Add configurable PHP session storage for multi-server deployments

- Add session_save_path config option for shared PHP sessions across servers
- Interactive installer prompts for all configuration options
- Support non-interactive install via environment variables (-y flag)
- Document multi-server session sharing in README
- Enables load balancing without sticky sessions

Author: Paul C

README.md

@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ port = 3000
 
 [php]
 fpm_address = "127.0.0.1:9993"
+session_save_path = "/mnt/shared/wolfserve/sessions"
 
 [apache]
 # Load existing Apache vhost configs
@@ -109,6 +110,66 @@ fpm_address = "127.0.0.1:9993"
 config_dir = "/etc/apache2"
 ```
 
+## 🌐 Multi-Server PHP Sessions
+
+WolfServe supports shared PHP sessions across multiple servers, enabling seamless load balancing without sticky sessions.
+
+### Configuration
+
+Set `session_save_path` in `wolfserve.toml` to a shared network location:
+
+```toml
+[php]
+fpm_address = "127.0.0.1:9993"
+session_save_path = "/mnt/shared/wolfserve/sessions"
+```
+
+### How It Works
+
+1. User logs in on **Server A** → session file created at `/mnt/shared/wolfserve/sessions/sess_abc123`
+2. Next request routed to **Server B** → reads the same session file from shared storage
+3. User stays logged in seamlessly across all servers
+
+### Requirements
+
+- All servers must mount the same shared storage (NFS, GlusterFS, Ceph, etc.)
+- Clocks should be synchronized (NTP) for consistent session expiry
+- The installer automatically sets correct permissions (`chmod 1733` with sticky bit)
+
+### Interactive Installation
+
+The service installer prompts for all configuration options:
+
+```bash
+sudo ./install_service.sh
+
+📝 Configuration Options (press Enter to accept defaults)
+
+Server bind address [0.0.0.0]: 
+Server port [3000]: 
+PHP-FPM port [9993]: 
+PHP session save path [/var/lib/php/sessions]: /mnt/shared/wolfserve/sessions
+Apache config directory [/etc/apache2]: 
+```
+
+### Non-Interactive Installation
+
+Use environment variables for automated deployments:
+
+```bash
+sudo WOLFSERVE_SESSION_PATH="/mnt/shared/wolfserve/sessions" \
+     WOLFSERVE_PORT="3000" \
+     ./install_service.sh -y
+```
+
+| Environment Variable | Description | Default |
+|---------------------|-------------|---------|
+| `WOLFSERVE_HOST` | Server bind address | `0.0.0.0` |
+| `WOLFSERVE_PORT` | Server port | `3000` |
+| `WOLFSERVE_FPM_PORT` | PHP-FPM port | `9993` |
+| `WOLFSERVE_SESSION_PATH` | PHP session save path | `/var/lib/php/sessions` |
+| `WOLFSERVE_APACHE_DIR` | Apache config directory | `/etc/apache2` |
+
 ## 📁 Project Structure
 
 ```
@@ -190,7 +251,7 @@ sudo systemctl status wolfserve
 
 - **SELinux (Fedora/RHEL)**: The installer automatically configures SELinux permissions.
 
-- **PHP Sessions**: The installer sets up `/var/lib/php/sessions` with correct permissions.
+- **PHP Sessions**: For single-server setups, sessions are stored in `/var/lib/php/sessions`. For multi-server deployments, configure `session_save_path` to point to shared storage (see [Multi-Server PHP Sessions](#-multi-server-php-sessions)).
 
 ## 🏗️ Building from Source
 

install_service.sh

@@ -2,30 +2,101 @@
 
 # WolfServe Service Installer
 # Installs WolfServe as a systemd service on Linux
+#
+# Usage: ./install_service.sh [-y|--yes]
+#
+# Environment variables (for non-interactive use):
+#   WOLFSERVE_HOST         - Server bind address (default: 0.0.0.0)
+#   WOLFSERVE_PORT         - Server port (default: 3000)
+#   WOLFSERVE_FPM_PORT     - PHP-FPM port (default: 9993)
+#   WOLFSERVE_SESSION_PATH - PHP session save path (default: /var/lib/php/sessions)
+#   WOLFSERVE_APACHE_DIR   - Apache config directory (default: /etc/apache2 or /etc/httpd)
 
 set -e
 
 INSTALL_DIR="/opt/wolfserve"
 SERVICE_NAME="wolfserve"
-PHP_FPM_PORT="9993"
+
+# Parse arguments
+AUTO_YES=false
+for arg in "$@"; do
+    case $arg in
+        -y|--yes)
+            AUTO_YES=true
+            shift
+            ;;
+    esac
+done
 
