This is the March 2016 edition of the Fedora Newsletter. This newsletter summarizes the most significant activities within the Fedora community over the last month.

Call for Action

Fedora is designed, built, used, and supported by the community. Here is an easy and important way that you can contribute to the effort:

  • Add a comment to any of these tickets [1] if you are interested in inching into Fedora development.

Software development

Standards

Fedora API Specification

The Fedora community is working to establish a clearly defined specification for the core Fedora services. This specification will detail the exact services and interactions required for a server implementation to be verified as "doing Fedora".

The primary benefits of this specification include:

  • Concrete and common understanding of Fedora's role in an institution's infrastructure ecosystem
  • Stable, independently versioned Fedora RESTful API
  • Opportunity for alternate Fedora implementations to support different use cases

Check out the wiki for a full description [2] of the Fedora specification initiative.You are also encouraged to join the discussion on the mailing list [3] and weekly tech calls [4].

Alternate Database Support

By default, Fedora 4 is configured to store metadata in LevelDB; however, this can be changed via Infinispan configuration. The next official release of Fedora 4 will include configuration options for alternate databases: MySQL and PostgreSQL. You can review some performance comparisons [5] between the different database options in the latest documentation.

Community-driven Features

API Extension Architecture 

API-X stakeholders have created two proof-of-concept (POC) implementations to illustrate the API-X framework: a PHP POC [6] that demonstrates validation, and a wireframe POC [7] that demonstrates service discovery, binding, and proxying using Camel. These POCs, along with workflow diagrams, were discussed during the last meeting [8].

If you are interested in the API Extension Architecture, please join the discussion on the fedora-community mailing list [9] and attend the next meeting on March 4.

Performance and Scalability

A JMeter test has been added to create test data on-the-fly and upload binary files. Several stakeholders have access to large memory machines that can be used for testing. More tests will be added and run over the next few weeks.

If you are interested in Performance and Scalability, please join the discussion on the fedora-community mailing list [10] and attend the next meeting [11] on March 14.

Conferences and events

Upcoming Events

Code4Lib

The next Code4Lib conference [12] will take place in Philadelphia, PA on March 7-10. The event will feature a Fedora 4 workshop [13] led by Andrew Woods, a Fedora 3 to 4 migration workshop [14] for Hydra users led by Ben Armintor and Andrew Woods. 

LDCX

LDCX [15] will take place in Stanford, CA on March 21-23. The objective of the gathering is to bring together institutions and developers with shared needs, and assemble around a shared set of solutions and technical components. With technology contributions from peer institutions, shared products for digital cultural heritage offer the critical building blocks for a complete suite of solutions -- from digitization workflow to digital asset management, from preservation to discovery and delivery.

Major topics at LDCX will be image interoperability and IIIF, Hydra technical architecture, Fedora 4 and linked data (e.g., PCDM), discovery and exhibits (e.g., Blacklight, Spotlight), DevOps practices, and "Geo" for cultural heritage.

West Coast Fedora Camp

The West Coast Fedora Camp [16], hosted by the Caltech Library, will take place April 11-13 in Pasadena, CA. It is based on the inaugural Fedora Camp [17] that was held at Duke University in November. Training will begin with the basics and build toward more advanced concepts–no prior Fedora 4 experience is required. Participants can expect to come away with a deep dive Fedora 4 learning experience coupled with multiple opportunities for applying hands-on techniques working with experienced trainers and Fedora gurus. There are only a couple seats left so register now [18] to secure your place!

References

[1]  https://jira.duraspace.org/issues/?filter=13121
[2]  https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FEDORAAPI/Fedora+Specification
[3]  https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/Mailing+Lists+etc
[4]  https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/2016+-+Tech+Meetings
[5]  https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FEDORA4x/MySQL%2C+PostgreSQL%2C+and+LevelDB+Performance
[6]  https://github.com/aic-collections/api-x_poc
[7]  https://gitlab.amherst.edu/acdc/repository-extension-services/
[8]  https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/2016-02-19+Fedora+API+Extensions+Meeting
[9]  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/fedora-community
[10] https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/fedora-community
[11] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/FF/2016-03-14+Performance+-+Scale+Meeting
[12] http://2016.code4lib.org/
[13] http://2016.code4lib.org/workshops/HandsOn-Fedora-4
[14] http://2016.code4lib.org/workshops/Migrating-Hydrabased-repositories-from-Fedora-3-to-4
[15] http://library.stanford.edu/projects/ldcx/2016-conference
[16] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/Events/Fedora+Camp+California+-+11-13+April+2016
[17] https://wiki.duraspace.org/display/Events/Fedora+Camp+-+16-18+November+2015
[18] http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ec2u5a0m972b3620&llr=5iy95gcab
 
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