[Plug-webdev] [PLUG-Devel] New Verari System 1U Web/Mail Server - ASSISTANCE PLEASE

[Lisa Kachold]

Thanks Alan,

I should be able to get to this now. I just didn't want to go ahead willy
nilly to create a completely new web system that essentially did not work.
Yours was well done, you know?

There are quite a few module changes in newer druPAL (it's not *drupal*) and
things function differently.

I suppose I will have to migrate over by hand all of the schedule/calender,
but ist macht nix.

I agree with no forums unless it's for like a specific arm branch of the
PLUG - like a code dev team or a hackfest group, but I would only want it
for display of presentation materials, files or whatever. I will start
stabbing it.

Thanks for your input.

Lisa,
I setup and coordinated the last two or three incarnations of the
site. I did it in my pretend role as a web admin. As a result I
created problems sometimes. Better to have you on the job!
I don't have specific tips. We just built something that made sense
at the time using the CMS of choice. Nothing fancy really came out of
the talk. Getting something secure that multiple people can manage is
80% of the need and usually at least good enough.
- Beginners articles
- Job postings
- A thank you page to volunteers, leaders and speakers
- Meeting locations and descriptions, of course
There was for a time lots of requests for a forum that would sync with
- Moderation of a forum is more time consuming than the email lists.
- Email lists or "push" of information was more acceptable to most at the
time.
- One time a PLUGger setup a forum and invited everyone to it. It
lasted about 2 weeks before everyone stopped using it. This was as
sign to me that a few made noise to want a forum but not enough to
sustain it.
These reasons may be invalid now and a forum may be a good idea.
Alternatively, instead of a forum we could use a Facebook page or
Linked-in group or something else like that to hook into the social
media web, where people are spending time anyway.
I'm sure you will come up with something great. Just start with the
basic information, get people to help with add-ons and go from there.
At least with you on the ground floor, security problems like I
created will be a thing of the past!
Alan

Hey Alan,
I understand that you were instrumental in building and expanding the
old PLUG site?
An ideas or input related to the best way to proceed here? I have some
more time right now and I am interested in getting this replacement
server setup.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 31 May 2009 16:13:36 -0700
Subject: [PLUG-Devel] New Verari System 1U Web/Mail Server - ASSISTANCE

PLEASE

I have configured a Verari Systems Server with Linux 2.6.24-generic SMP
Linux and setup Drupal 6.12.
When we started this project the current Drupal system was limited

because

none ever expanded allowable memory in php.ini, until I determined why

they

were unable to get more modules working.
So, I fixed php.ini to be able to load a configure a great many modules

in

the current Drupal.
I proposed the new Drupal upgrade which was accepted as a project to be
built up running in tandem with the old plug.phoenix.az.us on a nice

shiny

new DR server (Verari 1U). After others (with limited bandwidth) met

with

issues (and project deliverable lag) after BIOS drive recognition (no
jumpers were configured for MASTER/SLAVE on either drive) failures, I
inherited the hardware build test/laying on the stable SERVER OS and
hardening. [She's a real beauty!]
In the mean time since the existing Drupal site could now run a lot of
expanded modules (with php.ini memory expanded), everyone started to

build

up the existing site (looks spiffy with the maps etc!).
But now I am running into some difficulty backing up and importing the
complete site as is to import into the new Drupal (upgraded 4.x --> 6.x
compatibility).
I have cloned the database tables, and can import selectively, so I

believe

we need to evaluate the project based on what we want to move over, how

we

want to change our features (for instance, do we really want 40 feet of

Job

announcements on the front page when this could be a summary that can be
expanded or do we want to allow role based signups for additional areas,
like HackFest, Developers, or Installfests with limited file sharing, for
presentations etc).
I am fairly loaded up with HackFest relocation, working IT contract, and
various other gigs and personal committments, so I am hoping that we

will

have another volunteer who really knows Drupal, or a good plan, after a
brainstorming session with Hans.
Current Drupal is an UPDATED installation that does not completely work

with

all 5.x modules now.
We need to ensure we have a secure installation and many new features are
available in Drupal 6 (OpenID).
Mailman is handled throught the Drupal Mailman plugin - so adding

additional

listserv for a PLUG-opensource-politics is easy.
[Adding a directory for the mail archives is an add on which is very

easy.

