Forum OpenACS Development: Troubles installing OpenACS 4.5 in Win 2K, Oracle

At last, I'm trying to install OpenACS 4.5 (the May 30 nightly tarball) on Win2K and Oracle EE 8.1.7.3. I downloaded the AOLServer Win2K zip from new-file-storage, and I've configured it successfully. The first installation page loads up fine, I see the "Done loading package .info files" message.

However, I get errors in the following page: here's one typical example

Loading data model d:/openacs/packages/acs-service-contract/sql/oracle/acs-service-contract-create.sql...

SQL*Plus: Release 8.1.7.0.0 - Production on Fri May 31 17:48:00 2002
(c) Copyright 2000 Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.
Connected to:
Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.7.3.0 - Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 8.1.7.3.0 - Production
string beginning ""d:/openac..." is too long. maximum size is 79 characters.
SQL> Disconnected from Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.7.3.0 - Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 8.1.7.3.0 - Production

I think the problem is due to SQL*Plus not liking the full path to the SQL source file. I've already tried to move up the directory to make the path as short as practical, but it doesn't suffice. I'd prefer not editing all the .info files to shorten the paths, but currently I don't see another solution. I tried to look at the TCL sources to see where and how SQL*Plus is called, but I didn't really understand the mechanism.

Has somebody else tried installing under Win2K? How did you solve this problem?

The issue of openacs/oracle/aolserver under win2k is often brought up. Here's the problem.  You will, undoubtedly after many hours, get a particular version of this system to run under win2k.  For example, the answer to your current issue is to shorten the names of some of the sql files so as to go under the win2k path length limits.
However, once you install the sql you will face issues with multipart forms, file uploads, etc, etc, etc.

Furthermore, when you ask a question you will be ignored by the community. The aolserver community is openly hostile to windows. The openacs people are busy enough and aren't going to bother with ports. (Maybe a port to apache 2.0, which does work under windows, but that's another story)

Postgresql works under cygwin, which is fine if you have nothing to do all day but download updates and want a system with the lovely unix UI and the magnificent windows stability.

You can use vmware ($300+lots of extra memory), but then you really are in a linux environment learning a whole new set of development tools.

Here's what I did, in the end. On craigslist you can find a dual pIII dual scsi raid server for $500 and a dual KVM switch with cables for $50. SUSE linux 8.0 is $100 delivered. Oracle 8.1.7 can download for free (until you are in production) Download the SUSE 7.0 enterprise oracle instructions and patches. If you are ignorant like me install telnet. If you are clever and knowledgeable install a SAMBA server.
Two hours later you are up and running on a standard installation of openacs, or dotlrn, or whatever that will be sufficient for almost any realistically achievable volume of users. And...when you are stuck you quickly get an answer to almost any problem.

Don't have $600? A Dell p2 450 with lots of memory and disk runs about $200.

Don't have $200? Why are you killing time with this stuff instead of getting a second job?

Harry, I don't think your characterization of the OpenACS
community's attitude toward Windows is accurate anymore.
While it's certainly true that multiple problems still remain with
OpenACS-on-Windows, and while it's also true that performance
and stability on that platform will never be as good as on Unix,
there is significantly more effort/attention being paid to the
problem now than there was even a few months ago.

Sebastiano, I hope you stick with it on Windows. We could use
another hacker working on this problem.