[mod_python] mod_python in a shared environment

On Thu, 2004-08-26 at 09:48 +0200, Fabio Rotondo wrote:
> Rob Ballou wrote:
> > Our main server houses a number of clients and all of their projects. 
> > After reading about the issues of restarting apache and how 
> > mod_python/apache use system resources, I am starting to doubt if 
> > mod_python will be a good fit for an environment of this sort. I was 
> > wondering if people have a similar situation where there are multiple 
> > applications (20+) running on a single server? Do you use individual 
> > python interpreters for each? Do you use the same handler for all of 
> > them? How does this effect server performance (memory and CPU)?
> 
> the problem of restarting Apache in order to be sure mod_python will get 
> the right files is only targeted to development systems and not deployed 
> one.
> 
> I think nobody would use the "public" machine to do internal developing 
> of new / updated apps, so the "Apache restart problem" should not matter 
> you.

Another concern similar to this is a shared virtual hosting environment
such as many ISPs and hosting companies provide. In these environments,
it is crucial that each customer's code and data is isolated in every
possible way. Regarding mod_python, it would require that a crashing
application halts only that particular application and that a crashing
application does not disrupt service even for itself; running it again
must be possible even if it will just crash again.

Small web sites such as those currently done in PHP are often worked on
while they are "live", and that's where mod_python has one of its
greatest weaknesses. People often start learning in such small
environments, and seeing that mod_python is not stable in such an
environment may result in the conclusion that it is not stable at all.

-- 
Fabian Fagerholm <fabbe at paniq.net>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
Url : http://modpython.org/pipermail/mod_python/attachments/20040826/5cc4f84b/attachment.bin