 # Check if running as root
 if [ "$(id -u)" -ne 0 ]; then
   echo "❌ Please run as root (sudo ./install_service.sh)"
   exit 1
 fi
 
-echo "🐺 Installing WolfServe as a service..."
+echo "🐺 WolfServe Service Installer"
+echo "=============================="
+echo ""
 
-# Fix PHP sessions directory permissions
-echo "🔧 Fixing PHP sessions directory permissions..."
-for sessions_dir in /var/lib/php/sessions /var/lib/php/session; do
-    if [ -d "$sessions_dir" ]; then
-        chmod 777 "$sessions_dir"
-        echo "   ✅ Set permissions on $sessions_dir"
-        break
+# ============================================
+# Configuration (interactive or from env vars)
+# ============================================
+
+# Detect default Apache directory
+DEFAULT_APACHE_DIR="/etc/apache2"
+if [ -d "/etc/httpd" ] && [ ! -d "/etc/apache2" ]; then
+    DEFAULT_APACHE_DIR="/etc/httpd"
+fi
+
+# Set defaults from environment variables
+SERVER_HOST="${WOLFSERVE_HOST:-0.0.0.0}"
+SERVER_PORT="${WOLFSERVE_PORT:-3000}"
+PHP_FPM_PORT="${WOLFSERVE_FPM_PORT:-9993}"
+SESSION_SAVE_PATH="${WOLFSERVE_SESSION_PATH:-/var/lib/php/sessions}"
+APACHE_CONFIG_DIR="${WOLFSERVE_APACHE_DIR:-$DEFAULT_APACHE_DIR}"
+
+if [ "$AUTO_YES" = false ]; then
+    echo "📝 Configuration Options (press Enter to accept defaults)"
+    echo ""
+
+    # Server settings
+    read -p "Server bind address [$SERVER_HOST]: " INPUT
+    SERVER_HOST="${INPUT:-$SERVER_HOST}"
+
+    read -p "Server port [$SERVER_PORT]: " INPUT
+    SERVER_PORT="${INPUT:-$SERVER_PORT}"
+
+    # PHP settings
+    read -p "PHP-FPM port [$PHP_FPM_PORT]: " INPUT
+    PHP_FPM_PORT="${INPUT:-$PHP_FPM_PORT}"
+
+    read -p "PHP session save path [$SESSION_SAVE_PATH]: " INPUT
+    SESSION_SAVE_PATH="${INPUT:-$SESSION_SAVE_PATH}"
+
+    # Apache settings
+    read -p "Apache config directory [$APACHE_CONFIG_DIR]: " INPUT
+    APACHE_CONFIG_DIR="${INPUT:-$APACHE_CONFIG_DIR}"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "📋 Configuration Summary:"
+echo "   Server:       $SERVER_HOST:$SERVER_PORT"
+echo "   PHP-FPM:      127.0.0.1:$PHP_FPM_PORT"
+echo "   Sessions:     $SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+echo "   Apache dir:   $APACHE_CONFIG_DIR"
+echo ""
+
+if [ "$AUTO_YES" = false ]; then
+    read -p "Proceed with installation? [Y/n]: " CONFIRM
+    CONFIRM="${CONFIRM:-Y}"
+    if [[ ! "$CONFIRM" =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
+        echo "Installation cancelled."
+        exit 0
     fi
-done
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "🐺 Installing WolfServe as a service..."
 
 # 1. Determine Web User
 WEB_USER="www-data"
@@ -69,27 +140,28 @@ mkdir -p "$INSTALL_DIR"
 mkdir -p "$INSTALL_DIR/public"
 
 # 4. Copy Files
-echo "Vk Copying files..."
+echo "📦 Copying files..."
 cp target/release/wolfserve "$INSTALL_DIR/"
 cp wolflib/target/release/libwolflib.so "$INSTALL_DIR/"
 
