Mongrel users - Aug 2006 - Running some code right before the app is available to users

I do some indexing using acts_as_ferret in a rails app. I need to do
some preloading of the index''s sort fields so that the first request
that sorts doesn''t take 5 minutes to complete. I tried sticking my
preload code in config/environment.rb and that worked but it gets ran
in rake migrations, tests, etc, when it''s not really needed. Is there
anything specific to starting up to serve requests I could check for?

Thanks,

Pedro.

On Fri, 2006-08-11 at 16:05 +0100, Pedro C?rte-Real
wrote:
> I do some indexing using acts_as_ferret in a rails app. I need to do
> some preloading of the index''s sort fields so that the first
request
> that sorts doesn''t take 5 minutes to complete. I tried sticking my
> preload code in config/environment.rb and that worked but it gets ran
> in rake migrations, tests, etc, when it''s not really needed. Is
there
> anything specific to starting up to serve requests I could check for?
You could put it in a mongrel.conf and just have Mongrel run it on
start-up:

mongrel_rails start -S mongrel.conf

(Even though it ends in .conf it''s actually Ruby code that gets run
inside the Configurator.)


-- 
Zed A. Shaw
http://www.zedshaw.com/
http://mongrel.rubyforge.org/
http://www.railsmachine.com/ -- Need Mongrel support?

On 8/11/06, Zed Shaw <zedshaw at zedshaw.com>
wrote:
> You could put it in a mongrel.conf and just have Mongrel run it on
> start-up:
>
> mongrel_rails start -S mongrel.conf
>
> (Even though it ends in .conf it''s actually Ruby code that gets
run
> inside the Configurator.)
I''ve only now went to deploy the app and had to deal with this. The
solution you gave works but not in the way I need it to. Mongrel will
start listening on the port before rails starts up. The stuff I need
to run takes a few minutes so I don''t want mongrel to be listening on
the port before the script ends. Would you consider changing this
order and making mongrel only start listening after rails has booted?
That''s how webrick works.

Thanks,

Pedro.

On Mon, 2006-09-11 at 17:02 +0100, Pedro C?rte-Real
wrote:
> On 8/11/06, Zed Shaw <zedshaw at zedshaw.com> wrote:
> > You could put it in a mongrel.conf and just have Mongrel run it on
> > start-up:
> >
> > mongrel_rails start -S mongrel.conf
> >
> > (Even though it ends in .conf it''s actually Ruby code that
gets run
> > inside the Configurator.)
> 
> I''ve only now went to deploy the app and had to deal with this.
The
> solution you gave works but not in the way I need it to. Mongrel will
> start listening on the port before rails starts up. The stuff I need
> to run takes a few minutes so I don''t want mongrel to be listening
on
> the port before the script ends. Would you consider changing this
> order and making mongrel only start listening after rails has booted?
> That''s how webrick works.
The port may be open but Mongrel isn''t processing any requests.  They
should queue up in the OS and then when rails is loaded Mongrel will
process them.


-- 
Zed A. Shaw
http://www.zedshaw.com/
http://mongrel.rubyforge.org/
http://www.lingr.com/room/3yXhqKbfPy8 -- Come get help.

On 9/11/06, Zed Shaw <zedshaw at zedshaw.com>
wrote:
> The port may be open but Mongrel isn''t processing any requests. 
They
> should queue up in the OS and then when rails is loaded Mongrel will
> process them.
Yes, but that''s the problem. I run an apache proxying to mongrel and
when mongrel is down it shows a custom error page saying that the app
is not available. If mongrel starts listening on the port apache will
try to connect and hang there until it timeouts instead of giving the
error page to the user. Since mongrel can''t process any requests it
would make more sense to only start listening on the port after rails
boots.

Pedro.

On 9/12/06, Pedro C?rte-Real <pedro at pedrocr.net>
wrote:
> Since mongrel can''t process any requests it
> would make more sense to only start listening on the port after rails
> boots.
Do you disagree with this? Is it very hard to do? Would you consider
changing the behaviour to that?

Pedro.

On Wed, 2006-09-13 at 12:30 +0100, Pedro C?rte-Real
wrote:
> On 9/12/06, Pedro C?rte-Real <pedro at pedrocr.net> wrote:
> > Since mongrel can''t process any requests it
> > would make more sense to only start listening on the port after rails
> > boots.
> 
> Do you disagree with this? Is it very hard to do? Would you consider
> changing the behaviour to that?
I think Pedro that you might have to look for another solution before
you try to get me to change the core of mongrel.  I''m pretty sure there
are plenty of other ways to do what you need and your requirements are
particular to what you do.  Not brushing you off, I just have to pick
where I apply my time and this change would most likely break other
established plugins and things.

If you get desperate then crack open the mongrel_rails, throw your code
at the top and call it mongrel_pedro_rails.  That''s what I''d
do.


-- 
Zed A. Shaw
http://www.zedshaw.com/
http://mongrel.rubyforge.org/
http://www.lingr.com/room/3yXhqKbfPy8 -- Come get help.