On Mon, 7 Oct 2002, Pat Eyler wrote:
There's a largish library that is thinking about using Koha. They've come up with a long list of questions that they'd like answered, and I'd like to get some other peoples feedback before I start answering. Please have a look at these, and reply to those that you feel comfortable talking about. thanks, -pate
----------------------Questions----------------------------
1 -- Which operating system, or choice of systems, does the proposed library automation system run on?
Linux primarily, other unices should work fine, but may require some manual installation work.
2 -- Is system administration done with command lines or a graphical module? We should see it.
Graphical (web interface)
3 -- What is the backup utility? Does it use tapes?
Koha does not currently include a backup utility. There are some options for backing up, all of which involve backing up the underlying MySQL databases that Koha uses: 1. Add a crontab entry that rsync's the data to a backup server 2. Set up a replicating MySQL server (this could also be a complete backup installation of Koha, or a couple of Koha installations that are used only for non-write functions such as opac searching, report generation, etc.) [others?]
5 -- What administrative functions or upgrades require the system to be off-line, and for how long?
There are currently no administrative functions that require the system to be off line. The system should be taken offline for upgrades
6 -- Is there a backup module for circulation in case the system is down?
No.
7 -- Describe the way customer support works, what it covers, and hours of service.
Paid support is provided by... refer to web page? http://koha.org/installation/support.html
9 -- Describe the capacity for integrating selfcheck machines with the system. Is it SIP1/SIP2/NCIP compliant?
No. This functionality has been requested by another library and, I believe, will be at least partially funded by them.
10 -- What report writing capability does the system have?
HLT uses a client (UrbanSQL I think?) that connects to the MySQL database for generating reports. It is also possible to create cgi scripts that access the MySQL data for generating reports. This is the method that I use.
11 -- What "canned" reports are available?
Limited at the moment... I'd really like to see this improved.
12 -- Is there an API available? Can we develop applications that can directly access the database?
The API is completely open, and there are no restrictions on developing applications that use this API. If you make changes to Koha source code and redistribute it, you must only make sure that you are in compliance with the GNU Public License (GPL) that Koha is distributed under. [Do we need to clarify any other GPL issues here?]
15 -- Is the system client-server or web based?
web-based
16 -- What is the capacity for e-mail functions, including e-mail notices?
This feature is being added now and should be completed this month? That's my start at answers... Steve.