[Zope] Apache and Zope

[Paul Everitt]

Philip wrote:
> Why would I use Apache with Zope when it has its own HTTP 
> server and seems
> to run okay (even right along side Apache)?

o Browsers and protocols are finicky.  Apache represents years of
accumulated wisdom in this field.

o People trust Apache.  It is a known quantity.

o Apache has robust logging facilities.

o Apache has a number of facilities that some find interesting, such as
SSL.
 
> Can I check the existance of external files from within Zope? 
> I have a data
> base of CAD files. If they exist on a server I create a link 
> to them, if
> they don't I just list them.

Yes, you could do this in probably ten lines of an External Method
written in Python.  If you wanted it to become a manageable facility
(e.g. giving it a management screen, security settings, extended
configuration knobs) you could write it as a Product.
 
> Can I import data from a text file? I am currently using Perl 
> to suck data
> from a text file that changes every day and throw it into MySQL. Can I
> continue to run this along side of Zope? Should work, right?

You could continue doing it the way you are doing it right now and just
connect to MySQL.  Alternatively you could write a ten line External
Method and import the data into Zope.
 
> How can I transfer my Zope stuff (Object database is it?) to another
> machine once I decide to impliment it on a real server? I 
> guess I mean what
> files do I need and is there anything that will cause me 
> grief? (I read the
> postings about the person who wants to copy one website to 
> many servers. It
> looks like a non-trivial problem.)

Zope 1.10 has formalized the import/export machinery by adding a tab for
an "Import/Export" view to the management screen.  It allows you to
package up a folder into an export file, move it to another machine and
import it from the new machine's filesystem.

--Paul