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OSS Web-based File Management?
breadiu asks: "I work for a department at a university, and we'd love to offer students some type of web-accessible file storage, but, like most educational institutions, money is tight. There are some great closed source solutions out there like Xythos' Digital Locker Suite, but those cost.
I've had trouble finding a really well put together open source solution. I've taken a look at Slide and even Zope, but neither really match up to Xythos' offerings.
What have others done to provide centralized file storage/management? Is there anything OSS that offers WebDAV, Apache support, BSD/Linux support and Active Directory-LDAP authentication with support for Windows and Mac clients?"
1. Never underestimate the power of a plain old FTP server. When I worked for a company with a Citrix machine, it was found that the SMB access to the mainframe would only allow for one connection per IP. (Thanks alot Unisys.) So we setup a go between machine that ran an FTP server mapped to the SMB drive. The Citrix users then used the Netscape FTP support to download and upload files.
O /
:-)
2. Here's precisely how to do what you're looking for on a standard *nix machine: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Apache-WebDAV-LDAP-HOWT
First Google result, even.
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The University of Michigan's Web AFS system. Kerberos based authentication, although it can use LDAP as well, using widely available AFS clients as well as a web interface.
http://mfile.umich.edu/
http://kt-dms.sourceforge.net/
WebDAV, smb, cifs, and all sorts of other nifty goodies (built in LVM) www.openfiler.org Its GPL'd and runs pretty well.
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Our school uses WebRFM as basically a web-based file management client. It's ugly, but it works. http://mail.rochester.edu/
The HORDE Gollem is a promising project also. http://www.horde.org/gollem/
Zope/Plone offers "WebDAV, Apache support, BSD/Linux support and Active Directory-LDAP authentication with support for Windows and Mac clients"
I use OWL intranet for our repository. I don't believe it supports LDAP yet though. Still, worth a look. http://owl.sourceforge.net
Neat.
Umm..."hard" for someone who doesn't know how to script/program perhaps?
I perused your website, and found no code anywhere. Maybe you are referring to the PHP engine/interpreter itself as "opensource" (sic)?
Please help us out here and tell us what value your comment offers.Is there anything OSS that offers WebDAV, Apache support, BSD/Linux support and Active Directory-LDAP authentication with support for Windows and Mac clients?
Doesn't Apache + mod_webdav + auth_ldap support all of this? Can't you just point any webdav client at apache and have web based file storage?
If you want normal people to access it, put up a web page with instructions on how to access it.
-- DrZaius - Minister of Sciences and Protector of the Faith
I'm not looking for people to Google for me, I'm looking for witty replys, such as yours, containing words like "phylosophical."
Don't want to sound like one of those guys who always go, "If you don't like it, change it." but you're in a good position to do that because of the academic setting. Make it a project for Comp Sci students or grad. students. It'll be good practice for them in managing real world projects and an good intro to open source development/philosophy. OSS seems in line with the open philosophy of academia. Find a project that does almost what you want and extend it.
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If this is going to run on a Linux box:
1. Install samba(for Windows), netatalk(for Mac), and ssh servers.
2. On Windows machines, have them use standard Windows file sharing(\\server.schoolname.edu\shareddir). If your institution has locked down the smb port(445), have them download and run OpenSSH, which includes a graphical directory browsing window.
3. On Macs, use the standard AFP protocol.
4. On Linux, using scp would probably be best. You could set up an nfs server, and allow access to the world. I don't recommend this, and you should use some type of authentication.
Otherwise, and I recommend, get a Mac running OS X. It has easy to configure, and use, smb, ssh, and AFP servers. It's a lot more stable than running the servers on a Linux box. If you have the money, I would recommend springing for an Unlimited Client copy of OS X Server. But a standard OS X box would be fine.
It looks a bit weird, but the core funcationlity remains. It is a plain webDAV server at it's heart, and you can access it with open source tools. Some of the special integration that Office offeres doesn't work though.
Most cases, you just want something really simple, easy to implement, and understand. So, why not use SCP. It's secure, easy to set up (all you need on the server is Linux + SSH), and easy to access.
In konqueror, type scp:// or fish://.
In Windows, use the free WinSCP program
In MacOsX - you have ssh/scp.
Other advantage: if you give them a linux box to access, then it's easy to control private vs group vs public.
"phylosophical."
Is this anything like that pastry dough that puffs up and is kind of crunchy when baked?
"Just Smile and Nod." --Huck
Using Subversion (subversion.tigris.org) and Apache as a front-end (WebDAV link to Subversion, connection to LDAP) you get versioned documentation, file storage, hook-ins to Active Directory or any other LDAP product, and Windows Web Folders for easy access.
Works very well here for documentation storage. 300+ users.
"We apologize for the inconvenience."
Here Here. While older versions of subversion didn't support full WebDAV (just a subset needed by the svn client), the lastest versions do.
Subversion will also give you the option of using regular files or a SQL DB for storage and you'll have versioning for 'free'.
