How to set up PyDS as a central hosted server

Can the Python Desktop Server be run as a central hosted solution for a weblog? Actually it can. The main problem is that this area is a bit crude in setup, as up to now nobody wanted to do that and so I didn't work too much on this part. But the Python Desktop Server has several options to set it up in such a way.

One caveat: the Python Desktop Server is always a standalone server, so you can't run it as a CGI solution. You need a root server to get it running, as you will want to add it to your autostarting servers in /etc/rc*.d or /etc/rc.local or whatever means of starting your system provides. It's more like Zope in this regard!

What you need to do:

• you start by setting up PyDS on that central machine just the same way as you would on your local machine. If there are already running some PyDS installations, you will have to add a serverport variable to your ~/.PyDS/etc/PyDSConfig.py to choose a different port from 4334 (usually this file doesn't exist, so just create it).
• you need to go to your fresh installation on your server. This is the crude part, as there currently is no way to define remote accounts remotely - either use lynx on your server to configure your installation. Then you can use lynx http://localhost:4334/ and configure remote accounts - or set up serverip in your ~/.PyDS/etc/PyDSConfig.py to not be 127.0.0.1 (that's the default) but to be your static IP. Beware though that this opens up your PyDS to the net, because you change the trusted IP and there is no authentication! - or set up your Apache to ProxyPass to 127.0.0.1:4334 and add Apache authentication.
• regardless of the way you choose, you need to go to your user setup page and add users there. For a start just add a local user with admin rights.
• now you can stop your Python Desktop Server again and edit your ~/.PyDS/etc/PyDSConfig.py to allow remote access via HTTP. You put in the remotehostname and the remoteip settings. The remotehostname is the official name your server is known by and the remoteip is your static IP address. Maybe you need to use remoteport, too, if there are already some PyDS installatios running.

Now you can access your machine by using http://remotehostname:remoteport/ and will be asked for a user and password. Give the user and password you added at the user setup page. Start blogging.

Since this is a bit crude to setup remotely, the easier way is to just install the Python Desktop Server locally on your desktop, add the user in your user setup page and stop your local installation. Then transfer it to your server and create your ~/.PyDS/etc/PyDSConfig.py.

The Python Desktop Server still needs a community server to upstream it's data. That's a problem that might be solved some day, as actually all content is already in your ~/.PyDS/www directory ready to use, but for now the Python Desktop Server still insists on upstreaming. From Version 0.6.0 on you are able to select different upstreaming drivers. If you run the Python Desktop Server on a central host that is world visible, you may want to select the LFS (Local File System) driver, as that only copies rendered files to another local path.

Areas where I see use in this solution would be a central hosted community blog run by PyDS where multiple authors write stuff on. Just set them up as admins. One thing still missing from PyDS (because nobody up to now wanted to run a community blog with PyDS ) is to put the user name of the remote user adding stuff to the item, so it can be shown on the rendered output.

Or you could use it just to set up your system so you can blog from everywhere with just a browser available and without having to keep your home machine running and be accessible.