Contents:
Release Notes:
Version 0.7.1 is recommended for new installs and for updating older versions of OpenBiblio,
including all versions from openbiblio.de. The most important changes are:
- Updated to be compatible with MySQL 5.5.
- Updated for PHP 5.3.x deprecated features.
- Updated for PHP 5.4.0 backward incompatible changes.
- Fixes for bugs in OpenBiblio features.
- New and changed features: Check In shows hyperlinked member name (with Days Late and
outstanding Account Balance), Override Due Date, Renew All, Offline Circulation, Bibliography Checkout History, Custom Copy Fields, Copy Barcode Number validation less restrictive and optional, new search types Call Number and Keyword, OPAC search and view exclude nonpublic fields, new parameters for reports Copy Search and Popular Bibliographies, new reports, new layouts for media labels and member cards.
See the ChangeLog for more details. Please understand that 0.7.0 never was released officially, but we are still trying to following the version numbering convention expressed at the release of 0.6.0. Some changes for 0.7.1 might appear as new features (not in 0.7.0), technically they are built on bugfixes.
Update urgency:
- Versions below 0.5.2: urgent. The deviant versions from openbiblio.de can now be
updated automatically.
- 0.5.2: urgency depends on required compatibility, bugfixes, new features and on trusting
staff users with the reports privilege.
- 0.6.0, 0.6.1: urgency depends on required compatibility, bugfixes and new features.
- 0.7.0: many fixes for new features, especially in Circulation.
Known limitations:
- MARC is not stored perfectly in the database tables (issue 1, fixed in obiblio-10-wip).
- UTF-8 multibyte characters: very limited support in reports and possibly issues with search (issue 19).
- If you have not updated to 64 bit PHP before some day in the year 2038: days late and late fee not calculated, incorrect timestamp calculations for holds (issue 51).
OpenBiblio test suite ran successfully on the following configurations:
Operating System: |
Microsoft Windows 7 |
Ubuntu 9.04 (GNU/Linux) |
Ubuntu 9.04 (GNU/Linux) |
PHP Version: |
5.4.0 RC4 VC9 EasyPHP |
5.3.1 XAMPP for Linux 173a |
4.3.9 XAMPP for Linux 149a |
Web Server: |
Apache 2.2.21 VC9 |
Apache 2.2.14 |
Apache 2.0.52 |
MySql Version: |
5.5.19 |
5.1.41 |
4.0.21 |
Browser: |
Firefox 10.0.2 Internet Explorer 9.0.5 |
Firefox 3.6.27 |
Firefox 3.6.27 |
System requirements:
- PHP version 4.2.0 or higher and a web server which supports it
- MySQL version 4.0.12 or higher
- A relatively modern web browser. Versions of Internet Explorer before 6.0 may have problems with PDF files generated by OpenBiblio. Users of Netscape 4.x and earlier may suffer from appearance problems.
OpenBiblio 0.7.1 is still compatible with ancient versions of PHP and MySQL. Make sure to use versions that are updated for security.
Commonly used scenarios for making a system meet the requirements:
- Linux: add the required software using a "package manager".
- Windows: for standalone use or testing purposes use a "WAMP" package like EasyPHP or XAMPP.
- Handpick the required software: full procedure below.
Find more reading, tutorials, etc. in the documentation section of
OpenBiblio's home.
Install Instructions:
When using
phpMyAdmin for setting up the database:
- Open the SQL query window.
- Run the SQL commands from step 9 and step 10 in the procedure below.
The command is the part in bold directly after mysql>
- Jump to step 12 and finish the procedure.
Procedure
Steps 1-8: detail is out of date, but the basics are still valid.
- To use your system for OpenBiblio you have to install a webserver, PHP and MySQL. If you didn't done it already, i recommend to use XAMPP for this installation, because this includes all the needed programs in one installation (of course except Openbiblio). XAMPP is ditributed for Windows, Linux, MacOS X and Solaris. The Windows-Version doesn't run with Windows ME, because there are problems with Apache2 (there are TCP/IP-Problems under Win ME). If you use Win ME or a other not mentioned system, please use the manual installation (since point 4), otherwise continue with point 2. (i want to thank Christopher Dagleish for the hint to XAMPP :-))
- Download XAMPP in the version, which your system needs, the Lite-version is sufficient but i recommend the full version nevertheless (this version offers regulary updates...). Following install the downloaded XAMPP (the installation is described on the site of the corresponding XAMPP-version in english, so i didn't explain it here, but please read everything there :-)). Now you should start XAMPP (it's explained there how) and you have a running Apache, PHP and MySQL. Continue now with the installation of OpenBiblio at point 7.!
- The following points 4-6 you only have to do, if you didn't installed XAMPP (or XAMPP doesn't run):
- Install a web server such as Apache that is compatible with PHP. If you install Apache, get familiar with starting and stopping your Apache Web Server. If you are running Windows 95 or Windows 98 there will be "Start Apache" and "Stop Apache" icons that will help you start and stop your web server. You may want to consider adding the "Start Apache" icon to your startup folder. If you are running NT or Windows 2000 you can add Apache as a service which will be running, even if you are logged off. If you are running Linux your Apache server should be packaged with your Linux installation and will start when you start Linux. Attention: Under Windows ME there are much reports about problems with Apache 2.0.x (in my practice it doesn't run, as long as i had installed networkcards, the tcp/ip-driver of ME seems buggy), take Apache 1.3.33 in this case.
