May need help with LASP/WASP legacy system resuscitation

[Bruce Boyes]

We have been presented with a 10 year old Apache, SQLite, PHP system which we need to get running. We have some set of files, and it apparently last ran on Windows 2000.

It is (reportedly) currently running on a LAN in stores across the US. We are trying to get a copy of their code, and any installation instructions. Our customer, who makes the store hardware, does not have a running implementation in their facility.

There is literally not a single document on the code, a single comment anywhere in the code (literally), or a document about how to install, configure, and run it. Don't get me started on how I feel about people who don't document their work. We are in touch with the original developer, who has little memory of any details (it was frozen in 2007), and seems not particularly happy about trying to regenerate documents. We have searched online but the information we can find refers to init or config files which are not present in the set we have. 

We are also not sure we have a complete and current file set.

We are trying to get it running on preferably current versions of Linux, Apache2, SQLite, and PHP, but if we can get it running on Win XP we'd settle for that. We found a Win 2000 install disk here at Systronix so we could find an old PC and load Win2K if we must. 

I'm trying to get it running on Win XP and ubuntu 14.04 now.

Yes, this is just as wacky as it sounds. Actually you could say we are getting stung by this WASP! We've been trying to get to the bottom of this for a month. This is out of our area of expertise (we are embedded system developers; we are developing the new edge hardware to replace parts which are going obsolete). We are trying to put the existing hardware and software on life support with these efforts. We are simultaneously working to complete design of a new, more modern, easier to manufacture and maintain, properly documented alternative system, but the legacy systems in the field need to be kept going for a few years since they do, for the most part, work.

We need to get this LASP system up and running so we can run regression tests against it with newer hardware on the "edge" end of the network.

It's possible some whiz at this could look at our files and figure this out in short order and help us get it running this weekend?

I will know in a day or two if we can get files from the stores, and if my own efforts to get an implementation running bear fruit. I'll be buried doing that for the next 24 hrs. or maybe more.

If you are interested in helping we would need

1. summary of how/why you will be our savior
2. your rate
3. signed NDA so we can share files and proprietary information. 
4. samples of your work esp how you document
5. preferably someone to help us this weekend? 

Misc details

1. Our offices are close to downtown SLC.
2. Files are in a private Google Drive area and we are setting up a Git repo for the working/modded files we get running
   
3. We use Eclipse as an IDE here but also notepad++ with plugins
4. We have legacy and new edge hardware set up and running in our office
5. We have several Linux boxes we can use to host the LASP

If interested please reply to me directly so we don't spam this list, and don't worry if I don't respond until later Fri. Once I have more information I will update everyone who replies, even if the answer is that we don't need help. Even if we make it through this crisis I am sure we will need help on new projects in the near future. BTW the new project is coded in C++ and Python.

Thanks

Bruce Boyes

[Bruce Boyes]

Thanks to the several who replied. We did get things going, or at least limping, along without more help. Challenges remain but this was progress. We are likely to need Python and other help in the future as this is ulitmatley a larger project and we'll need more resources. And once we get more complete it might make an interesting 'case study' presentation. I'm replying to the list so that everyone who responded will see this (OK, I'm being lazy and it was easier than a number of individual replies) and so that anyone else interested will also be updated.

Thanks

Bruce Boyes