-# Copy config if not exists, else keep existing
-if [ ! -f "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml" ]; then
-    if [ -f "wolfserve.toml" ]; then
-        cp wolfserve.toml "$INSTALL_DIR/"
-    elif [ -f "wolfserve.toml.example" ]; then
-        cp wolfserve.toml.example "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml"
-    else
-        # minimal config
-        echo "[server]" > "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml"
-        echo "host = \"0.0.0.0\"" >> "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml"
-        echo "port = 3000" >> "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml"
-        echo "" >> "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml"
-        echo "[php]" >> "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml"
-        echo "fpm_address = \"127.0.0.1:$PHP_FPM_PORT\"" >> "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml"
-        echo "mode = \"fpm\"" >> "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml"
-    fi
-fi
+# Generate config with user-specified options
+echo "📝 Writing configuration to $INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml..."
+cat > "$INSTALL_DIR/wolfserve.toml" <<EOF
+# WolfServe Configuration
+# Generated by install_service.sh on $(date)
+
+[server]
+host = "$SERVER_HOST"
+port = $SERVER_PORT
+
+[php]
+fpm_address = "127.0.0.1:$PHP_FPM_PORT"
+mode = "fpm"
+session_save_path = "$SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+
+[apache]
+config_dir = "$APACHE_CONFIG_DIR"
+EOF
 
 # Copy public files
 # Only copy if source public exists
@@ -151,6 +223,16 @@ fi
 
 if [ -n "$FPM_POOL_CONF" ]; then
     echo "   Writing pool config to $FPM_POOL_CONF..."
+    
+    # Create session directory if needed
+    if [ ! -d "$SESSION_SAVE_PATH" ]; then
+        echo "   Creating session directory: $SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+        mkdir -p "$SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+    fi
+    chown "$WEB_USER:$WEB_USER" "$SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+    chmod 1733 "$SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+    echo "   ✅ Session save path: $SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+    
     cat > "$FPM_POOL_CONF" <<EOF
 [wolfserve]
 user = $WEB_USER
@@ -163,6 +245,7 @@ pm.max_children = 5
 pm.start_servers = 2
 pm.min_spare_servers = 1
 pm.max_spare_servers = 3
+php_admin_value[session.save_path] = $SESSION_SAVE_PATH
 EOF
     echo "   ✅ PHP-FPM pool configured."
 else

run_bin.sh

@@ -31,6 +31,22 @@ trap cleanup INT TERM
 
 echo "Starting WolfServe Environment..."
 
+# Read session_save_path from wolfserve.toml config (defaults to /tmp if not found)
+SESSION_SAVE_PATH="/tmp"
+if [ -f "wolfserve.toml" ]; then
+    CONFIGURED_PATH=$(grep -E "^session_save_path\s*=" wolfserve.toml | sed 's/.*=\s*"\(.*\)"/\1/' | tr -d ' ')
+    if [ -n "$CONFIGURED_PATH" ]; then
+        SESSION_SAVE_PATH="$CONFIGURED_PATH"
+        # Create session directory if it doesn't exist
+        if [ ! -d "$SESSION_SAVE_PATH" ]; then
+            echo "Creating session directory: $SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+            mkdir -p "$SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+            chmod 1733 "$SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+        fi
+    fi
+fi
+echo "PHP session save path: $SESSION_SAVE_PATH"
+
 # 1. Start PHP-FPM
 # Check if port 9993 is already in use
 if command -v lsof >/dev/null 2>&1 && lsof -i :9993 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
@@ -57,6 +73,7 @@ php_admin_value[upload_max_filesize] = 256M
 php_admin_value[post_max_size] = 256M
 php_admin_value[upload_tmp_dir] = /tmp
 php_admin_value[max_file_uploads] = 20
+php_admin_value[session.save_path] = ${SESSION_SAVE_PATH:-/tmp}
 EOF
 
     # Find the fpm binary

src/main.rs

@@ -145,6 +145,10 @@ struct PhpConfig {
     mode: String, // "fpm" or "cgi"
     #[serde(default = "default_cgi_path")]
     cgi_path: String,
+    /// PHP session save path (e.g., "/mnt/shared/wolfserve/sessions")
+    /// Used by shell scripts for PHP-FPM configuration
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    session_save_path: Option<String>,
 }
 
 fn default_php_mode() -> String {

wolfserve.toml.example

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ port = 3000
 
 [php]
 fpm_address = "127.0.0.1:9993"
+# PHP session save path - set this for shared session storage
+# session_save_path = "/mnt/shared/wolfserve/sessions"
 
 [apache]
 # Set this to "/etc/apache2" (Debian/Ubuntu) or "/etc/httpd" (RHEL/CentOS)