The cloud storage is awesome, as far as flexibility for users is concerned. But many companies have abdominal pain, to give sensitive data into foreign hands. Own Cloud Storage is a handy opensource alternative that allows companies to build their own Cloud Storage on their servers.
Whether the data is with Apple, Google, Microsoft or the Telekom, companies are difficult to outsource sensitive data to cloud offerings. The flexibility that can be achieved is exactly what companies want; Only the security conscience is registering. Those who prefer to build their own Cloud Storage instead can do it with own Cloud. Our DIY Mode has set itself the goal of building a cloud on its own servers.
Make users happy
With own Cloud the benefit for the user is in the foreground. Cloud back and forth, is more interested in the synchronization of files, appointments and addresses. We show you what you need for own Cloud as you discover the software.
Checklist: You need this for own Cloud Storage
The requirements for own Cloud are not particularly high. A standard server environment with Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP is sufficient for the start.
Currently own Cloud is available in three versions: Community, Business and Enterprise. For the first experiments, the Community Edition does it, in professional use, there is the Enterprise with the best support as well as the possibility to operate several own Cloud instances side by side. There are also clients for OS X, