Warner Bros. Records uses Drupal to manage over 93 websites for its artists. They launch a new site on average every week. To do this efficiently, they use Apache virtual hosts and symbolic links to share code between sites. Key parts of their approach include using mod_vhost_alias for dynamic virtual hosts without editing configs, symlinking Drupal cores and modules to allow easy updating, and storing shared files, modules and themes in a central location to be reused across sites. This allows them to launch sites rapidly while keeping maintenance and upgrades straightforward.

1. Core Crazy
Shaun Haber
Warner Bros. Records

2. What is it?
• Basically, a look into how Warner Bros.
Records uses Drupal!

3. Who the hell am I?

6. Warner Music Group

7. Warner Bros. Records
• Subsidiary of Warner Music Group
• Family of labels (Reprise, Sire, etc.)
• Over 100 artists
• Top-selling albums
• It’s music biz after all!

8. So what?

9. WBR Tech
• Only label with an in-house Tech team
• “Start-up” mentality
• Fast-paced, hectic, and fun!
• We use Drupal... religiously

10. 93 Drupal Sites
1 new site every week

11. Launching like crazy!

14. How do we do it?

15. It’s not magic!

16. Give each website its
own vhost!

17. Drupal core and vhosts
Conf:
DocumentRoot /path/to/drupal/core
BAD

18. Drupal core and vhosts
Conf:
DocumentRoot /path/to/website
File System:
/path/to/website -> /path/to/drupal/core
GOOD

19. Why?
• Flexibility
• Maintainability
• Core Crazy!

20. Remember these items
• Apache’s mod_vhost_alias
• Symbolic links
• Subversion
• Drupal’s CVS
• Shell scripts

21. Mod_vhost_alias
• Dynamic vhosts!

22. It’s a
VirtualDocumentRoot

23. VirtualDocumentRoot /websites/%0
iamlights.com /websites/iamlights.com
ericbenet.net /websites/ericbenet.net
tour.remhq.com /websites/tour.remhq.com

24. Why this kicks ass!
• Don’t need to edit conf
• Don’t need to add new vhosts
• Don’t need to restart Apache!
• Seriously, this rocks

25. 2 part domain:
VirtualDocumentRoot /websites/%0/www
iamlights.com /websites/iamlights.com/www
ericbenet.net /websites/ericbenet.net/www
tour.remhq.com (see next slide)

26. 3 part domain:
VirtualDocumentRoot /websites/%2+/%1
www.iamlights.com /websites/iamlights.com/www
www.ericbenet.net /websites/ericbenet.net/www
tour.remhq.com /websites/remhq.com/tour

27. http://httpd.apache.org/
docs/2.0/mod/
mod_vhost_alias.html

28. Source: http://flickr.com/photos/iguanajo/109613363
Symbolic Links

29. ln -s /path/to/src alias

30. /drupal/5.10
iamlights.com
/drupal/5.11

31. Simply change the symlink!
/drupal/5.10
iamlights.com
/drupal/5.11

32. /drupal/5.10
/sites
/drupal/5.11
/sites
/drupal/shared
/sites

33. All cores share some stuff!
/drupal/5.10
/sites
/drupal/5.11
/sites
/drupal/shared
/sites

34. /drupal/shared
/sites
/lights
/sites/lights
/settings.php
/modules
/themes

35. /drupal/shared Dev and Prod envs!
/sites
/lights
/iamlights.com
/iamlights.wbrdev.com
/sites/lights
/settings.php
/modules
/themes

36. /sites/lights
/settings.php
/modules
/cck
/drupal/modules/contrib
/cck
/5.x-1.6
/5.x-1.7

37. /sites/lights Simply change the symlink!
/settings.php
/modules
/cck
/drupal/modules/contrib
/cck
/5.x-1.6
/5.x-1.7

38. /drupal/shared Safe modules in sites/all
/sites/all
/modules
/drupal/modules/contrib
/admin_menu
/5.x-2.5

39. It’s symlink madness!

40. Subversion
• /drupal5x
/cores
/sites
/modules
/contrib
/custom

41. Drupal CVS
• http://cvs.drupal.org/viewvc.py/drupal/

42. Shell Script

43. Questions?
• Shaun Haber
shaun.haber@wbr.com
http://srhaber.com
Twitter: @srhaber