Elxis CMS Forum

Extensions => Tools => Topic started by: datahell on November 08, 2006, 10:12:00

Title: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: datahell on November 08, 2006, 10:12:00
I am thinking of a creation of an Elxis tool that will be able to connect a local Elxis installation with a remote one (or even two differrent online sites!). User will be able to syncronize local data (ie content items, categories etc) with the remote database or even the opposite. I think this will help many web designers and site creators that they get used to create a local site and then transfer the local site to the online installation. Do you think that something like this would be useful?
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: naspor on November 08, 2006, 13:43:51
Yes. I'm in favour of your idea.

It'll be extremely helpfull for beginners and people who have no droadband connections.

Please do it!
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: dotĀ°NETt on November 08, 2006, 14:30:42
For database-synchronizations I normally use phpMyAdmin (or another mySQL-admin-tool).

May be, there could be a problem - I notice this, because naspor wrote, 'It'll be extremely helpfull for beginners ...'.
In Germany many hoster don't allow _extern_ access to a database.
This is not a problem, if you own a root-server or a virtual server with root-access. But many user (f.i. 'beginners') use for there installation a shared-hosting package.

For me such a script or tool would be useful - indeed ... I'm looking forward.

dotĀ°NETt
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: datahell on November 08, 2006, 15:12:58
This tool wont need to allow remote connection to the database. Database connections will be accepted only from localhost. This is a security restriction that we must never break. I am very experienced in creating remote tools for any purpose ( even for attacking! ). I can make it work under any enviroment and very secure.
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: yiannos on November 08, 2006, 17:54:13
Just a quick note on this:

1. I think it would save A LOT of time from the site admins.

2. From my experience with a relative tool that SMF has, if you include functions for backing-up and restoring the database, these should be (if possible) independent of the mysql version. Given the fact that elxis works with different databases, this might be even more complicated. I have seen the case where the SMF backup tool does not work on some mysql versions. Even worse, it makes a backup and the admin thinks all is OK but then it cannot be restored (even manually).

I am using SMF here only as a reference example. I do not intend to critisize it at all. It is a wondeful tool and I use it extensively.
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: datahell on November 08, 2006, 20:35:55
Elxis uses ADODB and does not have any problem at all managing different types of databases. You will be able to send data from an Elxis-MySQL site to an Elxis-Postgres site just simple. Something else: I have nt seen the SMF tool but the Elxis tool (as I have it in mind) wont send SQL queries but encrypted compact arrays that the remote site will decompress and decrypt and then create an xml schema to import to db using AdoSchema. Array compression is also used in Component File Server (Elxis download component, version 1.2 is available under commercial license) but for other reason and not for data transfer/entry. Encryption is also used in Elxis Defender and in other sub-applications in Elxis
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: datahell on November 24, 2006, 14:49:42
A tool that will help users to update and check their Elxis installations, get news and security alerts,  check files integrity etc has started to be developed under GNU/GPL license. It will be available with version 2006.4 of Elxis.

More information later.
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: datahell on November 27, 2006, 22:19:39
Tool is available for download.

Download it from here:
https://www.elxis.org/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=56&Itemid=139 (https://www.elxis.org/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=56&Itemid=139)
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: yiannos on November 28, 2006, 12:42:53
Hmmmm,

not sure if I am right but as soon as I installed it on my tst server, I can no longer see the images of any of the tools in administration.

Could it be the .htaccess file that came with it? I renamed it and it works fine.
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: datahell on November 28, 2006, 14:03:27
htaccess files placed in the 2 "data" directories (scripts and hashes) to prevent direct access to data files. It is not a security threat to remove these htaccess files as the data files does not contain something special. They may only reveal your elxis version. So, you can safely remove them if you have problems with them. Normally they should n't be a problem as they are restricted only in these 2 directories.
Title: Re: Remote Update and Synchronization tool
Post by: yiannos on November 28, 2006, 15:08:32
Yes you are right,

I probably did sth stupid during the unzip of the file and the directory structure.

Thank you