2.5 Web Server Requirements

The i2b2 Web Client can be hosted by any web server that supports HTML, JavaScript, CSS and GIF / JPG / PNG image files. The i2b2 requires the following components to be installed on the web server.

Servers Running Linux / MacOS Operating System

1. Client URL Request Library (cURL)
2. PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

 Servers Running Windows Operating System

1. Internet Information Services (IIS)
2. PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

 Servers Running Apache HTTPD 2.4

1. The default timeout is 60, this needs to be increased for long running queries.
2. in the /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file add "TimeOut 240" into the VirtualHost directive.

2.5.1 Client URL Request Library (cURL)

Client URL Request Library (cURL) is an open source project that produces two products; both of which have to be installed on your web server in order to host the i2b2 Administration Module and Web Client.

 

1. Command line tool for transferring data with URL syntax.
2. Client-side URL transfer library (libcurl).

For more information about cURL you can visit one of the following websites:

http://curl.haxx.se/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CURL

For documentation on installing cURL you can visit the following website:

http://curl.haxx.se/docs/install.html

To download cURL you can visit the following website:

http://curl.haxx.se/download.html

Internet Information Services (IIS) is a Web Server role developed by Microsoft and included with all Microsoft's operating systems. By default the IIS is typically not turned on when the operating system is installed. In order to host the i2b2 Web Client the IIS needs to be turned on.

The following steps will outline the process of Installing IIS7.0 on Windows Server 2008. If you are using a different version of Windows Server or IIS it is recommended you follow the instructions defined by Microsoft. You can find out more information about IIS by visiting the following website: http://www.iis.net/

2.5.2 Internet Information Services (IIS)

IIS 7.0 Installation Steps

1. In Windows Server 2008, the roles are managed in the Server Manager application. This application can be accessed by going to your Administrative Tools menu and selecting Server Manager.
2. In the Server Manager window, select Roles from the panel on the left. The Roles Summary view will display on the right.

 

3. Click on Add Roles located on the right side of the Roles Summary view. The Add Roles Wizard will open.
4. Click Next to select which role to install.

 

5. Select Web Server (IIS).

 

6. The Add Roles Wizard will notify you of any required dependencies. IIS depends on the Windows Process Activation Service (WAS) feature; therefore the following informational dialog box appears.

 

7. Click Add Required Role Services to continue.
8. The Web Server is now selected for install and the Select Server Roles dialog box will open. Click Next to continue.

 

9. An informational dialog will appear. Click Next to continue.

 

10. A list of all IIS 7.0 features available for installation will display. The features included in the default installation are already selected.

 

11. Click Next if there are no additional features you wish to install.
12. A summary of what will be installed will display.

 

13. Click Install to continue. The Installation Progress dialog will display.

 

14. The Installation Results dialog will display when the IIS 7.0 installation is complete. Click Close to exit the Install Roles Wizard and return to the Server Manager.

 

 

2.5.2.1 Verify IIS 7.0 Installation

The following steps will verify the IIS installed correctly on your server.

1. Open a web browser and enter the following address:

http://localhost/

2. The IIS Welcome page will display if IIS is installed correctly.

 

2.5.3 PHP

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor, known as PHP, is a server-side scripting language. In order for the i2b2 Web Client to function properly, PHP has to be installed on your web server.

• If your web server is running a Linux or MacOS operating system you can proceed to the section titled PHP for Linux.
• If your web server is running a Microsoft operating system you can proceed to the section titled PHP for Windows.

2.5.3.1 PHP for Linux

According to the PHP Website:

"We do not distribute binaries for UNIX/Linux binaries. Most Linux distributions come with PHP these days, so if you do not want to compile your own, go to your distribution's download site."

They did provide a list of binaries available on external servers for many different versions of Linux and MacOS. To see a list of these external servers you can go to the following page on the php website:

http://php.net/downloads.php

For documentation on configuring PHP for cURL you can visit the following page on the php website:

http://www.php.net/manual/en/book.curl.php

2.5.3.2 PHP for Windows

Microsoft has developed a free tool called Web Platform Installer and is designed to make the installation of PHP for windows easier. The installation steps written below will walk you through installing PHP using the Web Platform Installer.

Note

For additional information about PHP for windows you can go to Microsoft's website at http://windows.php.net/

 

PHP Installation Steps

1. Go to Microsoft's PHP on Windows page at http://www.microsoft.com/web/platform/phponwindows.aspx

 

2. Click on the Install PHP button for the version of PHP you wish to install.

Note

i2b2 only requires that PHP be installed, it does not require a specific version. You can select the appropriate version for your environment.

3. The Web Platform Installer for PHP page will display. Click on Install Now to download the executable file.

 

4. Once the download has finished go to the location in which you downloaded the file.
5. Click on the file to start the Web Platform Installer.
6. The installer will walk you through the installation of PHP.