When will the server source code be released?

  • sean
    We expect to release the code in the next week or two. It just requires a little housekeeping on the part of our developers, but nothing major.
  • rwielage
    For those of us who have database servers on our network, is there a way to use one instance of MS SQL Server as the database instead of an instance of SQLLite on each computer?
  • dstillman
    No.
  • thm
    I see that sync.zotero.org responds with Apache/2.2.3 (CentOS) & PHP/5.3.1 headers but I can't seem to find any other information on the server stack. Is any information available?

    Have the developers given any indication as to what sort of contribution model they are hoping for (patches to code running on z.o, distributed servers/federation protocol, isolated private instances, alternative implementations, etc) once the code is released?
  • ronnyherc
    Any update on this ? is there anything the community could do to help to move forward ?
  • ubauer.gl-pharma
    Hello,

    our research group would like to decide very soon (before July/August) for a reference management solution. We realy like and prefer Zotero but we need a solution to include the pdf files of the references.
    To use file storage of Zotero might be an option, but as our internet connection is very "thin" the data transfer of the pdf files from and to Zotero server of all of our group members within our intranet would block our connectivity. And thats why our IT people would never give their ok for such a solution.

    So another solution has to be find.
    Could anybody of the Zotero team please give me any idea of the timelines for such a solution?
    And also important: how will this solution work? Together with a local SQLite installation? Will it be possible for more than one person to work (read&write) with the same database at the same time?
    How "ready" will be the server code?
    Thank you in advance for any information!
  • alexuw
    Just a friendly bump.

    And a response to some of the comments above. Just my own observations, but perhaps helpful to some, since official commentary has not been forthcoming. If I'm wrong maybe someone official will say so!

    AFAIK no one has said much about zotero's server stack or deployment environment. Presumably they've done capacity planning and presumably they're running in some sort of HA environment. I seriously doubt SQLite is being used server-side! Presumably a database like mysql or postgres.

    Also AFAIK there's been no talk (except among us interested users!) of possible models for contribution.

    According to a comment in this thread the code might not be easy to get up and running (of course what constitutes a "difficult" install is a matter of opinion). So the first steps might be less "contribution" per se than repackaging. First if necessary removing dependencies or otherwise genericizing the code, and then build procedures, debs, rpms, etc. Whether the zotero project would want to incorporate the necessary changes into the trunk would be up to them.

    Let me hasten to add, all that "open source" means is that the source code is available. It doesn't mean there's a community, that the project accepts contributions, or even wants them, or for that matter that the code even works! So the comments above are not meant as any sort of criticism. OTOH I am critical of, and rather puzzled by, the zotero group's lack of transparency on this topic. Furthermore I see a lot of merits in a RERO approach.
  • bdarcus
    OTOH I am critical of, and rather puzzled by, the zotero group's lack of transparency on this topic.
    +1

    I've been complaining about these issues for years, and so am disappointed they're still not resolved. Come on guys; release the damned code, and let's come up with some ideas for possible contribution models.
  • kieren
    I agree with bdarcus. Even if there's some tight coupling in the code with AWS or some internal infrastructure, I still think it would be good to release the server code asap so that people can poke it. If a local server was available for me with the same functions as the zotero storate, I'd be pushing my local IT department to pilot it ASAP, but cant expect them to rely on the cloud in the mean time, as my institution's policies will discourage this.
  • paulinemak
    I had asked the same question a few months back too.

    Sean: any more news?
  • hnwombat
    edited June 14, 2010
    As a former sysadmin, I am *very, very, very* uncomfortable with not controlling my own destiny.

    I run my own mail server.
    I run my own DNS server.
    I run my own web server.

    I would love to be able to use the sync function, but, until I can run the server myself, I won't. Sorry. There are far, far too many examples of things out on the net vanishing without a trace for me to be willing to trust my reference list to it.

    That said, I *will* use zotero, and, once I'm actually on a faculty somewhere (still currently working on the PhD), I'd be willing to support the project moentarily. I'm also willing to support (to some level, consistent with getting my dissertation done) with coding / adminstration skills now.

    A naive question-- why can't the sqlite database file simply be copied to a webdav server to make the metadata available?

    Thanks for a great reference manager. Don't misunderstand me-- I love it, use it, and will continue using it.

    I just won't use your server ever, sorry. No more than I use gmail/yahoo/godaddy/whatever else for other internet infrastructure. Hell, I'm even moving away from using my *school's* servers because I don't trust them. Sysadmins: a very paranoid breed. :-)

    Thanks!

