Topic: Web publishing for other acounts than Admin

[arne]

Is it possible for other users than Admin to publish content on the SME web server ?

A ordinary user acount will have its own file storage area that is not a part of the web servers publishing or file storage area - Right ?

But if one make one i-bay with a name, lets say "Johny", it will then be also established a kind of useracount on the SME server that has also the name "Johny".

It will then be possible to log on via ftp to the "Johny file area". But what the e-bay user Johny will be able to see is just an empty directory. If he thy to make any changes or to write anything, he will not have permission.

What is the idea by establishing a kind of a user acount (done default by the system) togeteher with an e-bay ?

Is it the idea that anybody else than the Admin acount should be able to publish stuff to an i-bay ?

[byte]

Is it possible for other users than Admin to publish content on the SME web server ?

What about "User Webpages" contrib?

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=33638.0

[CharlieBrady]

Is it possible for other users than Admin to publish content on the SME web server ?

Yes - i-bays contain web content and members of groups can write to i-bays.

[arne]

I have tried to do this for years, but still I have not had success. I think it is actually the only procedure from the SME admin manual I have not been able to follow, even though a lot of tries ..

http://mirror.contribs.org/smeserver/contribs//bobk/SME_Manual/chpt-14.0.html

It is written something like this in the manual:


"user access via file-sharing or FTP: The administrator can also control who has the ability to save a file into or modify the contents of the files in the i-bay (write access) and who has the ability to view the contents of the i-bay (read access). The administrator can specify whether the entire group can write to the i-bay or whether the administrator alone has the power to save files to the i-bay. Similarly, the administrator can control whether group members only can read the contents of the i-bay or whether the contents can be read by anyone."

The question is then how to do that in the real living life...

I have never got it to work, not on the SME 5.x, not on the 6.x and not on the 7.x

I wonder if it is some basic thing I do not understand about this prosedure.

Lets say I do something like this:

1. Make a new group: johnyg

2. Make a new user: johnyu

3. Make a new i-bay: johnyi

4. makes johnyu and johnyi members of group johnyg

Should it then be possible to publish web content via ftp on the i-bay johnyi for the user johnyu ? (Have not worked for me until now ..)

I would be rather thankfull for some clarifications or hints to get further on as this procedure about publishing web content for other users than Admin has been the page in the SME user manual that I did never understand.

.. Crossing my fingers ..

Best reg Arne.

[raem]

arne

> I have tried to do this for years, but still I have not had success.

You are reading that paragraph in isolation, try this also:

Note that users accessing the i-bay via FTP in this manner are not able to upload files to the i-bay. They can only download files from the i-bay to their client.
It is possible to upload files using FTP, but to do so you must login to the server with a valid user name, not the i-bay name. That user account must be a member of the group that has been given write permission for the i-bay (configured on the i-bay screen). You would then change to the i-bay directory (using the ftp command «cd ../../ibays/ibayname»). You will now be able to upload files from your FTP client to the appropriate directories.


You need to distinguish between writing to an ibay from the local network using Windows filesharing eg Windows Explorer and writing to the ibay from a web location eg ftp.

Group membership affects the ability to write via local filesharing AND the ability to write to an ibay via ftp.

To write to an ibay using ftp from a remote internet location, you need to read the section of the manual that refers to accessing the ibay using a sftp client (it's further down the page), that is the only way it is going to work with sme server.
You must login using a user login name who has group memberships which allows them to write to that ibay and you must login with a sftp client (program) (eg SmartFTP) that allows you to issue the cd /..... comand to change directories.
ie you will change from the users home directory to the ibay directory within your ftp program.
You cannot use a browser to ftp, it won't work.

There is also a contrib from dungog (remoteuseraccess) that adds a very useful feature and allows you to lock that user into certain locations on the server, thus removing the need for them to cd /... to an ibay for example.

Search the forums on sftp and/or remoteuseraccess as I wrote some long answers on exactly this topic a number of times a few months ago.

Read the manual carefully as it is in there.
You can do it without the contrib, but it is safer (easier) to do it with the contrib.

[arne]

I have allways believed that it could be done some way, and now I think I understand what I have done wrong, before. I have not made it work yet, but I believe It will work this time. Just have to find out a few things about sftp, etc.

Thanks a lot for for your comprehensive explaination ! I believe I will work this time ..  

[raem]

arne

> Just have to find out a few things about sftp, etc.

I wouldn't labour over it too much.
Just configure your server to allow ftp access, make the ibay owned by a group that your user is a member of, download the free SmartFTP program (or similar as long as it supports issuing commands) & install it on your Windows PC.

Run SmartFTP and login to ftp.yourdomain.com using the user name & password (NOT the ibay name & ibay password).
On the Commands/Change Folder/Enter Folder menu issue the command
cd /home/e-smith/files/ibayname/html

Start uploading your files

Once you have proven it works, then look at installing the remoteuseraccess rpm for additional control of the user.

[arne]

Thanks a lot mr RayMitchell !

This time it looks like it is working

I have been testing a littel bit ..

I think the major incorrect thing I did before was to use a ftp client that could not be used. With SmartFTP it seems to be working quite well !!

I include the link to SmartFTP for later reference:

http://www.smartftp.com/download/

Best reg Arne.