Data Directory Guideline

1 Requirements

The storage of files in the data directories of ILIAS should be streamlined. A main goal is to enable a more efficient and generalized handling in the web access checker.
 
The data directories should have a clear naming scheme, e.g. using the module/service directory (with a prefix), which would make a modular WAC possible (so
/data/client_id/ilBlog/ would become /data/client_id/sec/ilBlog/,
/data/client_id/lm_data/ => /data/client_id/sec/ilLearningModule/,
/data/client_id/usr_images/ => /data/client_id/sec/ilUser/,
/data/client_id/mobs/ => /data/client_id/sec/ilMediaObjects/
and so on).
 
A modular WAC would then only need ONE rewrite rule (^/ilias/data/.*/sec/.*$) and forward the request to the service/module which is deemed responsible.
 
The guidline should be respected in both, the webspace data directory and in the data directory outside of the webspace.

With ILIAS 5.1 the files in /data/* are all managed by the new implementation of the WebAccessChecker. Services and Modules can register a secured path within the /data/*/sec/* directory. 

Related Pages:

• Special Web Access Checker for SCORM Learning Modules
• WAC: Redesign Web-Access-Checker

2 Status

• Scheduled for: Release 5.0
  
• Funding: Required
• Maintainer: All developers
  
• Implementation of the feature is done by tbd
  
• Contract settled: (fill in "Yes" if a contract is already settled, otherwise "No" )
• Tested by / status: (name, e-mail), (status information set after implementation)

3 Additional Information

Contact the following persons if you want to know more about this feature, its implementation or funding:

• Information about concept: (name, e-mail)
• Information about funding: (name, e-mail)
• Information about implementation: (name, e-mail)

4 Discussion

JF 23 June 2014: We schedule this guideline for 4.5. All new directories should follow this guideline. We hope to get funding for a migration of existing subdirectories.

JL 23 Jul 2014: We changed the initial proposal from using the component ids to the component directories because of 2 things:

• the export-service does the same in the data directory
• the ilFileSystemStorages already in use also apply this naming scheme

Fred Neumann 29 Jul 2014: Recently we ran into problems with more than 32000 media object folders under data/client_id/mobs/. A switch to ext4 will allow 64000, but if the directory layout of data is changed, it would be a good chance to implement the same nested directory structure as for the repository files.

5 Implementation

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