PERL CGI Beginners - Module confusion

Author

Module confusion

bobmin@imbris.net

2005-02-07, 8:55 pm

Howdy Folks,
I'm not really a beginner to perl, but I do have a problem which is plaguing me due to
changes in (a) my server and (b) my host company. In the past they gleefully
installed any module I requested of them. No longer. In a recent move to a new
server I lost a module I needed. Time::HiRes, they claim that I can use the module
locally, and lord knows I've tried. But the problem is EVERY file I can find concerning
the installation of modules to a nonstandard directory assumes you can telnet into
the server to install the module using the makefile. Well guess what, they took away
my telnet access also with this new server. I've downloaded and unpacked the
module from cpan, but when I tried moving the HiRes.pm into a modules directory
and pointing to it using a "use lib", I'm getting a not found message. I am unsure as
to what should be in that modules directory. There's plenty online about installing
modules, but little about what is in a module tar and what should be online to use
them.

This can't be a rare problem, hosting companies are closing down telnet all over the
place for security reasons. If someone has over come this, or knows a document
online which explains how to over come this, I'd appreciate knowing about it.

Regards
Bob Minnick, Northern WebsBob Minnick, President, Northern Webs
208.265.0474 |
Mainpage: http://www.northernwebs.com
Meta Medic: http://www.northernwebs.com/set/setsimjr.html
SpiderView LC: http://www.northernwebs.com/set/spider_view.html
SpiderView DA: http://www.northernwebs.com/set/spider_view_da.html

Paul Archer

2005-02-07, 8:55 pm

Keep in mind two things: 1) you may need to build the module locally on a
similar box (linux, same basic version of Perl), and 2) since the module is
Time::HiRes, there needs to be a Time directory in your modules directory,
and the HiRes.pm file need to be in that directory.
EG:
~bobmin/perlmodules/Time/HiRes.pm

use lib "~bobmin/perlmodules";
use Time::HiRes;

HTH,

Paul

1:21pm, bobmin@imbris.net wrote:

> Howdy Folks,
> I'm not really a beginner to perl, but I do have a problem which is plaguing me due to
> changes in (a) my server and (b) my host company. In the past they gleefully
> installed any module I requested of them. No longer. In a recent move to a new
> server I lost a module I needed. Time::HiRes, they claim that I can use the module
> locally, and lord knows I've tried. But the problem is EVERY file I can find concerning
> the installation of modules to a nonstandard directory assumes you can telnet into
> the server to install the module using the makefile. Well guess what, they took away
> my telnet access also with this new server. I've downloaded and unpacked the
> module from cpan, but when I tried moving the HiRes.pm into a modules directory
> and pointing to it using a "use lib", I'm getting a not found message. I am unsure as
> to what should be in that modules directory. There's plenty online about installing
> modules, but little about what is in a module tar and what should be online to use
> them.
>
> This can't be a rare problem, hosting companies are closing down telnet all over the
> place for security reasons. If someone has over come this, or knows a document
> online which explains how to over come this, I'd appreciate knowing about it.
>
> Regards
> Bob Minnick, Northern WebsBob Minnick, President, Northern Webs
> 208.265.0474 |
> Mainpage: http://www.northernwebs.com
> Meta Medic: http://www.northernwebs.com/set/setsimjr.html
> SpiderView LC: http://www.northernwebs.com/set/spider_view.html
> SpiderView DA: http://www.northernwebs.com/set/spider_view_da.html
>
>
> --
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: beginners-cgi-unsubscribe@perl.org
> For additional commands, e-mail: beginners-cgi-help@perl.org
> <http://learn.perl.org/> <http://learn.perl.org/first-response>
>
>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jan Lewis, one of Microsoft's earliest employees, provides this
helpful translation of Judge Jackson's 43-page opinion into "Windowese":

You have performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zentara

2005-02-08, 3:55 pm

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 13:21:31 -0800, bobmin@imbris.net wrote:

