How to Install ArchivesSpace on Void Linux

ArchivesSpace is an open-source web application designed for managing and providing access to archival collections. Void Linux is a lightweight, rolling release Linux distribution. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing ArchivesSpace on Void Linux.

Prerequisites

• A running instance of Void Linux
• Root or sudo access to the system

Step 1 - Install Dependencies

ArchivesSpace requires certain dependencies and libraries to run. To install these dependencies, run the following command:

xbps-install -Sy git mysql wget openjdk8 tomcat8 mariadb

• git: used to clone the ArchivesSpace repository
• mysql: used as the database backend
• wget: used to download files
• openjdk8: required to run ArchivesSpace
• tomcat8: the servlet engine
• mariadb: the preferred database for ArchivesSpace

Step 2 - Install ArchivesSpace

Before you can proceed with the installation, you need to create a user for ArchivesSpace.

useradd archivesspace

Now, switch to the archivesspace user and clone the latest release of ArchivesSpace.

su - archivesspace
git clone --branch v3.0.0 https://github.com/archivesspace/archivesspace.git

This will clone ArchivesSpace to the archivesspace user's home directory.

Step 3 - Configure the Database

After installing the necessary packages and cloning the ArchivesSpace repository, you need to configure the database.

mysql_secure_installation

This will setup mysql in a secure manner and it will prompt you to set up the mysql root user password.

Now, log in as the mysql user and create a new database for ArchivesSpace.

mysql -uroot -p
CREATE DATABASE archivesspace DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci;

Create a new user and grant them privileges to the newly created database.

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON archivesspace.* TO 'archivesspace'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Remember to replace 'password' with a strong password.

Step 4 - Configure ArchivesSpace

After creating the database, switch back to the archivesspace user.

su - archivesspace

Now you need to configure ArchivesSpace. Copy the default configuration file.

cp /home/archivesspace/archivesspace/config/config-defaults.rb /home/archivesspace/archivesspace/config/config.rb

Edit the configuration file using the editor of your choice.

nano /home/archivesspace/archivesspace/config/config.rb

Find the AppConfig[:db_url] line and replace the values as follows:

AppConfig[:db_url] = "jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/archivesspace?user=archivesspace&password=password&useUnicode=true&characterEncoding=UTF-8&autoReconnect=true&failOverReadOnly=false&maxReconnects=10&useSSL=false"

Remember to replace 'password' with the password you set earlier.

Step 5 - Build ArchivesSpace

To build ArchivesSpace, run the following command.

/home/archivesspace/archivesspace/build/run bootstrap-full

Step 6 - Start the Services

Start MariaDB and Tomcat services

rc-service mariadb start
rc-service tomcat8 start

The service is now installed and running on your Void server. You can access ArchivesSpace by opening a web browser and entering the URL corresponding to the IP address of the server. For example, if the IP address of the server is 192.168.0.10, you can access the ArchivesSpace by visiting the following URL:

http://192.168.0.10:8080

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed ArchivesSpace on Void Linux. You now have access to a powerful tool for managing and providing access to archival collections on your server.

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!