Installing Zotero on a server computer

ZoharShpilt
Hi everyone,
is it possible to install Zotero on a server computer used for storage, to be accessed by several people who use the server? If so, how?

Thank you!
  • adamsmith
    As asked, no -- having the Zotero database accessed simultaneously by multiple users will break things, and quite horribly so.

    You can install your own version of Zotero server and run that with a patched client, but that's fairly involved.
  • ZoharShpilt
    Why would it "break things"? Could you please elaborate?
    Can you please explain what is a patched client?
  • adamsmith
    https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/data_directory_in_cloud_storage_folder also applies to jointly used database on a server.

    Re: patched client -- modified version of the Zotero application. For anything more on that you're on your own, though: it requires you to understand, run, and support a full stack server running Zotero's data services. People do it, but it's not something you'll get support for here (or that you can expect to be able to do without a dedicated developer on your team)
  • ZoharShpilt
    Thank you Adam. I'm trying to understand, is it not possible to create a new user that will be logged in from the server computer, and run a collaborative project with our team members? It seems like an easier solution...
  • adamsmith
    Sorry, I don't understand exactly what you're saying, but the gist is that you cannot use local infrastructure to collaborate on a Zotero database without significant effort. Use Zotero's sync for that.
  • ZoharShpilt
    I mean that Zotero enables group projects, so technically we can save the files under a certain user, from a server computer, and still the other group members could access them, right?
  • adamsmith
    Sorry, I've tried to say 'no' in as many ways and as clearly as I possibly can. You're welcome to experiment yourself (it's free software, after all), but don't say that you haven't been warned that it's a bad idea.
  • DWL-SDCA
    edited November 15, 2023
    A database and the read/write software that allows two or more users to edit the same record simultaneously must be designed for that "from the ground up".

    A database generally "doesn't like" its tables to be opened by different edit-privileged users in real time. The controlling software must prevent that. Writing to a record on your own machine is timely but writing to a record on a server is not instantaneous.

    There are several other design issues that make this impossible. What you want requires a completely different application. That is not to say that what you want wouldn't be a nice thing. It would be, however, a very costly thing.


    edit: WHY exactly is beyond my understanding and that you are asking repeatedly demonstrates it is beyond your abilities. I was asked to implement a public health surveillance database with terminals for data entry in multiple hospitals throughout a state. We had to hire a staff with the knowledge to adapt and maintain software that could handle multiple users.

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