Phoenix.pm: Apache::Session::Lock::File under mod_perl

[Doug Miles]

Scott Walters wrote:
> 
> Ahhh, I distinctly remember the 18th time that Apache::Session failed on
> Contact Designs. We were sitting in our attorney's office in a downtown
> Phoenix highrise, arbitrating with an non-paying client who was alleging
> that we didn't have the experience needed to write an e-commerce site,
> so they could step out of the contract and use Yahoo! sites, which look
> like garbage - this after cating to demand after demand by this client.
> Laptop and Ricochet wireless Internet on the confrence table, I prepare
> to demonostrate the check out process on another clients site - when
> Apache::Session decides that another processes hasn't released the SHM 
> lock. 
> 
> This is an absolutely true story. Apache::Session caused constant
> problems in each of its modes - locking on SHM, locking on a database,
> serializing to file, serializing to database, etc. 
> 
> I've flamed Apache::Session in this channel before, and I'll do it again.
> Use require, flock, and Storable, just like God intended. 
> 
> Apache::Session is one of those things that looks cool, but fails
> erratically under real-world conditions.  Sorry to be patronizing, but I told 
> you so, nanana!
> 
> -scott
> 

Did you dive into the code any to see what the problem was?  I'm trying 
to decide if it's worth the effort.

> 
>>
>>Anyone out there using Apache::Session::File and 
>>Apache::Session::Lock::File under mod_perl?  The problem I am having is 
>>that Apache::Session::Lock::File is aparently not releasing the 
>>exclusive lock when the tied hash goes out of scope.  I can get a simple 
>>test program to work from the command line, but when I try it under 
>>mod_perl, it locks on the tie to the existing session.  If I delete the 
>>lock file, it works fine.  Any ideas?
>>
>>
> 
> 
>