helping college students collaborate, learn, and share their knowledge freely online.
-# Installing
+## Additional resources
-Requirements:
+[[ discussion groups, chat rooms, etc. related to FC and FC sources ]]
-- Linux server (circa 2011)
-- Node.js (Version 0.4.10 or later)
-- MongoDB (Version 1.8.2 or later)
+# Quick install
-# Infrastructure
+Requirements:
-The FC servers run in the cloud on Linux servers, using Amazon Web Services (AWS).
-Scaling is accomplished by adding additional servers to a load balancer.
+- Debian/ubuntu-server GNU/Linux Box with a modern kernel (2.6.39 <)
+- 1 GB (idealy) 512MB min.
+- Node.js (Version 0.6.1 or later) [More ...](http://nodejs.org)
+- MongoDB (Version 2.0.2 or later) [More ...](http://mongodb.org)
+- forever
-NOTE: The scaling system is automatic; new servers have to be added manually, but it it's very easy.
-NOTE: Automatic fail-over of the database is not yet in place.
+Deployment:
-NOTE: There are currently 2 running server instances. One for the live server and one for testing.
+1. Copy setup.sh to home directory.
-Data is stored in a MongoDB server running on the same AWS instance as the website.
-Data is backed up daily to the durable AWS S3 system.
-One backup of the database is kept for the most recent 30 days, one for each of the most
-recent 12 months, and one for every year.
+2. REVIEW setup.sh BEFORE RUNNING!!!!
-AWS Cloudwatch is used to monitor the servers.
-When the configured conditions warrant attention, notices are sent to "info@finalsclub.org".
+3. run: sudo setup.sh
-NOTE: There are currently 2 monitors set up:
+4. mongorestore any back-up databases that you may have.
-- available disk space
-- CPU utilization
+5. Copy "start" to home directory and run.
-NOTE: We still have an ongoing issue with the EPL server hanging up. This is being worked on.
-# Source Code
+# System components
-The source code for the website itself consists of these main parts:
+The system consists of these main parts:
+- The website
- The collaborative, real-time editor
- The back channel
-- The surrounding website
-These 3 pieces are written in Javascript for Node.js.
+Most of the system is written in Javascript and executed by the Node.js runtime.
+
+
+# Source Code
+
## The Collaborative Real-time Editor
-The real-time editor is an embedded editor called
-[Etherpad-Lite](https://github.com/Pita/etherpad-lite) (EPL).
+The editor is an embedded editor called [Etherpad-Lite](https://github.com/Pita/etherpad-lite) (EPL).
It provides the ability for multiple people to simultaneously edit a single document.
The documents in FC are the notes for a specific lecture.
+EPL is installed as a git submodule to the main FC source tree with the name "etherpad-lite".
+
## The Back Channel (BC)
-The back channel portion of FC utilizes ["BC"](https://github.com/FinalsClubDev/BC).
+The back channel portion of FC is implemented with ["BC"](https://github.com/FinalsClubDev/bc).
BC allows the note takers, or anyone else who is just observing,
to suggest questions for the lecturer, and vote on each other's questions.
It also allows people to post commentary.
+Although the actual BC code was written for FC, it has been extracted from the original
+FC source and turned into an independent open source project.
+
+BC is installed as a git submodule to the main FC source tree with the name "bc".
+
## The Surrounding Website
schools, the sub pages containing lists of lectures and note taking sessions, and the
core page where EPL and BC are both found along side each other.
+Several node modules are leveraged to to make the basic website work:
+
+- [async](http:npmjs.org)
+- [aws-lib](http:npmjs.org)
+- [connect](http:npmjs.org)
+- [connect-mongo](http:npmjs.org)
+- [ejs](http:npmjs.org)
+- [express](http:npmjs.org)
+- [express-messages](http:npmjs.org)
+- [hat](http:npmjs.org)
+- [hooks](http:npmjs.org)
+- [init](http:npmjs.org)
+- [jade](http:npmjs.org)
+- [mongodb](http:npmjs.org)
+- [mongoose](http:npmjs.org)
+- [socket.io](http:npmjs.org)
+
+
+[[ more detail about website generally, then defer to src comments ]]
+
+
+# Database
+
+The database is MongoDB.
+MongoDB is not a relational database, but rather a noSQL or "document/object" database.
+Data is stored as structured objects versus tables and rows.
+(More about MongoDB)[http://mongodb.org].
+
+## Collections in the database
+
+- archivedcourses
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- archivednotes
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- archivedsubjects
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- courses
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- lectures
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- notes
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- posts
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- schools
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- sessions
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+- users
+ [[ schema needed ]]
+
+
+## [[ stuff ]]
+
+[[ notes about scaling/replication/etc. ]]
+
+
+
+# AWS Infrastructure
+
+The actual finalsclub.org servers run in the cloud on Linux servers, using Amazon Web Services (AWS).
+Scaling is accomplished by adding additional servers to a load balancer.
+
+NOTE: The scaling system is automatic; new servers have to be added manually, but it it's very easy.
+NOTE: Automatic fail-over of the database is not yet in place.
+
+NOTE: There are currently 2 running server instances. One for the live server and one for testing.
+
+Data is stored in a MongoDB server running on the same AWS instance as the website.
+Data is backed up daily to the durable AWS S3 system.
+One backup of the database is kept for the most recent 30 days, one for each of the most
+recent 12 months, and one for every year.
+
+AWS Cloudwatch is used to monitor the servers.
+When the configured conditions warrant attention, notices are sent to "info@finalsclub.org".
+
+NOTE: There are currently 2 monitors set up:
+
+- available disk space
+- CPU utilization
+
+NOTE: We still have an ongoing issue with the EPL server hanging up. This is being worked on.
projects / oweals / finalsclub.git / blobdiff