Re: Status of Squid 3 on Windows

On 05/03/2009 05:02 AM, Guido Serassio wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Hoping that Bazaar 1.14 really fixes its problems on Windows (I still
> don't have tested if it really works), I have done a summary of the
> status of Squid on Windows, focusing on various aspects: build
> environment, resources for development, source code status and a TODO
> for both Squid 2 and Squid 3.
>
>
> Build environment
>
> Squid should compile on Windows with 3 build environment, but with some
> limits:
>
> - MinGW+MSYS: full automake/autoconf/libtool/gcc support based on GNU
> toolset, but not all functionality (Large file support, IPv6,
> mswin_check_ad_group helper, WSAPoll() support on Vista and later, 64
> bit Windows support, AIO) can be compiled because a lack of many library
> definitions. The generated code quality is good and runs natively on
> Windows using the MSVCRT, good performances.
> - Cygwin: similar to MinGW, but with more problems. The Windows API
> libraries are common to MinGW, so, same compile problems, but moreover,
> the build environment itself is very inconstant due to continuous
> changes from Cygwin developers and many times the Squid build process
> fails after a Cygwin update. The generated code is not so good, because
> it relies on an emulation layer, with worse performances.
> - MS Visual Studio: it lacks any kind of configure script support, some
> of the "magic" is done using some special make projects included in the
> main Workspace. But all functionality can be compiled. The generated
> code quality is good and runs natively on Windows using the MSVCRT, good
> performances.
>
> So, Visual Studio environment is still a must for Squid 3 on Windows.
>
>
> Resources for development
>
> Currently I'm the only developer working on Windows, but Squid for Acme
> Consulting today is a very marginal business, because we are mainly
> focused on services for Windows System Administration/Deployment and
> because it seems that IT Italian Market is not so interested to Squid
> (not only on Windows). For this reason currently we cannot invest into
> Squid deployment, so I can dedicate only a little part of my limited
> free time to Squid Development.
>
>
> Source code status
>
> While Squid 2 source code is fine, things for Squid 3 are disastrous:
> Squid 3 (trunk and 3.1) was no more compiled on Visual Studio since
> March 2008, so the effects of all subsequent big changes are totally
> untested on Windows. At the time of the bazaar cutover, the IPv6 support
> on Windows was still missing.
> Today the Visual Studio workspace is totally outdated and needs a big
> work to be repaired.
> Just to more complicate things, the NT CVS branch on Sourgeforge is
> corrupted since two months by a very big cvsmerge failed for a time-out
> during script execution.
>
>
> TODO Squid 2
>
> - Upgrade Visual Studio support from old 6.0 (even if it's very good,
> but obsolete) to 2008 (better if we can use the free version)
> - Add real run-time support for WSAPoll() on Windows Vista and later,
> the Enhancement from the bug #1739 is required
>
>
> TODO Squid 3
>
> - Allow Squid to build again on Visual Studio
> - Check if Squid 3 still runs on Windows ....
> - Upgrade Visual Studio support from 2005 to 2008 (better if we can use
> the free version)
> - Add IPv6 support
> - Add real run-time support for WSAPoll() on Windows Vista and later,
> the Enhancement from the bug #1739 is required
> - .....
>
>
> IMHO, the port of Squid 3 on Windows seems to be too much damaged for my
> capabilities and time resources, so, without any other big development
> contribution, we should drop it.

Hi Guido,

    Thanks a lot for the update. It is sad to see the results of many
years of work dissipating and I sympathize with your situation. I wonder
whether the demand for Squid on Windows is just not there OR it is the
current lack of Windows support that makes it difficult for Acme to
quickly monetize the potential demand. I know very little about folks
running Windows servers so it is difficult for me to judge what they are
using and what they want to use.

Can you say what it would take for you and Acme to resurrect Windows
support for Squid3? It might be easier for others to pitch in with time,
money, and/or hardware if the requirements are known. We can post your
estimates to both mailing lists and see what happens.

Thank you,

Alex.
Received on Mon May 04 2009 - 00:14:02 MDT