- Add PHP to your web server as a CGI or a module. If you are using Apache 2.0, I would highly recommend that you install PHP as a module instead of a cgi application. In my experience the Apache PHP module performed over 4 times faster than the cgi PHP. See Example 3-9. PHP and Apache 2.0 as Module in the PHP Manual for more info on how to install PHP as a module.
OpenBiblio uses session data. Therefore, you will need to make sure PHP sessions are turned on. Be sure to create a directory for your session data on your server and specify the session.save_path in your php.ini file. The default php.ini sets session.save_path to "/tmp". Therefore, you have to create a directory called c:/tmp (for Windows) users. However, I usually create a more descriptive name inside my PHP directory and then change my php.ini file to match it.
Example php.ini directive:
session.save_path = d:\PHP\sessiondata
See section XCIII. Session handling functions in the PHP manual for more details on PHP sessions.
- Install the MySQL database from http://www.mysql.com/. Get familiar with starting and stopping your MySQL Server. See Starting MySQL on Windows 95 or Windows 98 for more information.
If you are running NT or Windows 2000, setup MySQL as a service so it starts whenever the machine powers up. See Starting MySQL on Windows NT or Windows 2000 for more information on starting MySQL as a service.
If you are running Linux, MySQL should be packaged with your Linux installation and will start when you start Linux.
- The following points are describing the installation of OpenBiblio and have to be done from everything, who install OpenBiblio at the first time (never mind if you use XAMPP or installed apache, PHP and MySQL on a other way):
- Get familiar with logging into MySQL with your admin account within a DOS prompt window. You can use the following command sequence as a test.
C:\>c:\mysql\bin\mysql -uroot mysql
Enter password: *********
Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 8 to server version: 3.23.26-beta
Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer
mysql> show databases;
+--------------+
| Database |
+--------------+
| mysql |
+--------------+
6 rows in set (0.00 sec)
mysql> exit
Bye
C:\>
- Create an OpenBiblio database. To do this, log into MySQL with your admin account
and run the following SQL command.
mysql> create database OpenBiblio /*!40100 default character set latin1 */;
New: The conditional comment /* ... */ is executed on MySQL 4.1.0 or higher and specifies latin1 as the default database character set for the database created.
You might discover issues when the database character set is not
latin1.
database character set |
tab Admin: Library Settings, field HTML Charset |
comment |
latin1 (recommended) |
iso-8859-1 (initial value, set by install) |
No issues. |
utf8 |
UTF-8 |
Issues for multibyte characters
|
New: When OpenBiblio HTML Charset setting is UTF-8, PDF layouts can display some multibyte characters correctly by converting to single byte.
To check to make sure the OpenBiblio database was created properly, run the following command.
mysql> show databases;
+--------------+
| Database |
+--------------+
| mysql |
| OpenBiblio |
+--------------+
- Create an OpenBiblio database user. To do this, login to MySQL under the admin userid
and run the following SQL command, substituting obiblio_user and obiblio_password with the userid and password of your choice.
mysql>
-> |
grant all privileges on OpenBiblio.* to obiblio_user@localhost
identified by 'obiblio_password'; |
- Verify your OpenBiblio database and user by logging into the new MySQL database under the new user.
C:\mysql\bin\mysql -uobiblio_user -pobiblio_password OpenBiblio
- Copy the openbiblio directory and all of its contents into your web server's htdocs
root or any subdirectory within the htdocs root.
- Edit the database_constants.php file (located in the main openbiblio directory)
with the text editor of your choice.
Change the username and password to match the new MySQL user and password that you
created in the previous steps.
- Create the OpenBiblio database tables. To do this run the install php script
located at http://localhost/openbiblio/install/index.php, assuming you placed the openbiblio directory in the root htdocs directory.
- For security: Remove the openbiblio/install directory completely
to prevent unauthorized use of install or upgrade tools.
- For security: Verify that the display_errors setting in php.ini is 'Off' to prevent unintended information disclosure.
- Access your new library automation system at http://localhost/openbiblio/index.php, assuming you placed the openbiblio directory in the root htdocs directory. Enter "admin" for both the userid and password whenever you are prompted to signon. You can change the admin password from the "Admin" tab -> staff list, where you can also add more library staff members.
Updating from a previous version of OpenBiblio:
- Rename your old openbiblio installation directory so that you don't lose its contents. We'll call the old directory openbiblio-old.
- Copy the new openbiblio directory and all of its contents into the directory where the old openbiblio installation was.
- Copy the database_constants.php file from the openbiblio-old directory into the new openbiblio directory, replacing the database_constants.php file there.
- Backup your database. See your MySQL documentation for instructions. (use mysqldump)
- Update your OpenBiblio database tables by using the conversion tool located at http://localhost/openbiblio/install/index.php, assuming you placed the openbiblio directory in the root htdocs directory.
- For security: Remove the openbiblio/install directory completely
to prevent unauthorized use of install or upgrade tools.
- For security: Verify that the display_errors setting in php.ini is 'Off' to prevent unintended information disclosure.
Updates from 0.7.0: 0.7.1 is a bugfix release to 0.7.0: it can run without
upgrading the database. However, step 5 is recommended. This cleans unused entries from the
database and lifts some restrictions.