User Tools

Site Tools


forum:alfresco:basic-configuration

alfresco

Basic Configuration

Result of the basic configuration will be an Alfresco system with following features:

  • User management injected from an Active Directory
  • Single sign on with InternetExplorer
  • Direct edit of of documents by clicking the Edit button.

Prelaminaries

This basic configuration starts with a fresh system installed like in installation.

Most settings and configurations can be managed outside of the alfresco.war deployment. Others must be done within that folder. This of course results in a complex update procedure because instead of simply replace the alfresco.war by a new version you have to redo all these steps inside the alfresco.war folder to continue with the same environment as prior the update.

So all changings done inside the deployment folder are maked with :!:

The extension folder for custom extension files is
JBOSS_HOME/server/default/conf/alfresco/extension 1).
This folder is called <extension> in our Wiki. Default configuration files are located in
JBOSS_HOME/server/default/deploy/alfresco.war/WEB-INF and
JBOSS_HOME/server/default/deploy/alfresco.war/WEB-INF/classes/alfresco
The last one is called default in our Wiki.

If you want to overwrite existing settings in your custom configuration you have to add the replace=“true” attribute in the <config> tag.

Repository Properties

  1. Copy <default>/repository.properties to
    <extension>/custom-repository.properties
  2. Copy custom-repository-context.xml.sample from the extensions folder inide the
    alfresco-community-war-2.9.0B to <extension>/custom-repository-context.xml.
  3. Comment the Hibernate part inside the <extension>/custom-repository-context.xml. Otherwise the Spring Framework will not start.
  4. Set root.dir to /usr/share/alfresco/.alf_data. 2)
  5. :!: In JBOSS_HOME/server/default/deploy/alfresco.war/WEB-INF/classes/
    log4j.properties edit the File appender definition for alfresco.log and hibernate.log to /var/log.

Per default editing of a document is a complex procedure. First you have to checkout the document inside the database. Then you can download the working copy to your local machine. Finally you open the local copy in the relevant application. To update the original you have to upload and thereafter checkin the document.

Each of these steps is implemented with a couple of JSF pages. That means you need a lot of clicks and steps just to open and edit a document.

Alfresco offers three options to handle an edit command.

  • the default way is HTTP download to local machine (as described above)
  • WebDAV - a browser with WebDAV functionality can serve the files like a local file system.
  • CIFS - the edit button links to a CIFS URL. This option enables direct editing of documents without pull/push. This is the preferred way here.
  1. Copy <default>web-client-config.xml to <extension>web-client-config-custom.xml
  2. Set in the <extension>web-client-config-custom.xml the edit-link-type setting to CIFS.

Setup CIFS Server

One of Alfrescos greatest benefits is the built-in CIFS server. So you can interact with the Alfresco repository with standard filesystem methods.

References

Setup

  1. Copy <default>file-servers.xml to <extension>file-servers-custom.xml
  2. In <extension>file-servers-custom.xml remove all config blocks exept
    • CIFS Server
    • Filesystems
    • Filesystem Security
  3. Set the replace=“true” attribut in these config tags
  4. Set hostname, filesystem name, webpath and authenticator type=Alfresco
  5. Activate the desktopActions

Automatic OOo service start

In the default configuration the OOo service for document transformation is started separately in a shell script. The idea is of course to handle this service by Alfresco itself during the bootstrap routine.

References

Setup

DOESN'T WORK!!! FIXME

  1. Copy openoffice-startup-context.xml from the
    /usr/share/alfresco/install-extensions folder to <extension>/bootstrap
  2. Correct paths, remove quotings in openoffice-startup-context.xml

Email Sending

  1. If neccessary for authentication create a account on the SMTP server.
  2. Setup email properties in <extension>/custom-repository.properties
  3. Setup from-email-address in <extension>/web-client-config-custom.xml
  4. If you encounter problems when connecting to the smtp server check this bug ETHREEOH-559

Email Receiving

References

Setup

  1. Copy <default>/emailserver/email-server.properties to
    <extension>/custom-email-server.properties
  2. Copy <default>/emailserver/email-server-context.xml to
    <extension>custom-email-server-context.xml
  3. Add custom properties file in the location setting of custom-email-server-context.xml
  4. Edit domain, port, allowed senders and enable in the properties file
  5. Set aliases and aspects on some spaces

TODO

FIXME

  • Receive mails with all metadata fields (From, To, CC, Subject, etc.)
  • Enable Assoziations between Emails and their attachments.
  • Enable Answer, Anser all, Forward actions on Email documents

Setup Authentication

References

Setup

  1. Copy <default>/ntlm-authentication-context.xml to
    <extension>/ntlm-authentication-context.xml
  2. Add server property to that file
  3. :!: Backup JBOSS_HOME/server/default/deploy/alfresco.war/WEB-INF/web.xml to
    web.xml.original
  4. :!: In web.xml uncomment NTLM filter and comment standard filters

LDAP User and Group sync

References

Setup

  1. Copy from extension pack ldap-synchronisation-context.xml and
    ldap-synchronisation.properties to <extension>
  2. Add in the xml a bean ldapInitialDirContextFactory and relating settings for this bean (get it from ldap-authentication-context.xml and ldap-authentication.properties) instead of the existing alias.
  3. Rename this bean to ldapSyncInitialDirContextFactory
  4. Set the default properties relating to AD and add properties like in Table 1
  5. In <extension>/custom-authority-service-context.xml add and check admin user names. They HAVE TO BE case sensitiv even if the Alfresco setting for user names is “not case sensitiv”.
Alfresco user property AD property name
company organizationalId
department organization
description jobtitle

Table 1 - property relation Alfresco AD:

Corrected and customized home folder creation

Alfresco creates the homefolder for users imported via LDAP automatically. Unfortunately these homefolders are located in the Company Home. This task address that problem and place the homefolders into User Homes. Additionally the inner structure of such a homefolder will be taken out of a template.

  1. In <extension>/ldap-synchronisation.properties set
    ldap.synchronisation.defaultHomeFolderProvider=userHomesHomeFolderProvider
  2. Copy authentication-services-context.xml to
    <extension>/custom-authentication-services-context.xml
  3. In this file in the bean description for userHomesHomeFolderProvider add
    property templatePath. Point it to a folder which contains the user home template for example: <value>/${spaces.company_home.childname}/${spaces.dictionary.childname}/${spaces.templates.childname}/cm:Homefolder</value>
  4. Take care! In <extension>ldap-synchronisation-context.xml the property
    clearAllChildren of ldapPeopleImport MUST NOT set to true. 3)
2) Of course another folder in the filesystem is possible…
3) I had activated this setting during the testphase to get new homefolders automatically during each LDAP lookup. But login and work inside the homefolder as a LDAP sync'd user results in tons of error messages.

Discussion

Enter your comment. Wiki syntax is allowed:
L T᠎ O K A
 
forum/alfresco/basic-configuration.txt · Last modified: 2023/11/19 22:46 (external edit)