So basically we need someone to work in Drupal administrator to make the

new

site match, backing up as we go, and while I can be involved, I can no
longer do it all with my current schedule.
Volunteers?
Requirements and all planning must be funnelled through Hans, as always,
which should optimally happen at the next WestSide Stammtiche on

Broadway?

Suggestions?
--
[phone]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:LisaKachold
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/29/wikipedia_bans_scientology/
--
www.obnosis.com [phone]
http://despair.com/discovery.html
"Contradictions do not exist." A. Rand

[der.hans]

Am 10. Jun, 2009 schwÀtzte Lisa Kachold so:

moin moin,

Post by Lisa Kachold
I suppose I will have to migrate over by hand all of the schedule/calender,
but ist macht nix.

Did the event module get pulled in to core? I don't see it in the core
module listing.

I don't see a released 6.x version.

http://drupal.org/project/event

event repeat doesn't even have a dev snapshot for a 6.x version.

OK, just installed 6.10 and don't see event in there. Haѕ CCK replaced it?

It looks like the calendar and date CCK modules are now used for
calendaring and events. Is there an import method to pull in event and
event_repeating events?

http://drupal.org/node/114282

ciao,

der.hans

[Lisa Kachold]

I can't find all the work I already did on this, email to Hans...last
year related to upgrading to a secure Drupal.

Post by der.hans
moin moin,

Post by Lisa Kachold
I suppose I will have to migrate over by hand all of the
schedule/calender,
but ist macht nix.

Your old database structure and data is not going to be compatible,
even with the migration tools.

Version 6 Drupal core will refuse to enable or run modules and themes
that aren't explicitly ported to the right version of core.

Post by der.hans
Did the event module get pulled in to core? I don't see it in the core
module listing.

No, there are couple of modules that have not yet been migrated to Drupal 6.

The event module has been migrated to 6, but event repeats has not yet
made it (from open source contributions). Event repeat is required to
any calender which uses repeating scheduling.

Post by der.hans
I don't see a released 6.x version.
http://drupal.org/project/event

Right, it's a development release, with some known issues, so be sure
to implement throttle.

Post by der.hans
event repeat doesn't even have a dev snapshot for a 6.x version.
OK, just installed 6.10 and don't see event in there. Haѕ CCK replaced it?

There are two ways to do this, as you noticed, with limitations for them both.

Post by der.hans
It looks like the calendar and date CCK modules are now used for
calendaring and events.

Yes, but CCK and calendar mods include some limitations as I remember
compared with the module implementation that is currently in use.
<Scratch head vaguely remember issues...>

References prefer Calendar/Date fields:
http://groups.drupal.org/node/17388

Date has also changed significantly.

Post by der.hans
Is there an import method to pull in event and
event_repeating events?

Again, you will have to do an import, and there currently is not any
MODULE upgrade script from what is running on plug.phoenix.az.us.

Post by der.hans
http://drupal.org/node/114282

As I told Hans last year, the choices were to build a completely new
6.n. site (using some of the nice new development ad-ons like CivCRM)
and selectively populate it, losing some of the archeological history
dig of events. You could also provide links to the old site events
search page, referenced as "archives" on the Menu? Two versions of
Drupal can easily run on the same server however that might be a bit
too klunky, since we want to streamline things, not make it worse.