>Howdy Folks,
> I'm not really a beginner to perl, but I do have a problem which is plaguing me due to
>changes in (a) my server and (b) my host company. In the past they gleefully
>installed any module I requested of them. No longer. In a recent move to a new
>server I lost a module I needed. Time::HiRes, they claim that I can use the module
>locally, and lord knows I've tried. But the problem is EVERY file I can find concerning
>the installation of modules to a nonstandard directory assumes you can telnet into
>the server to install the module using the makefile. Well guess what, they took away
>my telnet access also with this new server. I've downloaded and unpacked the
>module from cpan, but when I tried moving the HiRes.pm into a modules directory
>and pointing to it using a "use lib", I'm getting a not found message. I am unsure as
>to what should be in that modules directory. There's plenty online about installing
>modules, but little about what is in a module tar and what should be online to use
>them.
>
>This can't be a rare problem, hosting companies are closing down telnet all over the
>place for security reasons. If someone has over come this, or knows a document
>online which explains how to over come this, I'd appreciate knowing about it.

Your big problem is that Time::HiRes has a c component. So if you try to
compile it on a linux machine with different libc version, it won't be
compatible when you try to upload it. Even if you do get it to go,
you will have an additional problem of the autoloader trying to find the
..so file to load. So you have to worry about that too, and you may have
to fiddle with the module build paths, to account for it being on
another machine.
Any module with a c component, will be tricky to use, if compiled
on a different machine. Then there is the problem of the ISP upgrading
Perl versions, leaving you stranded again with a non-working module.
Binary compatibility for modules between Perl versions, only started
with a recent version.... 5.85?

The best thing is to tell your ISP, that if they don't install
Time::HiRes, which is widely used, that you will change ISPs.

Another alternative, is to get the Time::HiRes code out of your
scripts. The 4-arg select will give you microsecond delays, and
is part of all Perl's.

select(undef,undef,undef, .001); 1 microsecond delay

--
I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth.
http://zentara.net/japh.html

Scott R. Godin

2005-02-09, 3:55 am

bobmin@imbris.net wrote:
> Howdy Folks,
> I'm not really a beginner to perl, but I do have a problem which is plaguing me due to
> changes in (a) my server and (b) my host company. In the past they gleefully
> installed any module I requested of them. No longer. In a recent move to a new
> server I lost a module I needed. Time::HiRes, they claim that I can use the module
> locally, and lord knows I've tried. But the problem is EVERY file I can find concerning
> the installation of modules to a nonstandard directory assumes you can telnet into
> the server to install the module using the makefile. Well guess what, they took away
> my telnet access also with this new server. I've downloaded and unpacked the
> module from cpan, but when I tried moving the HiRes.pm into a modules directory
> and pointing to it using a "use lib", I'm getting a not found message. I am unsure as
> to what should be in that modules directory. There's plenty online about installing
> modules, but little about what is in a module tar and what should be online to use
> them.
>
> This can't be a rare problem, hosting companies are closing down telnet all over the
> place for security reasons. If someone has over come this, or knows a document
> online which explains how to over come this, I'd appreciate knowing about it.

No problem as long as they still provide secure-shell access via ssh.
It's completely sensible to close down the use of telnet. Too insecure
for today's environment, however ssh is a viable alternative.

--
Scott R. Godin
Laughing Dragon Services
www.webdragon.net

Charles K. Clarkson

2005-02-09, 3:55 am

Scott R. Godin <nospam@webdragon.net> wrote:

: No problem as long as they still provide secure-shell access
: via ssh. It's completely sensible to close down the use of
: telnet. Too insecure for today's environment, however ssh is a
: viable alternative.

I resell server space and I have one provider which allows
shell access and one which doesn't. The one which does requires
an initial reason why such access is necessary. In the hands of
an inexperienced or malicious person, shell access can hurt all
users on that physical server. We have some controls in place,
but disallowing shell access is still the most secure route.

Charles K. Clarkson
--
Mobile Homes Specialist
254 968-8328

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