Setting up a central data storage

This tutorial is intended for System administrators!

Preparing the Web server

A such as apache must be running on a computer that is accessible by all client computers. PERL cgi scripts must be enabled.
  1. Check whether the Web server is working by entering the IP number of the PC into the address line of a Web browser. If a web page is opened then the Web browser is working. Generally, a Web server has a certain directory which is displayed to the public. In the following we assume that this directory is /var/www/. If your web server uses a different path such as /usr/local/httpd/htdocs please replace it in the following text. Locate this directory on the server.
  2. Within this directory branch a folder must be created. Example 
              mkdir -p /var/www/metannogen/project1/
  3. The Web server process must have permission to create files in this directory. 
              chmod a+w /var/www/metannogen/project1/
  4. The Perl script metannogenDemo.pl.txt needs to be copied into the directory and renamed to /var/www/cgi-bin/metannogen/metannogenProject1.pl.
  5. The PERL script must be set executable. 
              chmod a+x /var/www/metannogen/project1/metannogenProject1.pl
  6. Some variables in the top of the Perl file need to be modified: 
              use constant  DIR => "/var/www/metannogen/project1/";
  7. Check whether the PERL file works. Enter http://localhost/cgi-bin/metannogen/metannogenProject1.pl into the address line of a web browser running on the same computer. If a text file is donwloaded where the last line contains "#CURRENTTIME=..." then everything is working.

Testing the central data storage

Now restart Metannogen and enter the URL of the Perl script as dataset source. Replace "localhost" by the IP number of the computer where the Web server is running on. Create a dataset and upload it. The uploaded dataset should be in a file in /var/www/metannogen/project1/. Restart Metannogen and check whether the previously uploaded dataset is loaded.

Protection against simultaneous modification

Restart Metannogen and type a space followed the generalized URL of single datasets 
 
      http://4.7.1.1/cgi-bin/metannogen/metannogenProject1.pl http://4.7.1.1/metannogen/project1/*.dataset
Replace 4.7.1.1 by the IP number of the computer with the web-server. Open another Metannogen session in the same way. Edit and modify the same dataset simultaneously in both Metannogen sessions. There should be a pink warning message that two users are attempting to edit the same dataset at the same time.

Protecting the project by a password

Enter the a password as a declaration of the constant PASSWORD in the PERL script. Restart Metannogen and enter the same password into the respective text field in the start frame. Having entered the correct password you should be able to modify datasets through Metannogen.

Customization of the jnlp file

The command line options are specified in the jnlp file that is behind the Web-start button. This file need to be modified when other program options are required. It can be placed on the Desktop and clicked to start Metannogen.