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authormozilla%colinogilvie.co.uk <>2007-09-08 03:00:55 +0200
committermozilla%colinogilvie.co.uk <>2007-09-08 03:00:55 +0200
commitfad12dc221ef1204488775b7c05348a37fbaa412 (patch)
tree994608a87640fc8577ae25d084dd67c5ad7faeef /docs/xml/faq.xml
parent23bca78e4bdb16d7b2133a0deb7e171ef3197484 (diff)
downloadbugzilla-fad12dc221ef1204488775b7c05348a37fbaa412.tar.gz
bugzilla-fad12dc221ef1204488775b7c05348a37fbaa412.tar.xz
Bug 338439: FAQ answers could do with some updating
Patch by Sam Folk-Williams <sam.folkwilliams@gmail.com>; r=LpSolit; r=colin.ogilvie
Diffstat (limited to 'docs/xml/faq.xml')
-rw-r--r--docs/xml/faq.xml203
1 files changed, 68 insertions, 135 deletions
diff --git a/docs/xml/faq.xml b/docs/xml/faq.xml
index 23eb38f84..3e823c11f 100644
--- a/docs/xml/faq.xml
+++ b/docs/xml/faq.xml
@@ -172,50 +172,34 @@
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
- <question id="faq-general-mysql">
+ <question id="faq-general-db">
<para>
- Why MySQL? I'm interested in seeing Bugzilla run on
- PostgreSQL/Sybase/Oracle/Msql/MSSQL.
+ What databases does Bugzilla run on?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
<para>
- MySQL was originally chosen because it is free, easy to install,
- and was available for the hardware Netscape intended to run it on.
+ MySQL is the default database for Bugzilla. It was originally chosen
+ because it is free, easy to install, and was available for the hardware
+ Netscape intended to run it on.
</para>
<para>
- Bugzilla 2.20 contains experimental support for PostgreSQL.
- Bugzilla 2.22 contains complete, stable support for PostgreSQL.
- As of this release, using PostgreSQL with Bugzilla should
- be as stable as using MySQL. If you experience any problems
+ As of Bugzilla 2.22, complete support for PostgreSQL
+ is included. With this release using PostgreSQL with Bugzilla
+ should be as stable as using MySQL. If you experience any problems
with PostgreSQL compatibility, they will be taken as
seriously as if you were running MySQL.
</para>
<para>
- Red Hat once ran a version of Bugzilla that worked on Oracle,
- but that was long, long ago; that version (Bugzilla 2.8) is
- now obsolete, insecure, and totally unsupported.
- </para>
- <para>
- In August of 2005, Wim Coekaerts (Director of Linux
- Engineering at Oracle Corporation) wrote to Dave Miller
- confirming that Oracle intends to implement and support
- Bugzilla. Since then, no further information has been
- forthcoming. Track progress at
+ There are plans to include an Oracle driver for Bugzilla 3.1.2.
+ Track progress at
<ulink url="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=189947">
Bug 189947</ulink>.
</para>
<para>
- Sybase support is no longer being worked on. Even if it
- eventually happens, it's VERY unlikely to work without
- the end-user-company having to stick a few developers on
- making several manual changes. Sybase is just NOT very
- standards-compliant (despite all the hype), and it turned
- out that way too much had to be changed to make it work --
- like moving half of the application logic into stored
- procedures to get any kind of decent performance out of it.
- <ulink url="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=173130">
- Bug 173130</ulink> is the relevant bug.
+ Sybase support was worked on for a time. However, several
+ complicating factors have prevented Sybase support from
+ being realized. There are currently no plans to revive it.
</para>
<para>
<ulink url="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=237862">
@@ -227,28 +211,6 @@
</qandaentry>
<qandaentry>
- <question id="faq-general-bonsaitools">
- <para>
- What is <filename>/usr/bonsaitools/bin/perl</filename>?
- </para>
- </question>
- <answer>
- <para>
- Bugzilla used to have the path to perl on the shebang line set
- to <filename>/usr/bonsaitools/bin/perl</filename> because when
- Terry first started writing the code for mozilla.org he needed a
- version of Perl and other tools that were completely under his
- control. This location was abandoned for the 2.18 release in favor
- of the more sensible <filename>/usr/bin/perl</filename>. If you
- installed an older version of Bugzilla and created the symlink we
- suggested, you can remove it now (provided that you don't have
- anything else, such as Bonsai, using it and you don't intend to
- reinstall an older version of Bugzilla).
