Advanced options for Installing Trac on Windows

Overview

1. Optional Packages
2. Using Other Databases
   1. PostgreSQL for Windows
   2. mySQLDb for Windows
3. Using Other Web front-end
   1. Apache
      1. Apache and mod_wsgi
      2. Apache and mod_python
      3. Authenticating Trac users against MS Windows domain controller
   2. Internet Information Services (IIS)

Optional Packages

In addition to the base packages listed in TracOnWindows, here are a few additional packages (Python or external tools) that can be used to improve the functionality offered on your Trac installation:

easy_installable packages:

• docutils
• pygments
• pytz

Using Other Databases

PostgreSQL for Windows

Trac can work with the PostgreSQL (8.x or 9.x) database:

• Install ​psycopg2
• Create your database with UTF8 Encoding or you could get errors; see TracEnvironment for more.

mySQLDb for Windows

The recommended package for the MySqlDb Python bindings for the MySQL database is:

​MySQL for Python

​non-​official downloads

Please note that working with MySQL is not recommended in general, as there are still a lot of rough edges. However, on Windows the main issues we have with MySQL tend to be less apparent: the default setup for recent installations is UTF8, Windows users are unlikely to have case-sensitivity pathname issues in their repositories (as Subversion won't let them create such paths in the first place), etc. So MySQL on Windows might well be a more viable solution than on Unix, for the time being (and seems to work fine for me). See the MySqlDb page for more details.

TODO try out the ​OurSQL bindings.

Using Other Web front-end

TracStandalone is not the only option on Windows.

Apache

Note that generic instructions for configuring authentication within Apache are available in the TracModWSGI#ConfiguringAuthentication page.

Apache and mod_wsgi

First, you need to integrate ​mod_wsgi in your Apache installation. There are ​pre-compiled binaries available for download. Choose the right one depending on the version of Apache and Python you're running. Then follow the ​installation instructions for this module, and the TracModWSGI installations instructions. The resulting configuration (from the words of the mod_wsgi author) is supposed to be more efficient than one using mod_python.

Adjustments to the paths included in the .wsgi script must also be made. The Trac Environment must point to the same path as was specified with Trac-admin path/to/env initenv.

The Python Egg cache directory on Windows:

• If run under the user's session, the Python Egg cache can be found in %AppData%\Roaming, for example:

  os.environ['TRAC_ENV'] = r'C:\TracEnvironment'
  os.environ['PYTHON_EGG_CACHE'] = r'C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Roaming\Python-Eggs'
  

• If run under a Window service, you should create a directory for Python Egg cache.

  os.environ['TRAC_ENV'] = r'C:\TracEnvironment'
  os.environ['PYTHON_EGG_CACHE'] = r'C:\Trac-Python-Eggs'
  

Apache and mod_python

Note: mod_python is no longer developed.

You may try to use its last version, 3.3.1:

• ​mod_python-3.3.1.win32-py2.4-Apache2.0.exe
• ​mod_python-3.3.1.win32-py2.4-Apache2.2.exe
• ​mod_python-3.3.1.win32-py2.5-Apache2.0.exe
• ​mod_python-3.3.1.win32-py2.5-Apache2.2.exe

TODO check the compatibility between Apache 2.0/2.2 and the Subversion bindings. The latter are using libapr and libaprutil 0.9.12.

Then, check the regular TracModPython instructions to see how you have to modify your http.conf.

Authenticating Trac users against MS Windows domain controller

Running Trac in Apache, you can let your users login with their existing Windows username/password by using mod_sspi. (If you use Subversion as a repository and access it through Apache, you can also do the same with Subversion). Download this module ​here, place it in the Apache modules directory, and add the following line to your httpd.conf, with all the LoadModule instructions:

LoadModule sspi_auth_module modules/mod_auth_sspi.so

Then add the following to the end of http.conf, modified according to your settings:

<LocationMatch /MyTracRootURL/[^/]+/login>
        AuthType SSPI
        AuthName "Trac project management website @ MyLocalMachine"
        SSPIAuth On
        SSPIAuthoritative On
        SSPIDomain MyLocalDomain
        SSPIOfferBasic On
        Require valid-user
</LocationMatch>

Then, if you change permissions in Trac using trac-admin.exe, remember to declare the user bob as MyLocalDomain\bob (The same remark applies for your Subversion repository accessfile). Alternatively add the parameter SSPIOmitDomain On and declare the user as bob.

Internet Information Services (IIS)

It is also possible to install Trac with IIS 6, though your mileage may vary.

By following the above, Trac will be installed as a CGI, so that will be quite slow. You might be better off following TracOnWindowsIisAjp, which looks more promising. There is also TracOnWindowsIisIsapi.

With IIS 8+ it should be possible to use ​HttpPlatformHandler as a proxy to Tracd.

Note: If you are having problems with IE not being able to submit data to Trac (i.e. when you edit a wiki page or submit a ticket Trac doesn't modify the page or add the bug). wiki:Trac0.9/TracOnWindows has more information on this issue.