1. VMI: Visitor Maintained Indices.

2. VMI Server. An http server configured to support VMI operation.

3. VMI Home Directory: This term designates a directory on a VMI Server that is configured to support the creation, configuration, and operation of VMI Sites. The VMI Home Directory contains the VMIConfig utility program used to create new VMI Sites.

   tk1: is there a home directory administrator and password separate from the passwords/administrators of the individual sites?

4. VMI Site: A directory, within a VMI Home Directory, configured to function as a VMI web site. Each VMI Site has the following properties:
   1. A URL with which visitors access the site.
   2. A main topic stated in the title of its main web page.
   3. One or more VMI Site Categories linked to its main web page.
   4. A designated administrator who approves or rejects items submitted by visitors.
   5. A non-public, password-protected administrative web site.

5. VMI Site Category (or simply "Category"): A subject category within a VMI Site. Each VMI Site Category is represented by a subdirectory, within the VMI Site main directory, containing the requisite files and data submitted by visitors. Each VMI Site Category may be accessed by a URL, typically linked to the VMI Site main page. Each VMI Site may have as many VMI Site Categories as desired. Each Category has a standard set of indices (Title, Author Compact and Detailed, and Subject).

This document describes the operation of the VMIConfig application, which can create new VMI Sites, or add additional VMI Site Categories to existing VMI Sites.

Future versions will allow upgrading of existing sites to the most recent VMI version.

This document assumes that a VMI Server and VMI Home Directory have already been properly configured. The VMI Server will need Java2 installed, and the VMI Home Directory needs write permission tk2?/ for your account /.

To start the VMIConfig application, change your working directory to the VMI Home Directory, and then enter at the unix prompt:

java -jar vmi_config.jar

You will be presented with a simple menu:

VMI Configurator version 1.0
VMI Configurator Menu
  1. Create a new index.
  2. Add a category to an existing index.
Selection>

Enter either 1 or 2 to perform the desired task.

Answers will be required to the following questions.

tk3: notice that I have reworded the prompts to use the terminology defined above, or to clarify. Please reword them in the actual program.

1. Please enter the path of the VMI Home Directory where you would like the new site to be created:

   tk4: please make this default to the current directory.

   Enter the path to the VMI Home Directory. By default, it will be the path in which VMIConfig is executing. This path should exist and you should have write permission in the Home Directory. A new VMI Site Directory will be created within the VMI Home Direcory. It will contain all the files associated with the new VMI Site.

2. Please enter the name for the VMI Site Directory to be created (name only, not full path):
   Enter the name for the new VMI Site Directory to be created within the existing VMI Home Directory. Below, we'll refer to this name as sitedir.

3. Enter the email address you like to have shown in the "From:" field of automatic emails:
   The VMI sends a number of automatic emails to inform users about submission decisions. The address you enter here will be shown in the "From:" field of these emails. Normally, this is the same administrator's address as the one requested in the next question below.

4. Please enter the administrator's email address:
   Whenever a new submission is made by a visitor, the VMI Site administrator receives an automatic email stating that there are new submissions to be reviewed. The question allows you to set the address to which these messages will be sent.

5. Please enter your SMTP server name:
   Enter the SMTP server the VMI should use to send email.

6. How many categories will there be initially?
   This determines how many categories are initially created. You can always add more categories later.

   The following three questions will repeat for the number of categories you requested.

   tk5: Please make each question repeat until completed without going to the next question (as you have now for the first). It is too confusing the way it is.

7. Please enter a directory name for a category:
   We'll refer to this name below as catdir.
8. Please enter the URL of the category whose directory is named X (e.g. www.somewhere.com/X):
   Note that http:// is assumed and you should not enter it.

   tk6: Does this mean the category url, or the site url? Why not ask for the site url before getting into categories, then simply tack the site directory name onto the base url for each category?

   Proposed comment: We'll refer to this as the siteurl.

9. Please enter the title of the category whose directory is named X:
   Enter the full title of each category, as it should appear in an email referring to it. Examples: "Ready-To-Use Resources", "How-To-Create Resources".

   When you have completed the above entries, the message Site created successfully should appear. This confirms that a new VMI Site Directory has been created, containing the requisite directories and files.

10. Corrections

    If any of the above information was entered incorrectly, it can be corrected by using a text editor to change the contents of the file sitedir/main_variables.vmi.

11. At this point, you may point your web browser to the siteurl and the site should be browsable.

    The following additional manual steps are now required:

12. You may need to change the permissions on the VMI Site Directory and the VMI Category directories so the web-server process has write access.

    tk7: what permissions are these at SDSC? What does the s in the group block in "drwxrwsr-x" mean? How is it set?

13. A generic index.html is created in the VMI Site Directory that will need to be customized for your site.

14. The header and footer files in the VMI Site Directory and each Category directory need to be customized for your site.

15. Point your web browser to siteurl/admin_change_password.jsp and choose a password for the site.

Answers will be required to the following questions:

1. Please enter the path to the existing VMI Site:
   Enter the path to the existing VMI Site to which you wish to add an additional category (including the site directory name). You should have write permission in this directory.

2. Please enter a directory name for the new category:

3. Please enter the url of the category with the directory named X (e.g. www.somewhere.com/X):
   Note that http:// is assumed and you should not enter it.

   tk8: see note in task 1. I'm confused about what url you really want here. Seems the example should include the site url, e.g. www.somewhere.com/sitedir/catdir; but more likely you just want the site url.

4. Please enter the title of the category in directory X:
   Enter the full title of each category, as it should appear in an email mentioning it.

5. At this point, you should receive the message Site created successfully. This confirms that a new directory has been created containing the files for your new category.

6. Corrections

   If any of the above information was entered incorrectly, it can be corrected by using a text editor to change the contents of the file sitedir/catdir/subject_variables.vmi in the VMI Site Directory.

7. At this point, you may point your web browser to the siteurl and the new category should be browsable within the site.

   You now need to complete the following steps manually:

8. In sitedir/index.html, you will need to insert a block of links to the indices in the new catgory. (Copy the block for the previous category, and change the category title and the link urls.)

9. You may need to change the permissions on the new catdir so the web-server process has write access.

10. The header and footer files in the new catdir need to be customized for your site.