Multi Tiered Web Application

##Information

This is a VERY basic Python based web application I created to be used to demo with SDN environments (Cisco ACI, VMWare NSX, etc). This application uses a web server Apache2, a "app" server with Apache2 as well, and MySQL as the backend database to function. The idea is to run the web front end portons of the app on the WEB server with the python scripts. These scripts will then make HTTP requests to the APP server running Apache2, where those scripts will take the data received and make the SQL calls to the back end MySQL server.

The idea is to manipulate network policies between Web <--> App<--> MySQL break to application, hence showing the network security policies or contracts work as expected.

I've also added separate web and app server information displays. This could be used for demoing load-balancing solutions that are also configured within the SDN application (F5, NSX, Citrix, etc.)

The functions created allow a user to view contents, add records to, and erase the contents of a MySQL database.

This application is provided "as-is".

Here are the versions of the systems I used when creating it:

Ubuntu Linux 14.04.3 LTS
Python 2.7.6
Apache 2.4.7
MySQL Ver 14.14 Distrib 5.5.46

NOTE: These instructions are to be used on "clean" server installations. Use with existing Apache2 and MySQL systems as your own risk!!!

##Screenshots

Here is a screenshot of the application.

###Main Menu:

Installation Instructions

###Web Server Installation (Required)

Update Advanced Packaging Tool

  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Clone this repo somewhere to your server

  sudo apt-get install git
  git clone https://github.com/brichbourg/Multi-Tier-App-Demo.git

Install Apache2
```
  sudo apt-get install apache2
```
Install PIP
```
  sudo apt-get install python-pip
```
Install Python Packages
```
  sudo pip install pymysql
```

Run the following commands to make some changes to how Apache operates.

  sudo a2dismod mpm_event
  sudo a2enmod mpm_prefork cgi
  sudo service apache2 restart

Run the following commands

wget "https://s3.amazonaws.com/richbourg-s3/mtwa/web/000-default.conf"
wget "https://s3.amazonaws.com/richbourg-s3/mtwa/web/ports.conf"
sudo cp 000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/
sudo cp ports.conf /etc/apache2/

Now restart the Apache2 service again
```
  sudo service apache2 restart
```
Now cd to the directory where you cloned this repo (Multi-Tier-App-Demo) and run the install.sh script
```
  cd Multi-Tier-App-Demo/
  sudo bash install.sh
```

###App Server Installation (Required)

For the app server, FOLLOW THE WEB SERVER DIRECTIONS ABOVE, but make two changes to have Apache2 listen on port 8080 vs 80.

Run the following commands:

  wget "https://s3.amazonaws.com/richbourg-s3/mtwa/app/ports.conf"
  wget "https://s3.amazonaws.com/richbourg-s3/mtwa/app/000-default.conf"
  sudo cp 000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/
  sudo cp ports.conf /etc/apache2/

Restart Apache2
```
  sudo service apache2 restart
```

MySQL Server Installation (Required)

This going to be on a separate server from your web/app server.

Update Advanced Packaging Tool
```
  sudo apt-get update
```
Install MySQL
```
  sudo apt-get install mysql-server
```
Make sure you create and remember your MySQL root password!

Download the initial SQL file

  wget "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/brichbourg/Multi-Tier-App-Demo/master/sql/create_db_table.sql"

Now log into your MySQL server as root:

  mysql -u root -p
  <enter your root password>

Run this command NOTE: The example below assumes you ran the wget command from your home directory. Modify as needed.

  mysql> source ~/create_db_table.sql;

Here is the SQL code being injected:

  CREATE DATABASE `appdemo`;
  USE `appdemo`;
  CREATE TABLE `demodata` (
  `id` INTEGER NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `name` VARCHAR(100),
  `notes` TEXT,
  `timestamp` TIMESTAMP,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
  KEY (`name`)
  );

  CREATE TABLE `demodata_erase_log` (
  `id` INTEGER NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `timestamp` TIMESTAMP,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
  KEY (`timestamp`)
  );