Hand migrating over all the old events is going to be time consuming.
As I told Hans, 18 months ago, I would be happy to setup the Drupal 6.
I built a two new versions Drupal 6 for testing. I also suggested
Hans use 110mb.com for development testing (where he evidently built
ABLEconf) , since they are free (or nearly so, once you pay for
Mysql/php/mail). Drupal 6.x was setup running concurrently on the
Drupal 4.7 (upgrade) plug.phoenix.az.us server. Drupal 6.2 was setup
on a new Versa server - that was bought by Brian that had no IDE
Master/Slave Drive short pins and would not see any hard disks in BIOS
that I fixed (probably the reason the server was sold for so
inexpensively?). The Versa server was supposedly per Hans going to be
a failover server (but after it was returned from my house to go into
the rack, nothing ever happened, no IP address was given or project
conversation to continue). I suggested that whoever was assisting the
Web Development Project could hand migrate over all the old events,
either via a mysql dump (selectively taking and changing fields and
field names to do a Mysql import) or via another scripted solution if
he didn't want to lose that data. I preferred starting clean new with
an updated structure, or limiting the events for a short time.

The 6.x login functions have changes also, and there still are issues
with the OpenID. Users can be imported, however, if you are using
Easy Login or another easy registration add on module tool that allows
you add additional information (and user types) during registration
(like "Professional" "Student" "Volunteer" "Meeting Chair"
"Moderator") or other exansive demographic questions ("Age", years of
"Linux", other "LUG involvement", "student", "certifications") our
old users would probably have to be hand populated, with someone
adding information later, or accepting partial data for existing
users. Hans said he wanted everyone to re-register, which I agree,
since we need to require password security and changes.

The easiest way to finish the work I started to update the PLUG site
to meet our needs, would be to use:

http://drupal.org/project/civicrm

CivicCRM:

Nonprofits and community groups maintain relationships many types of
constituents. CiviCRM enables organizations to maintain comprehensive
constituent relationship management information in a single database,
creating efficiencies and new opportunities for nonprofits to better
communicate and benefit from relationships with their constituents.
CiviCRM includes optional components which give you more power to
connect and engage your supporters:

* CiviContribute - Online fundraising and donor management, now
including pledges and personal campaign pages
* CiviEvent - Online event registration and event management
* CiviMember - Online signup and membership management
* CiviMail - Personalized email blasts and newsletters.
* CiviGrant - Simple grants management.
* CiviCase - Integrated case management.

CiviCRM now also includes integration with Views2 - providing enormous
flexibility in exposing CiviCRM data in Drupal "views".

All the field names can be configured.

Since this would be a much more complex and more powerful tool, a flow
chart might best be used to determine how the site will flow.

While our current model with front page links can be changed to
modules using a 3 column theme with the "read more links" for
different subjects.

This is a very powerful solution, and well worth it.

It also makes changes to add newsletters, however all of the current
modules and functions of Drupal can also be concurrently used. Since
CivicCRM uses it's own secondary database, we don't run into some of
the known issues, with one module (say signup) stepping all over
fields and db table names used by another (say subscription). Another
good example of these database field issues is the Movie database and
Classified ads modules under CCK.

Definitely worth the steep change curve, just to have event signups
and registration for various roles in our little penguin community?
The site itself can do a good deal of the organizing of our many
volunteers, who sit and wait for someone to accept their email offer
to help (lost in Han's overloaded InBox spam filter) while our meeting
organizers try to shoulder the load all themselves.

I have setup CiviCRM before, so I vouch for it.

I also suggested that along with completing non-profit status which
will allow volunteers to a tax write off for all contributions
including time and donations, that the PLUG, formally define a Web
Development Group with appointments and determination of roles, so
that more than one person is cross-trained and many PLUG members get
the opportunity to provide web management, and other skills through
this organization role based signup tool.

We also will have to ability to have "update to twitter, post to
facebook" buttons under each of our posts.

We can continue to use the mailman Drupal plugin/module for our email
list management without any changes to the database or structure of
the list management.

I hope this helps?

Post by der.hans
ciao,
der.hans
--
#  http://www.LuftHans.com/        http://www.LuftHans.com/Classes/
#  Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. -- Thomas Jefferson
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