Apache::Backhand - write mod_backhand functions in Perl

Copyright
=========

Copyright (c) 2000 David Lowe.  All rights reserved.  This program is free
software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as
Perl itself. 


Description
===========

Apache::Backhand ties mod_perl together with mod_backhand, in two major ways.
First, the Apache::Backhand module itself provides access to the global and
shared state information provided by mod_backhand (most notably serverstats).
Second, the byPerl C function (which is not part of the Apache::Backhand
module, but is distributed together with it) allows you to write candidacy
functions in Perl.

In case this is all new to you, here are three links for background
information:

The Backhand Project                - http://www.backhand.org/
The Apache/Perl Integration Project - http://perl.apache.org/
The Apache Foundation               - http://www.apache.org/


Prerequisites
=============

You'll need a C compiler, a recent version of Perl, and the Apache and
mod_backhand source just to build the module.

To actually do something interesting with it, you'll need Apache with
both mod_perl and mod_backhand.

I've only tested with FreeBSD 3.0, gcc version 2.7.2.1, perl 5.005_03,
Apache 1.3.12, mod_perl 1.21, mod_backhand 1.0.8.  Clearly there are
tons of other permutations out there, so I'd love to hear if it works
(or doesn't) for you with a different setup.


Building
========

  # perl Makefile.PL BACKHAND_SRCDIR=/path/to/backhand/source \
                     APACHE_SRCDIR=/path/to/apache/source
  # make

Note that byPerl.c is *not* compiled by default.  Please read README.byPerl
for details.


Installing
==========

  # make test
  # make install

Note that byPerl.so is *not* installed by default.  Please read README.byPerl
for details.


Additional Information
======================

If you're using this module, let me know!  It's always fascinating to hear
what uses people have found for it.

There is a web page for Apache::Backhand at
http://pootpoot.com/~dlowe/Apache-Backhand/
The latest version can always be found there.

You can contact me directly at dlowe@pootpoot.com.  I'm happy to answer any
questions you might have.

I also skim the mod_backhand mailing lists for relevant questions, so you can
ask there.
