We're currently upgrading our installation of Contentdm from version 3.7 to 4.0. There are many enhancements in the 4.0 version that make this a worthwhile upgrade. But there are several migration challenges to deal with.
We'll be blogging the upgrade/migration. Partly to help document the work (in case we need to do it again) and, hopefully, to inform others who may bump into similar problems or issues.
Our Contentdm installation is at http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/. But the collections have their own custom interfaces. One is American Journeys and the other is Turning Points in Wisconsin History.
A group of us met this week to identify the main issues that need to be addressed during the migration. The list includes:
* License problem. We're out of space on our current license and have purchased a higher license with the 4.0 upgrade.
* Installation of 4.0 on test server
* Backward-compatibility
* How to deal with the URL changes between 3.7 and 4.0
* Need to better understand how the new short-URL capability is implementated in 4.0.
* How to upgrade our custom templates to the new templates.
* The implications of the new PHP-based API.
* Testing new functionality: JPEG2000 and OCR
* Timing and coordinating the rollout
The first step was to deal with the license problem. A call to DiMeMa resolved it immediately. Their policy allows us to use our new unlimited license on our current 3.7 implementation for 60 days. We're currently at 31,960 images of our 32K license limit. By allowing us to take advantage of the unlimited license now, we can continue adding content while the 4.0 installation moves forward.
The second step was to install the 4.0 software on our test server. We maintain a web development server and production server. This allows us to stage software, custom applications, and content on a secure server without impacting the live website.
We ran into a few bumps during installation. FYI, we're installing onto a Windows 2000 server. These problems were minor blips that have been resolved.
* The installation would not proceed correctly unless logged into the server's administrator login. We typically rely on domain admin logins to do this, but that didn't work. Logging into the local machine resolved those problems.
* PHP did not work out-of-box. Manual attempts to get the server to recognize the PHP executable located in the contentdm installation folder did not work. We were able to get it working by copying the PHP executables to a folder in c:\winnt\system32 folder. After restarting the web service, the site was accessible.
* Migrating our existing 3.7 collections to the new server did not initially work. We would run the migration software, index the collection, but the compound objects would generate an error. After running the migration software a couple times, everything worked. Not sure yet why. We have another collection to migrate, so we'll take a closer look at this problem next time.
These issues aside, the installation went smoothly. The interface, the migrated collection, the data all look good.
Next Step: Backward Compatibility
OCLC has announced the latest release of ContentDM, the digital collections management software developed by DiMeMa. OCLC's press release states:
CONTENTdm software offers a complete set of tools to store, manage and deliver digital collections—such as historical documents, photos, newspapers, audio and video—on the Web. Newest features include:
* Fast multiple document entry.
* Increased security for items and collections to better protect copyrighted or other restricted materials.
* Detailed reports that show how online items and collections are being used.
* Additional digital repository features.
* Linking to WorldCat for worldwide visibility of digital collections.
"Digitization of materials in libraries, historical societies and other archive agencies offers an exciting opportunity for these organizations to add value to their collections and provide access to their unique holdings," said Greg Zick, President of DiMeMa Inc., creator of CONTENTdm software."
The new upgrade will be available sometime in June.
