If your installation is to serve multiple domains, for example a corporate headquarters with dozens of branch offices where each branch is semi-autonomous and requires a separate MySQL database, then this can get ugly. Each instance of the Joomla core requires approximately 58MB, not including the MySQL database tables. The latter regarding the DB tables is OK because we want to keep the data segregated . . .easier to backup and restore; however, if you are serving dozens of branch domains (virtual hosts) where each branch requires a separate instance of the Joomla core system, the system objects are redundant . . .parallel systems . . .each requiring individual attention every time a new “ball is rolled down the ally”. This is where a symbolic link to this common core would be/is practical. Problem is that a configuration file, ./joomla3/configure.php, is embedded within the core objects.
This configuration file contains about fifty-eight parameters that include arguments such as
public $sitename = 'Corporate Home Office'; public $db = 'CorpHQ'; public $dbprefix = 'joom_'; Alternately, another virtual host could be: public $sitename = 'Little Rock Branch'; public $db = 'LIT'; public $dbprefix = 'joom_';Why is Joomla designed this way? Seems that yet another MySQL DB table could have been designed into the system and the configuration extracted from the same, rather than reading the content of a configuration.php file. Regardless, this configuration file customizes each instance (virtual host). Were there a way (method) to create this custom configuration, ./parent(vhost)/configuration.php and override the ./parent/child(joomla3 default instance)/configuration.php); then Joomla could easily support multiple domains with only one instance of the core code. (By the way, the MySQL DB table schema exists in ./installation/sql/mysql/joomla.sql. Execute [ mysql> ./ joomla.sql ] to generate the tables; then use phpMyAdmin to change the database names as appropriate.)
Which brings us full-circle to why the need to override the configuration file. I have read the Linux document, https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/Documentation/filesystems/overlayfs.txt (BTW, I’m working with FreeBSD v10.2), and yes, the “upper” and “lower” directory scenario does sound analogous to the OS/400 override concepts. Also keep in mind that OS/400 is not a hierarchal file system but rather what is described as single level storage. Analogous to directories are libraries, but all on the same level – think of taking a roll of pennies(libraries) and scattering them over the shop floor . . .all at the same level. Paths or search orders to these libraries are arranged in library lists. These lists can be defined by user profiles, job descriptions, etc. Another way to avoid the override action is to simply rearrange the library list. For example, given the following library list:
production-lib corp-office branch-1 branch-2 test-lib programmer-john-lib. . .should programmer John want to test his version of a configuration file, then he simply moves his library containing the file to the top of (or up) the list. . . .sweet!
My apologies if this is a little wordy; I still don’t have a solution, but perhaps this will help others understand the Joomla task and problems.
Thanks again, Ron W. On 3/13/2016 12:57 AM, Marat Khalili wrote:
If you want client requests to http://your.site/config.php be served by ./parent/config.php , then the answer is yes -- I'd start with mod_rewrite for instance. If config.php is invoked by PHP, not by Apache, then you cannot fix it using Apache features -- you really need to change that symbolic link or PHP configuration or something in the system. Actual analogue of OVRDBF as I understand it in Linux is OverlayFS, but it's overkill for your task.-- With Best Regards, Marat Khalili On 12/03/2016 23:14, Ron Wingfield wrote:I don’t know if and how this can be accomplished. Scenario: Two directories, parent and child. parent is in a virtual host “container”.child is a symbolic link to an application default core distribution directory (php objects)../parent/child contains a default config.php file. ./parent contains a custom config.php file. DocumentRoot points to ./parent/child.Can the various features of Apache, .htaccess, <Directory>, <File>, Alias, etc., be configured to effectively override ./child/config.php to ./parent/config.php?In other words, I want to substitute the custom file for the default version. In IBM OS/400 world, this can be easily accomplished with the Override with DataBase File command . . .something like:OVRDBF FILE(child/config.php) TOFILE(parent/config.php) --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For additional commands, e-mail: users-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx--------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For additional commands, e-mail: users-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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