APM: The proper way to use CPAN on a server

[David Maynard]

This usually isn’t very popular with developers, but if it is a production server we don’t use CPAN if we can avoid it.  Instead we install RPM packages of the modules.  The main reason is that we want to have repeatable server builds.  It also helps you need the code to be portable to “stock” Red Hat systems.

 

For Red Hat/CentOS, the DAG (http://dag.wieers.com/) yum/RPM repository has a good selection of Perl packages.  There are a couple of other repositories that tend to have more bleeding-edge versions, but they haven’t been around as long. 

 

-dpm

 

From: austin-bounces+dmaynard=outserv.net at pm.org [mailto:austin-bounces+dmaynard=outserv.net at pm.org] On Behalf Of Jonathan Scott Duff
Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 12:33 PM
To: Tim McDaniel
Cc: Austin at pm.org
Subject: Re: APM: The proper way to use CPAN on a server

 

I typically don't run cpan via sudo but rather set the install commands within cpan to use sudo.  From the cpan> prompt:

 

	cpan> o conf make_install_make_command 'sudo /usr/bin/make'

	cpan> o conf mbuild_install_build_command 'sudo ./Build'

	cpan> o conf commit # may not be needed

 

Then, whenever you install via cpan, it will use sudo to install modules.  

 

Also, I often will run cpan thusly:

 

	$ PERL_MM_USE_DEFAULT=1 cpan Bundle::CPAN

 

That causes cpan to accept the default answers to any prompts as it installs the CPAN bundle.  This is usually so I don't have to repeatedly answer "y" to install required modules.

 

Since you're asking about upgrading, there's another useful thing you can do:

 

	perl -MCPAN -e 'CPAN->upgrade(/^Catalyst::/)'

 

That'll upgrade all of the installed modules that start with "Catalyst::"  read the CPAN docs for more info.

 

hope this helps, 

 

-Scott

 

On Fri, Apr 9, 2010 at 11:58 AM, Tim McDaniel <tmcd at panix.com> wrote:

I've been lazy due to being on a single-user machine, either at home
or a Windows box at work.

I got IT at work to install Perl 5.10.1 on a server.  I want to update
the modules for all users.  I've had an odd amount of trouble finding
info on the Proper Way to upgrade -- maybe my Google-fu is weak today.
Is it as simple as "sudo cpan upgrade"?  Should I worry about
upgrading CPAN itself first, if necessary, and if so, how?  Are there
any modifications due to
   Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 5.4 (Tikanga)
?

-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com
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