[LON-CAPA-admin] multi-domain setup instructions

[Lucas, Mark]

Saif,

I've just created a couple of domains for local schools, and have a bunch of high
schools on the ohiouk12 server. Here's what I do. Hopefully Stuart can fill in the
gaps or make any corrections.

You need to add entries for the extra domain library servers in domain.tab and
hosts.tab. Make sure they show up before the main domain for that server.

Let Gerd and/or Stuart know the specifics on the domain and servers. Things
will eventually make it into the dns_domain.tab and dns_hosts.tab.
Once that finally gets propagated, you need to remove the entries in the server-
specific files.

Once you have included the domains in the local tables, restart LON-CAPA, then
run make_domain_coordinator.pl to create the domain coordinator account.

That's it as far as I know.

The one shortcoming of the multiple domains is that any accounts with authoring
privileges share the same namespace (they all receive directories under /home).
So my initial inclination was to allow all these domains and then create physicslib
accounts under each. I've had to make sure the accounts are unique: PHSCphysicslib,
AthensPhysicslib, ...).  User name space for non-author users is separated.

So here are the details on the example: wellston is the new domain. Note that it
appears before ohiouk12 in all these files.

domain.tab:
# domain:Domain Name:auth mechanism:auth parameters:Language:City:Geo1:Geo2:main library
wellston:Wellston School District:::en-US:Wellston, OH:-82.5:39.120:wellstonl1
ohiouk12:Ohio University - K12:::en-US:Athens, OH:-82.1:39.329:ohiouk12l1

hosts.tab:
^s10.lite.msu.edu
^dalton.chem.sfu.ca
^library1.lon-capa.uiuc.edu
wellstonl1:wellston:library:capa4.phy.ohiou.edu:http:ohiou.edu
ohiouk12l1:ohiouk12:library:capa4.phy.ohiou.edu:http:ohiou.edu

Stop and start:
/etc/init.d/httpd stop
/etc/init.d/loncontrol stop
/etc/init.d/loncontrol start
/etc/init.d/httpd start

cd /root/loncapa-2.10.0/loncom/build
(or wherever you unpacked the files)

perl make_domain_coordinator.pl wellstondc wellston

Log in to domain coordinator user and start creating courses and users.

In my experience, the machine itself is already trusted by others in the cluster,
so other servers in the cluster don't need to know about the new domain for instructors to start
pulling in resources from elsewhere.   Users from the new domain cannot log in via other servers
until information about the domain has been propagated.

I have also had our local DNS czar create aliases for the different domains:

capa4.phy.ohiou.edu<http://capa4.phy.ohiou.edu> has the aliases:
athens.phy.ohiou.edu<http://athens.phy.ohiou.edu>
wellston.phy.ohiou.edu<http://wellston.phy.ohiou.edu>
pickerington.phy.ohiou.edu<http://pickerington.phy.ohiou.edu>
etc....

Students using these aliases will find that the domain textbox will be filled in appropriately.

Hope this helps,

Mark


On Jun 21, 2011, at 6:54 PM, Saif Rayyan wrote:

Dear all,

I am trying to look for instructions on how to setup another domain on the same
library server that we have at MIT for a collaborator at a small college. I
found a couple of threads here that discuss the topic,

http://mail.lon-capa.org/pipermail/lon-capa-admin/2005-January/000835.html
http://mail.lon-capa.org/pipermail/lon-capa-admin/2008-June/001992.html

However, I need more direction on where to start. Does anyone have a list of
instruction on what needs to be done?

Thank you!

Saif Rayyan
Postdoctoral Associate
MIT
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--
Mark Lucas  email: lucasm at ohiou.edu<mailto:lucasm at ohiou.edu>
252D Clippinger Lab phone: (740)597-2984
Department of Physics and Astronomy fax: (740)593-0433
Ohio University
Athens, OH 45701

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