Request for TDF server to accommodate alfresco.libreoffice.org

Hi guys,

As you know, I have been operating an Alfresco platform for TDF since
around January 2011. This platform currently gets used by the docs
team, but would be a great tool for wider adoption in the project.

Given the progress with CMIS implementation within LibreOffice, I feel
that it would now be a good move to have the Alfresco platform hosted
on a TDF-operated server.

I'm willing to handle the move across, and to continue to administer
Alfresco as before (although there might well be new interest in
Alfresco from other LibO contributors in the near/immediate future,
and there may be more people willing to actively contribute to
maintaining the tool).

It would require a VPS with about 15 Gigabytes hard disk storage and
2.5 Gigabytes of memory. That's a slight increase on what I'm
currently providing (12 Gb disk and 2 Gb memory) to take account of an
anticipated increase in usage within the project. If traffic gets
heavy, anticipate an upgrade to at least 3Gb-4Gb, but probably 2.5
will do the job fine right now. I'm currently providing a reasonably
high-performance server (dedicated hardware with no other traffic but
mine).

I'd need full root access - certificate and password - and I'd plan to
use Ubuntu 12.04. After implementation is complete, we could then
revise the security of the server and scale back the access to sudo
for all admins.

Would TDF be agreeable to / interested in this?

I may show up at the next BoD confcall to discuss the matter, unless
we come to a conclusion one way or the other here instead.

Anyway, all the best as ever, :slight_smile:

Just out of interest, David, is this a consensus request from the Documentation community?

Thanks,

S.

If it makes any difference, I support this request.

Jean Weber
Documentation Team Leader

Hi Simon,

Just out of interest, David, is this a consensus request from the Documentation community?

The docs team leader Jean Weber would prefer to see the Alfresco
platform on a TDF server, if that's what you mean.

I was hoping more for a link to the community discussions.

Cheers,

S.

I am requesting the Board of Directors to take an official vote on
this proposal, and I'd just like to explain some of the reasons and
possibilities that make me agitate for Alfresco within the LibreOffice
project.

Cedric Bosdonnat has been implementing CMIS connectivity within
LibreOffice - the recent press release about version 3.6 makes mention
of the Alfresco connectivity. This is an important hitherto-missing
capability within LibreOffice for enterprise users.

While the CMIS connectivity is by no means exclusively targeting
Alfresco, it's worth considering that Alfresco has no other real
equivalent in the Open Source realm at the moment, in its particular
niche, in terms of its maturity and functionality.

But communication between LibreOffice and an Alfresco repository
provides capabilities that equate to Microsoft Office's interaction
with a SharePoint server. This can be a significant consideration for
enterprise adopters of LibreOffice.

To support the current development work on CMIS connectivity for
LibreOffice. it would be a good time to have an internally-operated
Alfresco platform.

If TDF had its own internally-operated platform, Alfresco uptake
within the LibreOffice project would probably be greater than at
present.

Until now, it has been used/experimented with by the English docs team
and a few of the localization projects, but would be a great choice
for TDF's administrative needs, and for other teams such as Design.

But people would undoubtedly feel better if it was self-hosted by TDF.

I've long said that there are natural synergies between the
LibreOffice project and the Alfresco project, and I really think it
would be beneficial to both projects if a relationship was cultivated.

Additional info for the request:

alfresco.libreoffice.org is being used in conjunction with
media.libreoffice.org.

In addition to the server itself, one would require 2 IP addresses -
one for each subdomain.

alfresco.libreoffice.org is where contributors log-in to do work.

media.libreoffice.org is the publicly-browsable interface. It enables
people to browse and download content from the Alfresco platform
without logging-in. More particularly, it serves up links to content
that one can post on the docs sections on the TDF wiki and
libreoffice. org.

Work is in progress on media.libreoffice.org to make it better adapted
to the need.

Jeff Potts of the Alfresco project has developed and deployed a
CMIS-based browser. He is now waiting for feedback from the docs team,
via me, so as to adapt it to their specific desires.

For instance, it could display meta data extracted from each document
(to be defined with the docs team... and any other interested users).

It would also be feasible to incorporate online doc previewing. This
is a feature existing within Alfresco, drawing on
LibreOffice/OpenOffice, that gives you a "print preview" of a file,
from within the Alfresco interface.

The Alfresco Share platform at http://alfresco.libreoffice.org has
long been fully completed.

The CMIS browser at http://media.libreoffice.org is perfectly
functional, but is still a work in progress (let's say it's 80%
complete).

Simon,

I was hoping more for a link to the community discussions.

Maybe monitor this below?

http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/Alfresco-documentation-brainstorming-about-the-LibreOffice-docs-team-workflow-td3999279.html