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Personal Knowledge Container

This project, PersonalKnowledgeContainer, abbreviated as PKC, provides an executable script (up.sh) that installs a MediaWiki-based docker-based microservice in a network environment of your choice. After the installation, it can operate on your own machine with or without an Internet connection.

Context

Now that microservice technologies have become ubiquitous, it is possible to organize personal knowledge using a self-operated MediaWiki service that can work even when the computer is not connected to the Internet. This off-line capability will enable anyone to enjoy the power of open source software without worrying about data being leaked to the public. However, to make sure that data will always be accessible, users of this self-operated service must have a simple procedure to perform data backup and restoration, so that data may persist after one switches to a different computer. Moreover, individuals should be able to read their own data even after the software for displaying it has evolved to a new version that may not work with data stored with previous versions. This project intends to resolve this challenge by giving everyone the choice to run their own chosen version of MediaWiki software, given that all the container images that have proven to work are publicly available images. This is so that even if the MediaWiki software has been abandoned, one may use container-virtualization technologies to continue to operate the software.

Goal

Create a basic set of services, files, and page content that help individuals to operate a MediaWiki website on any machines of their choosing, and allow them to continuously work with their own data set, independent of future changes.

Success Criteria

  1. Allow Individuals to install an instance of MediaWiki service by reading this README.md file.
  2. Make all textual content, executable software images, installation scripts in the public domain, so that everyone can share and use them at will.
  3. Provide instructions to learn about how to use PKC in the initial MediaWiki's database, so that people can start learning to use PKC through their own instance of MediaWiki.

Implementation Process

The following text shows the required resources and action items for PKC installation.

Required Resources

  1. A computer where you have access to its "root" or "administrator" privileges.
  2. Operating Systems that support Docker: Windows 10, macOS Big Sur 11.2.3 and Linux.
  3. Under Windows 10 Environment, some VPN software might interfere with Docker's Windows Subsystem for Linux, a.k.a. WSL, you will need to remove VPN software before installing Docker. In case you don't want to remove your VPN software, or your Docker and Bash have compatibility issues, please try to VirtualBox PKC solution.
  4. Access to the Internet during intallation time. Please try to perform the installation on a network with 10Mbps+ to the Internet. After installation, this system can be operated without access to the Internet.

Installation Procedure

  1. Install Docker, the installation instructions and downloadable files can be found here: https://docs.docker.com/get-started/
  2. Go to a command line, or so called terminal application, move your working directory using the command "cd" for change directory to a directory in your file system where you keep your working files. For Mac OS X and Linux operating systems, Terminal applications are bundled during installation. For Windows 10, we recommend you to use Git Bash, when you install git for Windows, Git Bash is included in the installation process.

Assume the directory you keep your working files in is called: Workspace. Your terminal application should have something like this:

<machine_name>:Workspace <user_name>$

Download the entire package using git. You may copy the instruction as follows:

<machine_name>:Workspace <user_name>$ git clone https://github.com/benkoo/PKC.git
  1. After the git clone instruction copied relevant data to your working directory, using the command cd to the PKC directory that contains the script (up.sh), and type: " sudo ./up.sh" to execute the script.
<machine_name>:Workspace <user_name>$ cd PKC
<machine_name>:PKC <user_name>$ sudo ./up.sh
  1. Open a browser: type the following URL into the browser's URL field: http://localhost:9352 or http://127.0.0.1:9352
  2. Read the instructions on the Main Page.

Outcomes Expected

  1. Every 30 minutes, all the changes you made to this local instance of MediaWiki will be automatically backed up to the directory's "backup/" sub-directory.
  2. The textual content stored in MediaWiki's database will be stored in an XML file: XLPLATEST.xml
  3. All the uploaded files, assuming the file names are accepted by the host operating system, will be dumped to the "backup/MediaFile/" sub-directory.

Boundary Conditions

  1. We do not warrant any reliability, completeness, and accuracy of this installation procedure. Any action you take upon this information and execute this script is at your own risk, We will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection to the use of the actions and software prescribed here.
  2. We have only tested on a small number of machines and configurations, your mileage may vary.
  3. Do not remove any of the files in the directory with "backup/", such as "docker-compose.yml" and the "LocalSettings.php". These files are the configuration files for Docker and MediaWiki respectively. Missing them, this system will stops to work.
  4. For the sake of reducing typos, the project has moved from https://github.com/xlp0/PersonalKnowledgeContainer to https://github.com/xlp0/PKC. For the current implementation of Github, these two git repository names point to the same source. When GitHub change this practice, it will change. We recommend you to use the shorter version.