, and it flies allong.

Why not just run it on a spare Workstation, it should be good enough to test it.

See FAQs for how to set up using XAMPP.


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 Post subject: ASP & MS SQL Port
PostPosted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 11:35 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2006 8:46 am
Posts: 1
Our web developer has made our own port to ASP.NET and MS SQL 2005. Feel free to email me if you are interested in a copy.


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