2.3.1. RealChat Server: Installing on UNIX/Linux Platforms

1. Requirements

1.1. System Requirements

586/200 MHz with 64 MB RAM or higher. Dedicated PII/400MHz with 256 MB RAM is enough to handle 400 or more concurrent users.




1.2. Java Runtime Environment

RealChat Server for UNIX/Linux platforms requires the Java Runtime Environment in order to run. Supported Java versions are JRE 1.1 and newer, however we strongly recommend using version 1.4 or newer. If you haven't already done so, please download and install one before you continue.
JRE for Linux® is freely available from SUN: http://java.sun.com/jre/.

A list of Java ports for various platforms is available here.

You should install Java to a common location such as /usr/local/java/, /home/username/java/ or in the same location as RealChat Server itself so it can be found by the configuration script.




1.3. Permissions

In order to install and run RealChat Server, you need the ability, or permissions, to run background processes, such as daemons, on the server machine. If you are unsure, ask your hosting provider.

2. Installation

2.1. Setup

RealChat Server for UNIX/Linux platforms comes packaged as a single rcserverXXX.tar.gz archive, located in the /server folder of the distribution archive. Extract the archive to a location of your choice, as in the following examples: /usr/local/rcserver/ or /home/username/rcserver/. Enter that directory and run the RealChat Server configuration script by typing the following:

./configure

This script will try to locate your Java Interpreter, look for a suitable chat server port, install cron jobs if needed, and set up the basic configuration files and 'realchat' start/stop utility.

If the script fails to start, please refer to the Troubleshooting section below.

Important Note: If you change the default server port, you must also change the PORT parameter in the HTML page of the chat client.

Important Note: Never install RealChat Server files to a public location, such as /public_html or /cgi-bin directories.





2.2. Starting and stopping RealChat Server

After you install RealChat Server, you can control it, with start, stop, and restart, through the 'realchat' start/stop utility by typing the following:

./realchat




2.4. Accessing RealChat Server Web Console

RealChat Server features a built-in HTTP Control Server which you can use to get various statistics, as well as to access the server API. To open the Web Console, point your browser to http://localhost:10010/. If you happen to change the HttpControlPort parameter in the server configuration file, you should replace the default value of 10010 with the one that you chose.

Note: By default, RealChat Server will only allow requests that come from the local host. See the TrustedIP and AllowExternal configuration directives for details.





3. Advanced Installation Notes

3.1. Setting RealChat Server To Be Started at System Startup

After a successful installation, you should set up RealChat Server to be started at system startup. To do so, enter the directory in which you installed RealChat Server and type the following:



cp ./realchat /etc/init.d/
update-rc.d realchat defaults

Note: You need root privileges to do this.






4. Troubleshooting

4.1. The ./configure command fails to start. The error I am getting is: permission denied.

Solution: You need to make the configure script executable by typing the following:

chmod a+x ./configure





4.2. The ./configure script fails to start. The error I am getting is: file does not exist; however I can see it there!

Solution: Edit the configure script with a text editor; look for the first line which says:

#!/bin/sh

And change it to:

#!/bin/bash

Or whatever shell you are using. You should also do the same with the realchat script.



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