Difference between revisions of "SUNScholar/DSpace/Why Ubuntu Server"

Revision as of 14:50, 26 September 2012

In order to make the research outputs of Stellenbosch University available, the library decided develop an open access research repository service.

The repository has to make the research available for future researchers as well.

With this in mind as a selection criteria, DSpace on top of the Ubuntu server was used for the following reasoning:

We cannot predict what technology will exist in the future.
But we can be almost certain, that open systems based on open standards will have a better chance of surviving to the future.
Since we are using discretion and employing open systems based on open standards, we have to eliminate any proprietary systems.
DSpace is open source software, supported by a foundation and is based on open standards.
DSpace is also very popular as a repository management system.
Ubuntu is also supported by a foundation and is also one of the most popular linux distributions which are based on open source software.
Ubuntu is committed to releasing a "long term support" (LTS) version of the distribution every two years.
The method of Ubuntu LTS releases allows us to plan for upgrades and makes capacity planning of the repository more effective.
In addition, Ubuntu is derived from Debian, the original linux distribution. Debian is very stable and has a very large community supporting it.
Most linux distributions are based on open Unix standards.

So considering all of the above, DSpace on an Ubuntu server made logical sense to comply with most of BOAI, section 3.

All our tweaks and optimisations seem to be working. The load dropped when we started using "authbind" for Tomcat thereby eliminating the need for the Apache "mod_jk" module, which was creating extra processing overhead.	Looks like we have enough disk space in the /home partition for the next 3yrs at least, at our current rate of submissions. The /var partition which holds the database was reduced in size by tweaking the bitstream checker properties and then running a full database vacuum.
We have more than enough compute muscle.	Our memory usage stabilised when we stopped using the JSPUI. However after the upgrade to DSpace 1.8.2 and enabling discovery we are back to a memory intensive system.

Back to DSpace

Back to IR

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 #But we can be almost certain, that [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_system_(computing) open systems] based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_standard open standards] will have a better chance of surviving to the future.
 #Since we are using discretion and employing open systems based on open standards, we have to eliminate any proprietary systems.
-#DSpace is supported by a foundation and is based on open standards.
+#DSpace is open source software, supported by a foundation and is based on open standards.
 #[http://wiki.lib.sun.ac.za/images/1/10/Opendoar-dspace-usage.png DSpace is also very popular as a repository management system].
 #Ubuntu is also supported by a foundation and is also one of the most popular linux distributions which are based on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-source_software open source software].