Perfect setup and installation of ownCloud 9

Configuration

You should first test and adapt the configuration before using the system for the first time in order to make sure that the computer has sufficient capacity to perform the services with numerous clients. This initial step requires that you have administrative rights. By clicking with the mouse on the name of the administrator at the upper right of the browser window, you can open a submenu that contains the Admin entry. One click on this option displays a wide variety of options in the work area of the browser.

As you are probably initially accessing the server through an insecure connection, it is a good idea to immediately configure access through an HTTPS connection. This involves only a small amount of manual work under Ubuntu and its derivatives. A basic cryptography infrastructure lands on the drive when the operating system is installed. Therefore, all that needs to be done is to activate the relevant settings in the Apache server configuration (Listing 2). Reload the server to activate the changes, making it possible to connect via a secure HTTPS connection to ownCloud.

# a2enmod ssl
# a2ensite default-ssl
# service apache2 reload

Customer Support

You will need to install appropriate software on the clients in order to synchronize data with the newly set up ownCloud server. All of the familiar distributions have the necessary packages available in their repositories. If you discover outdated packages in the repository, then a good alternative is to go to the project website to get a current release [9].

Unlike the experience with the server version, it was easy to install the client under various distributions. Some installations like the one under openSUSE required just a few mouse clicks. Once the installation is complete, the user will see, depending on the desktop environment, a starter ownCloud desktop sync client in the Tools menu or in Accessories .

Clients that want to connect with the server need corresponding authorization data. To enter this data, log into the server as an administrator and click on the upper right of the main window on the username. In the menu that opens, select the Users entry, go to the upper line in the corresponding field, and set up the new accounts by entering user name, password, and the corresponding memory portion for the account.

Once this data is entered, click on the Create button. The software generates the new account according to the settings that have been selected. The entry appears in the table for accounts where it can be integrated with a mouse click on Groups into the various groups and inherit their privileges. At this point, you should specify the accompanying administrator for the group (Figure 5).

Figure 5: The clients appear in an inventory where the user grants the required group rights to each of them.

The next step is to open the client software on the external computer by clicking on ownCloud desktop sync client and entering the name or the IP address of the server along with the password and username for the ownCloud client. After the final request for the certificate, the routine sets up a corresponding folder for synchronization. You can pick any folder you wish.

Additionally, you should specify the contents to be synchronized in the start screen. The last step connects the work place PC with the ownCloud server and synchronizes the files and directories that you have selected. Then you can view recent activities in the client (Figure 6).

Figure 6: You only need the IP address and the access data to accept the connection to the server.

Alternatively, you can connect the server directory via the WebDAV protocol to the local system by specifying the appropriate network drive. This is done with a WebDAV-capable file manager. Open the Settings prompt at the lower left, and copy the WebDAV addresses provided there to the clipboard. Then import these via the dialog to set up a network folder in the file manager.

In some distributions, the client is not automatically activated during booting. If this happens, you can start it with a script. This method takes care of security concerns and minimizes the data throughput over the network. The client polling, i.e., making contact with the server at short intervals, increases the data throughput over the network.

In order to maintain data synchronicity between the clients and the server, first start the ownCloud client. Then add other directories for synchronization or delete those no longer needed in a window, which has been designed with simplicity in mind (Figure 7).

Figure 7: A straightforward window makes it possible to include other directories in the client software for synchronization or to delete those no longer needed.