This file explains the peculiarities of the Debian package for Wims. 1. INTRODUCTION: WHAT THIS PACKAGE IS FOR ========================================= The main goal of the package Wims in Debian is to make easier the installation of the web-service Wims for administrators. Installing Wims from sources distributed at http://sourcesup.cru.fr/ is *not* straightforward, you must get a handful of dependences, and create a compilation environment, which is not wanted on a web-server. Installing the binary packages from Debian makes this much easier: just "apt-get install wims", drink a cup of coffee, et voilà!. Wims is a powerful web-service, which can provide homeworks for all of the students of a university, quite out of the box. The Debian package aims to help admins to install Wims. However it does not cover every detail of the daily administration of such a web-service. 2. TASKS TO PERFORM WHEN THE PACKAGE HAS JUST BEEN INSTALLED ============================================================ 2.1. MAKE A TOUR ================ With common settings, as the package wims recommends the package wims-extra-all, you immediately get a web-service with interesting features, and you can begin playing with it at the URL http://localhost/wims The web-service is generally available as http:///wims . Initially, only accessing it through http://localhost/wims allows one to enter the administration facility. Accessing it in other ways will not display that entry. 2.2. CREATE AN ALIAS TO GET E-MAILS =================================== People who want to send an e-mail to the administrator are hinted to send it to the wims user. So it may be necessary to define some alias in /etc/aliases to redirect such email to the wims administrator mailbox. 2.3. ENTER THE ADMINISTRATION FACILITY ====================================== When you access the URL http://localhost/wims, you are provided a link to an administration facility. Follow that link, and you will be prompted to read a secret in a dynamically generated file which is only readable by the system user wims (if you provide it a usable shell) or the user root. So if you are privileged enough to read it either as wims or as root, you can access the administration pages for Wims. For example, you can do the following: $ sudo cat /var/lib/wims/tmp/log/.wimspassone and then copy the password into the application form to enter the administration facility 2.4. UPGRADE THE MODULES AND INSTALL NEW ONES ============================================= The package wims-extra-all provides a rich set of modules which were made for the version 3.62 of Wims. Those are still fully working with the latest version of Wims. However many of them have been superseded by updates, and the latest version of Wims considers as "standard" a set of packages which did not ever exist in wims 3.62, for example: the FAQ module (frequently asked questions about Wims, which should be available through a web link in the main page of the service). To get the latest sets of packages, enter the administration facility, then go to the modules administration pages. After some analysis, a list of installable packages will appear, and you are prompted a few questions, in order to select sets of packages to install. The packages are maintained outside the Debian archive. If you want get some feedback, or report a bug about them, subscribe to http://www.wimsedu.info 2.5. INSTALL OPTIONAL SUGGESTED SOFTWARE ======================================== Wims recommends the free programs yacas, gap, and the package wims-help. It suggests wims-extra-all. Yacas is a computer algebra system, like Maxima, with different features. Some modules authored by math teachers depend on Yacas. Gap is another computer algebra system, for computational discrete algebra with particular emphasis on computational group theory. Some modules authored by math teachers depend on Gap. Wims-help provides web pages like wimsFAQ, examples of short programs in OEF language, and much more. Wims-modules provides a very minimal subset of modules. Wims-extra-all adds most teaching modules which existed in year 2009, which make the web-service more enjoyable. If you installed just wims and wims-modules, the internal search engine does not find anything, as there is still no educational module. 2.6. INSTALL OPTIONAL SUGGESTED NON-FREE SOFTWARE ================================================= Wims suggest a few non-free programs like Povray. For example, Povray: if you install povray, you will have to run again the post-installation of wims : 'dpkg-reconfigure wims', in order to have the setup working. 3. ORDINARY HOUSEKEEPING FOR WIMS ================================= Here are examples of tasks which are performed periodically by administrators of Wims web-services: 3.1. CREATE DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTS ================================ You can grant users who ask about it, the right to enter the development area. Enter the administration facility and go to the development accounts management pages. When a user can develop modules on your website, she can edit educational modules with various tools, and store them locally in a so-called development area. Modules created by users can drain a part of the server's computing power; however each module is given a limited time to run and a limited memory size, so no user can damage the web-service by a badly shaped module. A user who created a module in the development area can include them in her own virtual classes. She can also publish them, but must receive an accreditation previously by managers of http://www.wimsedu.info To publish a module world-wide, it must bear a free license and be reviewed and approved by a member of the association WimsEdu in charge of some domain of modules. 3.2. RE-INDEX MODULES ==================== After the installation of new modules, some indexes need a rebuild. This can be scheduled with the administration facility 3.3. MANAGE BACKUPS =================== Wims is not so particular that it would need a specialized backup procedure. Quite everything can be restored by installing again the package and updating the public modules. The reminder should be secured using general purpose backup applications. The only peculiarity is about virtual classes: each of them has an expiration date. When this date has come, all of the files for this virtual class are put into a tarball, the access to the class is closed, and an e-mail is sent to the owner of the class. This e-mail gives the name of the tarball which contains the internals of the virtual class. If the owner sends you a copy of this e-mail, you can easily find that archive of the class and send him a copy of this file. 3.4. MANY OTHER THINGS ====================== - Configure appearances, virtual classes, documents, forums, resource restrictions, etc. - Check the system - Check and maintain virtual classes, documents, current server activities, etc. - upload resources to the server, etc. 4. DON'T DOs ============ Do not upgrade the server by using the administration facility. If you do so, Debian's tool management system will not be aware of changes introduced by you, and it will disturb them during some update in the future. If you really want to quit Debian's management system to rely only on the system provided by the authors of Wims, then you should consider version pinning of the current version of Wims, wims-modules and eventually wims-extra-all. To perform version pinning, see for example: http://www.linuxtopia.org/online_books/linux_system_administration/managing_debian_software_with_apt/ch-apt-get.en_009.html -- Georges Khaznadar , Mon, 9 May 2011 18:55:18 +0200