/..sig file not found - permission denied.
If the server is going to be busy, OS X probably wouldn't be a good choice. AnandTech had a review of OS X as a server OS and found it couldn't keep up with Linux as the number of connections increased beyond a certain threshold.
Just something to consider; it will undoubtedly improve in the future, but for now a FOSS solution would likely suffice and not have this limitation.
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A barbaric attack has just occurred in London and you guys are blabbing on about OSS Web-based File Management? GET SOME PRIORITIES!
This is a forum for discussing technical issues. If you want to talk about current issues, or popular news items go to
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Novell iFolder is the best, most secure I've ever seen. And, it's GPL. Here's the URL:
http://www.ifolder.com/
witty sig goes here
SSL Explorer is exactly what you are looking for and they have just released a new updated verion 0.1.12 with include RADIUS. Hosted on SourceForge.net
It has WebDAV, VNC, Citrix, Rdesktop (Linux), Windows RDP Client, Web Forwarding, SSL Tunnelling and alot more.
You can set the password with RADIUS, Active Directory or a in-buit DB. All been encrypted under SSL with the ability for multiple SSL Cert's
I have been using to for a while now in the big company and it works a dream, plus getting better with each update.All Web base with optional VPN (Java) Client, with some screen keyboard for security from keyloggers and usability e.g. Palm/PocketPC/SmartPhone, Public Kiosk, etc. All you need is a Web Browser and away you go......
Our university is about to roll out a web-accessible file service based on Apache+WebDAV+local patches. Please send me email at (my slashdot username)@ucsd.edu if you're interested and I'll be happy to discuss.
That said, I would suggest doing some searches on various other sites whose opinion you value. Chances are it has been asked there before as well.
Speak truth to power.
Maybe 'uploading and downloading" is a bit vague, and maybe you were just trying do some semantics policing, but for those don't understand it all, WebDAV works very differently than FTP as far as opening, editing and saving files. It's like saying what is the difference between FTP and SMB/AFP/NFS.
.
You can kinda edit files on an FTP server through some hackery, but it has a slew of problems. Essentially the entire file is downloaded to a temp file, then the temp file is edited, then the entire thing is uploaded on save.
WebDAV is a networked filesystem like SMB/AFP/NFS. The editing app doesn't have to have any special support, as the file is opened/edited/saved just as if it is a local file using standard file open/read/seek/write APIs. Only the range of data that the app needs to view/edit have to be down/uploaded as the app does reads/writes (just like any networked file system.) The remote WebDAV server also supports true file locking so that someone else can't open/edit the file while it is in use (as well as other meta data like MIME type etc.)
With FTP someone could download a file, start editing, and meanwhile someone else could download/edit/upload, then the first user uploads changes and overwrites the first edits.
So yeah, in both FTP and remote filesystems data is 'uploaded and downloaded'. But the difference in protocols makes a big difference in how it all works to the end user.
Here's the problem I had, and how I solved it:
1) We're a small software company, and we're *VERY* mobile. I joke that my office is my laptop, but it's not much of a joke. we can (and do) work almost anywhere we have power + 'net connection.
2) We need to have a common file store primarily for backups, but also so that we can share files and documents easily.
3) WebDAV is close. Windows support for WebDAV falls short of actually mounting the drive. (EG: with a drive letter) This creates lots of little headaches copying files, some programs won't open files directly from a DAV folder, etc...
4) I found a utility put out by Novell, a free download, called "NetDrive" that lets you mount a WebDAV share as a drive on the local system. Google for NetDrive
5) This, combined with Apache/WebDAV/Mod_SSL makes an easy, reliable, secure, mountable drive that mounts anywhere an HTTPS connection is allowed. (which almost *ALL* firewalls allow)
I'm not using LDAP authentication. There are only 5 of us, and we don't hire/fire all that often.
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
It's barbaric when it happens in London, but when it happens constantly in Israel you don't even blink.
Bombs in London are barbaric but rape victims having no legal protection in Saudi Arabia doesn't bother you.
There's a Genocide happening in Sudan - what have you done to stop it?
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Novell has GPLed their file sharing system and renamed it iFolder:
http://www.ifolder.com/
iFolder is a file sharing application for Linux, Windows, and Mac.
Using iFolder workgroup features, you can easily:
* Share files across multiple computers
* Share files with other users
Used with an iFolder server, you can:
* Maintain a backup of your files on an iFolder Enterprise server
* Share files with other users and computers
* Restore deleted files from Backup
.LRN is a web based community system for universities that has group based file sharing with a web user interface and WebDAV support. It also supports LDAP authentication. If that's too much, the OpenACS platform .LRN is built on has all the features your are looking for in file sharing, access control and authentication.
Here it is. http://www.iroise.net/WebShare.tar.gz
I just translated it from French to English.
This is provided as is with no support, source should be enough.
It is based on Apache 2 (2.0.53), mod_perl. It uses several perl modules (check source) and memcached.