LOCAL_PATH config var ignored

[Guillaume Subiron]

In settings.py, line 220, LOCAL_PATH is computed from os.path.dirname. This causes the next line to try writing in /usr/share/openstack-dashboard/openstack_dashboard/local, which is read only in Debian (writing runtime in /usr is forbidden).

So the dashboard fails and returns error 500.

I have set LOCAL_PATH to "/var/lock/apache2" in "/etc/openstack-dashboard/local_settings.py", but this doesn't change anything. I think line 220 of settings.py should use os.path.dirname to set LOCAL_PATH *only if* LOCAL_PATH isn't set yet.

Moreover, in Debian, the default value for LOCAL_PATH in local_settings.py should be /var/lock/apache2 (or maybe /var/lib/horizon), but certainly not something in /usr/share/openstack-dashboard

[Matthias Runge (mrunge)]

IMHO, that's a packaging thing. E.g. for Fedora packages, I'm setting this kind of stuff in local_settings: https://github.com/redhat-openstack/horizon/blob/master-patches/openstack_dashboard/local/local_settings.py.example#L91

[Guillaume Subiron (maethor)]

Yes of course, and the Fedora package is a good example.

But LOCAL_PATH variable in local_settings.py is ignored and completely overloaded in settings.py, line 220. This problem is in settings.py, so I really think this is a Horizon bug, not a package thing.

In the Fedora package, you don't see the bug because you also set the SECRET_KEY variable. Therefore, we should be able to set only LOCAL_PATH in local_settings.py, and to rely on the default SECRET_KEY computed by settings.py. Currently, this doesn't work, because settings.py overloads LOCAL_PATH without checking if it is already set.

[Matt Fischer (mfisch)]

I think simply having LOCAL_PATH respected if already set, even when SECRET_KEY is unset makes perfect sense and should not have to be fixed in a packaging branch. I'll work on it today.

[OpenStack Infra (hudson-openstack)]

Reviewed: https://review.openstack.org/65819
Committed: https://git.openstack.org/cgit/openstack/horizon/commit/?id=05ba5f81c390efbb6e5eb98db62f8f2599389ddb
Submitter: Jenkins
Branch: master

commit 05ba5f81c390efbb6e5eb98db62f8f2599389ddb
Author: Matt Fischer <email address hidden>
Date: Thu Jan 9 15:35:38 2014 -0700

    Don't reset LOCAL_PATH if it's already set

    If LOCAL_PATH is set in local_settings, then settings should
    not override it, even if SECRET_KEY is unset.

    Change-Id: I6aca03f65afddffb6cdd00e4084a8ab9b2255ef1
    Closes-Bug: #1254694