- </para>
- </answer>
- </qandaentry>
-
- <qandaentry>
<question id="faq-general-perlpath">
<para>
My perl is located at <filename>/usr/local/bin/perl</filename>
@@ -293,7 +255,7 @@ C:\mysql\bin\replace "#!/usr/bin/perl" "#!C:\perl\bin\perl" -- *.cgi *.pl
url="http://www.bugzilla.org/docs/developer.html#testsuite">Developers'
Guide</ulink>.) Having done this, run the test itself:
<programlisting>
-perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
+ perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
</programlisting>
to ensure that you've modified all the relevant files.
</para>
@@ -334,9 +296,16 @@ perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
</question>
<answer>
<para>
- Unfortunately there are no step-by-step instructions,
- but the following URL contains hints on how to do it:
- <ulink url="http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/selinux-apache-fc3/sn-debugging-and-customizing.html" />
+ As a web application, Bugzilla simply requires its root
+ directory to have the httpd context applied for it to work
+ properly under SELinux. This should happen automatically
+ on distributions that use SELinux and that package Bugzilla
+ (if it is installed with the native package management tools).
+ Information on how to view and change SELinux file contexts
+ can be found at the
+ <ulink url="http://docs.fedoraproject.org/selinux-faq-fc5/">
+ SELinux FAQ</ulink>.
+
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
@@ -375,9 +344,8 @@ perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
compensate for the change.
</para>
<para>
- There is no GUI for adding fields to Bugzilla at this
- time. You can follow development of this feature in
- <ulink url="https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=91037">bug 91037</ulink>
+ As of Bugzilla 3.0 custom fields can be created via the
+ "Custom Fields" admin page.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
@@ -425,8 +393,7 @@ perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
<qandaentry>
<question id="faq-phb-emailapp">
<para>
- Do users have to have any particular
- type of email application?
+ Do users have to have any particular type of email application?
</para>
</question>
<answer>
@@ -531,10 +498,11 @@ perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
</question>
<answer>
<para>
- MySQL, the database back-end for Bugzilla, allows hot-backup
- of data. You can find strategies for dealing with backup
- considerations at <ulink
- url="http://www.mysql.com/doc/B/a/Backup.html"/>.
+ You should use the backup options supplied by your database platform.
+ Vendor documentation for backing up a MySQL database can be found at
+ <ulink url="http://www.mysql.com/doc/B/a/Backup.html"/>.
+ PostgreSQL backup documentation can be found at
+ <ulink url="http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.0/static/backup.html"/>.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
@@ -600,9 +568,9 @@ perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
<para>
No. Bugzilla, Perl, the Template Toolkit, and all other support
software needed to make Bugzilla work can be downloaded for free.
- MySQL -- the database used by Bugzilla -- is also open-source, but
- they ask that if you find their product valuable, you purchase a
- support contract from them that suits your needs.
+ MySQL and PostgreSQL -- the databases supported by Bugzilla --
+ are also open-source. MySQL asks that if you find their product
+ valuable, you purchase a support contract from them that suits your needs.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
@@ -655,13 +623,12 @@ perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
</question>
<answer>
<para>
- Yes, but commits to the database must wait until the tables
- are unlocked. Bugzilla databases are typically very small,
- and backups routinely take less than a minute. If your database
- is larger, you may want to look into alternate backup
- techniques, such as database replication, or backing up from
- a read-only mirror. (Read up on these in the MySQL docs
- on the MySQL site.)
+ Refer to your database platform documentation for details on how to do hot
+ backups.
+ Vendor documentation for backing up a MySQL database can be found at
+ <ulink url="http://www.mysql.com/doc/B/a/Backup.html"/>.
+ PostgreSQL backup documentation can be found at
+ <ulink url="http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.0/static/backup.html"/>.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
@@ -775,35 +742,14 @@ perl runtests.pl 2 --verbose
<answer>
<para>
- Use mysqldump to make a backup of the bugs database. For a
- typical Bugzilla setup, such a command might look like this:
- <programlisting>
-/usr/bin/mysqldump -u(username) -p(password) --database bugs > bugzilla-backup.txt
- </programlisting>
- See the <ulink url="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/mysqldump.html">
- mysqldump documentation</ulink> for more information on using
- the tool, including how to restore your copy onto the destination
- machine.
+ Reference your database vendor's documentation for information on
+ backing up and restoring your Bugzilla database on to a different server.
+ Vendor documentation for backing up a MySQL database can be found at
+ <ulink url="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/mysqldump.html"/>.
+ PostgreSQL backup documentation can be found at
+ <ulink url="http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.0/static/backup.html"/>.
</para>
- <warning>
- <para>
- Depending on the size of your database, and the power of your
- machine, the mysqldump command could be running long enough
- that the password would be visible to someone using the
- <command>ps</command> command. If you are on a multi-user
- machine, and this is a concern to you, create an entry in
- the file <filename>~/.my.cnf</filename> that looks like this:
- <programlisting>
-[mysqldump]
-user=bugs
-password=mypassword
- </programlisting>
- and then leave the 'user' and 'password' params out of the
- command line.
