[seek-web] Re: Development of Seek Web (public beta 2) moved to new Linux box

[Steve Tekell]

> -----Original Message-----
> seek.ecoinformatics.org (a linux box) so that the URL doesn't change. 
> What are the requirements for the installation?  We currently have 
> apache and tomcat running on that server -- need anything else?

no, that's it right now - just Tomcat (and Apache).
There is a 1 WAR or webapp directory which is the engine and a directory for
the data files since it is using file based versioning.  There is a CVS
plugin for versioning in the works, so eventually we could switch to using
CVS for the wiki data files if it works for us.

Until I can write a multi-org LDAP security authenticator for Tomcat, we
need to use something else.  I am using the simple memory-realm.  So,
outside the WAR, we'd need to edit the tomcat-users.xml to add accounts for
any editors.  Later, when I have a multi-org LDAP security authenticator
that will need to be installed as a library available to Tomcat and edit the
server config to make it available to applications.
 
> We're going to want to create an EcoGrid portal for finding data from 
> the EcoGrid.  I was hoping you could take the lead on 
> developing the web 
> UI for this, so you might consider how it would fit into the wiki 

In terms of technical deployment (not usability or look and feel), it won't
fit _into_ the Wiki application itself. The idea was that the Wiki and new
components would fit into a common larger seek portal application.  If a
Java portal server is used, each portlet is a webapp or WAR.  Unfortunately,
I haven't found a open source Java portal server which is ready for prime
time yet.  Still, I was thinking of deploying the new wiki as seekwiki.war
or /seekwiki and just use a redirect at the root so as to protect URLs from
changing when the portal server was implemented.

so long term, the deployment might look like

/ (ROOT)  - seek master portal server
/seekwiki - Wiki portlet, lightweight CMS for "content" (as opposed to
applications)
/<ecogrid-portlet>
/<maybe calendar/meeting portlet>
/<another-portlet>

> framework (most of the UI will need to be generated from a servlet or 
> something).  An evolving developer's interface, not at all 
> intended for 
> end-users, to EcoGrid is here for your reference 
> (http://129.237.201.166:8080/axis/registry.jsp).  Looks like its down 
> right now but Rod Spears can turn it back on for you.
> 
> Can you produce a brief summary of what remains to be done 
> before we can 
> deploy the site?  

determine what all graphics and additional design requirements (e.g., footer
content) and implement.

determine what the content requirements are for _initial_ deployment and
make sure that set of content is ready.
- that is, since we can develop content after launch, we only need an
initial set in a complete state before launch.  I don't want launch held up
by everyone's ideas of what additional content could be there if it isn't
really necessary for initial deployment.

decide wether or not the LDAP security is a requirement for initial
deployment or not and if so, then that's a dependency.


> Once that stuff is done we should send 
> explicitly ask 
> for feedback from seek-web and then deploy it after addressing any 
> concerns that arise.  Thanks.