Install Rails/lighttpd with DarwinPorts for Tiger

install darwinports package

Add 'export PATH=/opt/local/bin:$PATH' to ~/.bashrc

sudo port -d selfupdate

sudo port install ruby

sudo port install rb-rubygems

sudo gem install rails --include-dependencies

sudo port install readline

sudo port install lighttpd

vi /opt/local/etc/lighttpd.conf [edit lighttpd.conf to your liking]

set up launchd item for lighttpd
        -- restart lighttpd: sudo launchctl stop net.lighttpd
                             sudo launchctl start net.lighttpd

sudo port install fcgi

sudo port install rb-fcgi
         
install official OS X MySQL package (not darwinports)

sudo gem install mysql -- --with-mysql-dir=/usr/local/mysql

Links:
darwinports package
launchd item
OS X MySQL package

Rails MySQL Session Sweeper

1) Download the launchd GUI, Lingon, from: http://lingon.sourceforge.net/

2) Add hourly job:

$RAILS_APP_DIR/script/runner 'ActiveRecord::Base.connection.delete("DELETE FROM sessions WHERE updated_at < now() - INTERVAL 1 HOUR")'

3) My launchd task plist file (yours will vary):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
        <key>Label</key>
        <string>us.boygeni.mysql-session-sweeper</string>
        <key>LowPriorityIO</key>
        <true/>
        <key>ProgramArguments</key>
        <array>
                <string>/users/defeated/Sites/rails_apps/boygenius/script/runner</string>
                <string>'ActiveRecord::Base.connection.delete("DELETE FROM sessions WHERE updated_at &lt; now() - INTERVAL 1 HOUR")'</string>
        </array>
        <key>RunAtLoad</key>
        <true/>
        <key>StartInterval</key>
        <integer>3600</integer>
</dict>
</plist>