dbblobcache

• First lighttpd got a request like /store/list
• It forward the request to XCGI servers cause generates a 404 and dispatch.fcgi takes care of it
• XCGI receives the request as controller store, list method
• ActiveRecord fetch data and use helper(DRB method) to create image URL's
• Helper retrieve file if not stored yet or was updated
• Helper store the file into a directory to be serve later by web server
• XCGI return HTML page
• Next requests, will be to fetch static files from directory used.
• As expected, there are initial cache miss, and later a high percentage of cache hits.

How to install.

• SVN

#svn co svn://iquis.com/dbblobcache/trunk/ dbblobcache

To make svn external to our rails app

#cd /path_to_rails_root/

#svn propedit vendor/plugins

add:

dbblobcache svn://iquis.com/dbblobcache/trunk/

• Read examples/databse.yml and add entry to RAILS_ROOT/config/database.yml, this is the configuration file.

#database.yml entry

dbblobcache:

root: public

directory: files

table: items

blob: image

adapter: mysql

database: example_database

username: username

password: password

host: database_host

port: 3306

• Read examples/example_controller and modify your controller adding a initialize method like this:

#The controller must to start client binding to drb server (now localhost)

def initialize

DRb.start_service

@dbblobcache = DRbObject.new(nil, "druby://:8880")

#@dbblobcache = DRbObject.new(nil, "druby://lithty:8880")

end

• Read examples/example_list.rhtml and see how to use @dbblobcache like a image helper

tag("img", :src=> @dbblobcache.get_image(item.id,"",item.extension,item.date), :border=>0)

• Read examples/example.sql and examples/example_model.rb to see how to store date and blob stuff
• Start in you rails root

#./vendor/plugins/dbblobcache/dbblobcache

• Try your application

Questions and little answers

• Are you crazy? store files in database!

Files are for filesystem and data is for database, i get the better of two.

• How stable is the code?

Is completely alpha code, please try it, and help to inprove it.

• Can I put DBBlobCache in XCGI servers as a rails plugin?

In future the answer maybe yes, like file_column but taking care of database

• Why not to improve file_column?

Is a great idea, but at the time, is a must to check and bench this approach.

• Why not make a plugin?

Well first i must read plugin doc :P