Archivematica-Duracloud Quick Start Guide¶

Introduction¶

ArchivesDirect is an Archivematica in DuraCloud hosting plan offered by Artefactual Systems and DuraSpace. This guide can be used by those who wish to install Archivematica and/or DuraCloud locally and run the systems themselves and may also be helpful for those using the hosted service. This guide assumes that you have already installed Archivematica and DuraCloud, or have arranged for a hosted instance through Artefactual Systems/DuraSpace. Hosted clients will have steps 1 and 2 completed for them.

For installation instructions please see:

• Archivematica installation
• DuraCloud documentation

Step 1: Configure DuraCloud¶

If you plan to use DuraCloud for transfer source, processing and AIP/DIP storage, it is recommended that your DuraCloud instance should be configured to have the following spaces:

• aip-store : This is the space where completed AIPs will be stored
• dip-store : Space where completed DIPs are stored
• transfer-source : Space to sync digital objects for transfer into Archivematica. You may also create multiple spaces with other names for this purpose.
• transfer-backlog : Space used by Archivematica for material sent to backlog.

Note that you can pick and choose what spaces are needed in DuraCloud; for example, you may choose to use a local server for transfer source but send your AIPs and DIPs for storage in DuraCloud. You need only create the relevant spaces in DuraCloud for your particular configuration.

Two DuraCloud users should be created:

• An Client user, who has read/write permissions for transfer-source, and read permissions for aip-store and dip-store.
• An Archivematica user, who has read/write permissions for aip-store, dip-store and transfer-backlog, and read permission for transfer-source.

Step 2: Configure Archivematica Storage Service¶

The Archivematica Storage Service was installed when you installed Archivematica.

1. Set up a Storage Service space for each of transfer-source, transfer-backlog, aip-store and dip-store. Use the following parameters:

• Access protocol: DuraCloud
• Size: optional
• Path: leave blank
• Staging path: for example, /var/archivematica/storage_service/
• Host: Hostname of the DuraCloud instance, e.g. trial.duracloud.org
• Username and Password: Enter Archivematica username and password that you created for DuraCloud in step 1.
• Duraspace: the name of the space in DuraCloud you are creating this Storage Service space for (e.g. transfer-source, aip-store, etc).

2. Create one location in each space for aip-store, dip-store and transfer-backlog, choosing the appropriate purpose and relative path for each. Be sure to click on the pipeline to enable the location you are creating.
3. If using DuraCloud for transfer-source, locations can be configured after content is synced- see below.

Step 3: Download and configure sync tool¶

Content can be added to DuraCloud spaces via the sync tool, which can be installed from the DuraSpace Downloads page. The DuraCloud sync tool can be run through a GUI or the command line; these instructions will proceed using the GUI.

Step 4: Syncing content to DuraCloud¶

These instructions pertain to users who use a DuraCloud space for transfer- source. DuraCloud offers its own documentation about syncing and configuring the DuraCloud Sync Tool. The following instructions are configuration requirements specific to users who have Archivematica transfer source locations in DuraCloud.

It is necessary to have a directory structure with a minimum depth of two levels inside the synced folder, in order for Archivematica to correctly interpret the files in DuraCloud as a potential transfer source. Deciding how to sync directories to DuraCloud is an important step for a number of reasons:

• It will help prevent unnecessarily large transfers to Archivematica
• It can create a more efficient workflow for you later in Archivematica processing

Note that one transfer to Archivematica can either become one SIP (and therefore, one AIP and one DIP) or, a transfer can be sent to backlog where it can be separated and/or combined with other transfers to create one or more SIP(s). Two scenarios are outlined below:

Create a new directory to sync:

1. Create a top level directory on your local machine or server to sync to DuraCloud.
2. Create at least 2 levels of directories within that directory before any digital objects.

Example 1:

/syncFolder
   /Transfers
      /Project1
          Digital objects
      /Project2
          Digital objects

In this example, the directory called Transfers will be available in the Archivematica dashboard to support the choice of a transfer source. Project1 and Project2 would each be available as a transfer source. The transfers would each contain all of the digital objects in the directory in their respective transfers.

Example 2:

/syncFolder
    /Transfers
         /Project1
              /Photographs
                   Digital objects
              /Videos
                   Digital objects
         /Project2
              /Text files
                   Digital objects
              /Word files
                   Digital objects

In this example, the archivist will have more flexibility when deciding which directory becomes a transfer in Archivematica. Either Project1 and Project2 could be transfers, as in the examples above, or the subdirectories within could become their own transfers (Photographs, Videos, etc).

Sync an existing directory

1. If there are existing directories that you wish to sync but do not wish to reorganize into a directory structure deep enough to work with Archivematica, you can instead use the Sync Tool’s prefix option:

• Ensure your sync tool is stopped in the Status tab. Then click on the

  configuration tab.

• Under “Other options,” create a prefix for your sync folder to create a

  directory structure at least two levels deep. The prefix must end in a slash (/).

2. Note that the prefix will replace the directory name of the sync folder in DuraCloud.

Example 1:

/syncFolder
   Digital objects

If the sync directory selected in the sync tool is syncFolder, you could add a prefix such as: transfers/Project1/. Archivematica would then recognize transfers as a transfer source, and Project1 would be available as a transfer. That transfer would contain all of the digital objects in syncFolder.

3. It is also possible to use the prefix option with a sync folder which has subfolders.

Example 2:

/syncFolder
     /Photographs
          Digital objects
     /Videos
          Digital objects

If the sync directory selected in the sync tool is syncFolder, you could add a prefix such as: transfers/Project1. In this example, transfers will still be interpreted by Archivematica as a transfer source, but either Project1, Photographs or Video could be chosen in the dashboard as the transfer.

Step 5: Configure transfer sources¶

Assuming that you have configured transfer-source spaces in DuraCloud, return to the Archivematica Storage Serice at this point to configure transfer sources locations.

Navigate to the transfer-source Storage Service space and create locations for each top level directory inside the directory or directories you have synced.

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