    Christopher M. Conway
  • ajlyon
    A naive question-- why can't the sqlite database file simply be copied to a webdav server to make the metadata available?
    Well, you can do that. It isn't the most elegant approach, and it wouldn't be equivalent to real syncing, but a good many people do shuttle around an sqlite database for whatever reason. It is prone to corruption if there is concurrent access, but it works at the most basic level.

    I've also stopped using syncing, since I realized that I never used the online library or the collaboration features -- you may well not need those features either. In any case, your expertise is certainly welcome around here; there are many fairly small issues in Trac (see https://www.zotero.org/trac/report/1) that could use your attention, and the experience you garner doing that will help accustom you to the codebase and prepare yourself to run an independent sync server.
  • 12hillybean
    Hello Zotero guys!

    Let me ask you frankly: Will the server code become public in the near future it will it not?
    I really like Zotero but I don't like this time buying strategy. In April we were told it is only a matter of days. Two months have gone and nothing happened. If you are not willing to have your server code public you are free to do so, but please let us know so people with serious concerns may look for other solutions.

    Regards,
    The Bean
  • sean
    edited June 17, 2010
    It's not a "time-buying" strategy. It's a "we have 4 million users and protecting their research data and privacy is important than anything else" strategy. Plenty has happened in the last two months. But since you ask, the server code was committed to our svn repository yesterday (revisions 6145-6152). The data server component is not yet publicly visible, and a visit to https://www.zotero.org/trac/timeline will currently confirm only a large gap in revision numbers yesterday (I believe some of the people on this thread already have access to this component, but Dan Stillman can confirm). Over the next week we will conduct a final security review and nail down any potential issues regarding the Zotero trademark, which is an entirely separate issue from the code. Thanks for your patience.
  • adamsmith
    movement on this:
    https://www.zotero.org/trac/wiki/dataserver_setup?version=2
  • alexuw
    Hi everybody, Sean has announced on zotero-dev that the server source code will be released "end of this week" and the release note (link in previous comment by adamsmith) confirms that the server will not be supported by CHNM, as has been stated in the past. Here's the announcement and some interesting discussion.

    http://groups.google.com/group/zotero-dev/browse_thread/thread/7122ec05b6f949f9

    I'm starting a separate project and discussion forum for those who want to run the server themselves. I've set up a basic project site here: http://www.zitation.org/ and welcome your participation.
  • pjalet
    It's here!
    https://www.zotero.org/trac/browser/dataserver
    Thanks a lot. Now I'll be able to make a case for rolling out zotero in my organisation.
  • dbuijs
    Thank you!

    I am also making a case for a large scale roll-out in my organization. Even without implementing our own server, being able to see the code that's running at zotero.org will be helpful for our security people.

    If for whatever reason our security people are still uncomfortable with an offsite server, I'll be able to argue for resources to contribute to the zitation project above.
  • ajlyon
    I think it would be more productive to cultivate good server documentation here at Zotero.org than on a separate domain. The dev team has only said that it will not provide technical support for people working with the server code-- documentation could still be worked on within the Zotero.org wiki / knowledge base and the code could be discussed on zotero-dev, unless the traffic justifies creating another mailing list. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is what the team at CHNM meant by "no support".
  • dbuijs
    I would totally support that. If however I or anyone else wants to do something with the code that the excellently managed Zotero team is not yet ready for, common courtesy dictates that we should host our efforts someplace else.

    If someone managed to build something that brings value to the project as a whole and the Zotero team agreed, hopefully the code could be re-integrated. If not, then it's perfectly legitimate for the project to be forked and properly attributed.
  • mark
    It's been silent on the Zotero Server front for over a year now. Does anyone know whatever happened to http://zitation.org/ ?
  • thm
    No idea what happened to zitation.org; however, it looks to me like the source for the server is out: https://www.zotero.org/trac/browser/dataserver/trunk
  • adamsmith
    actually it's not been silent on that front - at least one person managed to run Zotero server locally and has documented some of his efforts on the wiki here:
    http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_dataserver
    and several other people appear to be working on local installations.
    I think Alex was pretty much left alone on zitation.org so he gave up on that - but many people never agreed with him on the need to fork the project from Zotero in the first place.
    Since the details on this are very techy, though, any discussion of it runs on the dev list.
  • dstillman
    edited July 5, 2011
    Given that the server source was released a year ago, I'm going to close this thread. Any further discussion should take place on the dev list.
This discussion has been closed.