- </para>
- </warning>
-
<para>
On your new machine, follow the instructions found in <xref
linkend="installing-bugzilla"/> as far as setting up the physical
@@ -821,7 +767,7 @@ password=mypassword
<note>
<para>
- If the location or port number of your SQL server changed
+ If the hostname or port number of your database server changed
as part of the move, you'll need to update the appropriate
variables in localconfig before taking the next step.
</para>
@@ -857,7 +803,6 @@ password=mypassword
<qandadiv id="faq-security">
<title>Bugzilla Security</title>
-
<qandaentry>
<question id="faq-security-mysql">
<para>
@@ -866,24 +811,18 @@ password=mypassword
section of this guide...)
</para>
</question>
- <!-- Should we really even answer this question? -->
+
<answer>
<para>
- Run MySQL like this: <command>mysqld --skip-grant-tables</command>.
- Please remember that <emphasis>this makes MySQL as secure as
- taping a $100 to the floor of a football stadium bathroom for
- safekeeping.</emphasis>
- </para>
- <warning>
- <para>
- This can't be stressed enough. Doing this is a bad idea.
- Please consult <xref linkend="security-mysql"/> of this guide
- and the MySQL documentation for better solutions.
+ You can run MySQL like this: <command>mysqld --skip-grant-tables</command>.
+ However, doing so disables all MySQL security. This is a bad idea.
+ Please consult <xref linkend="security-mysql"/> of this guide
+ and the MySQL documentation for better solutions.
</para>
</warning>
</answer>
</qandaentry>
-
+
<qandaentry>
<question id="faq-security-knownproblems">
<para>
@@ -1124,19 +1063,16 @@ password=mypassword
There is no facility in Bugzilla itself to do this. It's also
generally not a smart thing to do if you don't know exactly what
you're doing. If you understand SQL, though, you can use the
- <command>mysql</command> command line utility to manually insert,
- delete and modify table information. There are also more intuitive
- GUI clients available. Personal favorites of the Bugzilla team
- are <ulink url="http://www.phpmyadmin.net/">phpMyAdmin</ulink>
- and <ulink url="http://www.mysql.com/products/mysqlcc/">MySQL
- Control Center</ulink>.
+ <command>mysql</command> or <command>psql</command> command line
+ utilities to manually insert, delete and modify table information.
+ There are also more intuitive GUI clients available for both MySQL
+ and PostgreSQL. For MySQL, we recommend
+ <ulink url="http://www.phpmyadmin.net/">phpMyAdmin</ulink>.
</para>
<para>
Remember, backups are your friend. Everyone makes mistakes, and
it's nice to have a safety net in case you mess something up.
- Consider using <command>mysqldump</command> to make a duplicate
- of your database before altering it manually.
</para>
</answer>
@@ -1163,7 +1099,8 @@ password=mypassword
<para>
Running MySQL with this command line option is very insecure and
should only be done when not connected to the external network
- as a troubleshooting step.
+ as a troubleshooting step. Please do not run your production
+ database in this mode.
</para>
</warning>
<para>
@@ -1255,7 +1192,7 @@ password=mypassword
</qandadiv>
<qandadiv id="faq-nt">
- <title>Bugzilla and Win32</title>
+ <title>Can Bugzilla run on a Windows server?</title>
<qandaentry>
<question id="faq-nt-easiest">
@@ -1265,11 +1202,7 @@ password=mypassword
</question>
<answer>
<para>
- Remove Windows. Install Linux. Install Bugzilla.
- The boss will never know the difference. B^)
- </para>
- <para>
- Seriously though, making Bugzilla work easily with Windows
+ Making Bugzilla work easily with Windows
was one of the major goals of the 2.18 milestone. If the
necessary components are in place (perl, a webserver, an MTA, etc.)
then installation of Bugzilla on a Windows box should be no more
@@ -1349,7 +1282,7 @@ password=mypassword
<orderedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
- Hitting http://www.activestate.com/ActivePerl
+ Hitting <ulink url="http://www.activestate.com/ActivePerl"/>
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
@@ -1393,10 +1326,10 @@ password=mypassword
</question>
<answer>
<para>
- New in 2.16 - you can change it from the Name and Password
- section in Preferences. You will be emailed at both addresses for
- confirmation. 'Administrative Policies' must have the
- 'allowemailchange' parameter set to <quote>On</quote>.
+ You can change your email address from the Name and Password
+ section in Preferences. You will be emailed at both the old
+ and new addresses for confirmation. 'Administrative Policies'
+ must have the 'allowemailchange' parameter set to <quote>On</quote>.
</para>
</answer>
</qandaentry>