  CREATE USER 'appdemo'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'appdemo';
  GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON appdemo.* to 'appdemo'@'%' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Edit /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf to allow for network connections. Use VI or NANO to edit and change bind-address = 127.0.0.1 to bind-address = *. This will tell MySQL to listen for connections on port TCP:3306 on all interfaces.
```
  sudo nano /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf
  .
  .
  .
  <output omitted>
  .
  .
  .
  bind-address	= *
```
Restart MySQL
```
  sudo service mysql restart
```

To verify MySQL was configured correct, use netstat -l. You should see your [serverip]:mysql or [serverip]:3306

  brichbourg@db-1:~$ netstat -l
  Active Internet connections (only servers)
  Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address           Foreign Address         State      
  tcp        0      0 *:ssh                   *:*                     LISTEN     
  tcp        0      0 *:mysql     *:*                     LISTEN     
  tcp6       0      0 [::]:ssh                [::]:*                  LISTEN

Final Web/App Server Configuration (Required)

Make sure you have run the install.sh shell strip first, as that script will create and copy a configuration file needed for the application to run.

You need to edit your /etc/mtwa/mtwa.conf file on all of the servers and change the name appserver.company.com and dbserver.company.com listed in that file to the DNS names or IP addresses of the servers or load balancers you are going

Here is what the /etc/mtwa/mtwa.conf file looks like:

#Multi-Tier-App-Demo configuration file

#Enter the name of the app server or load balancer (DNS or IP address; DNS preferred)
AppServerName = appserver.company.com
#Enter the name of the MySQL server (DNS or IP address; DNS preferred)
DBServerName = dbserver.company.com

It is recommended that you use DNS if possible, but IP address should work too.

Configure Bash Menus (Optional)

Here we will configure the bash shell menu scripts that can be configured so that you can use a menu to start and stop services versus having to type them into the CLI manually. The idea here is this makes demos go faster and smoother.

Install Dialog

This will be used for our Bash menu to control services on the virtual machine.
```
  sudo apt-get install dialog
```
Move Script File

You will need to copy the correct menu script depending on the server you are configuring (Web, App or DB). The following example uses the web server. Note that when we copy it we also change the name and make it a hidden file.
```
  cp menu_web.sh ~/.menu.sh
```
REMEMBER THAT THE APP SERVER and DB SERVER HAVE DIFFERENT .SH SCRIPTS. Modify accordingly!
Edit ~/.profile

Now we need to edit the .profile file so that this menu will start automatically when the server boots up.

Add the following string at the end of the file sudo bash ~/.menu.sh. I added sudo so it will prompt you for the root password after you log in. Ubuntu doesn't allow (to my knowledge) a way to log directly into the system as the root user.

Configure SSL (Optional)

Thanks for Luis Chanu for working on SSL instructions!

Enable SSL in Apache

  sudo a2enmod ssl
  sudo service apache2 restart

Create Self-Signed Certificate

  sudo mkdir /etc/apache2/ssl
  sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 3650 -newkey rsa:2048 -subj '/CN=Web.Lab.Local/C=US/ST=California/L=San Jose/O=Dimension Data/OU=Lab' -keyout /etc/apache2/ssl/apache.key -out /etc/apache2/ssl/apache.crt

Configure Apache SSL Site

  sudo vi /etc/apache2/sites-available/default-ssl.conf

Clear contents completely out and just make sure this is in the file. You can change the server name and alias.

  ServerName	Lab.Local
  ServerAlias	Web.Lab.Local

  DocumentRoot	/var/www/html/appdemo
  <Directory	/var/www/html>
  	Options +ExecCGI
  	DirectoryIndex  index.py
  </Directory>
  AddHandler	cgi-script .py


  SSLEngine on
  SSLCertificateFile	/etc/apache2/ssl/apache.crt
  SSLCertificateKeyFile	/etc/apache2/ssl/apache.key

Activate Virtual Host

  sudo a2ensite default-ssl.conf
  sudo service apache2 restart

Now you can try to connect to HTTPS on this application.

tyb3n / fil_rouge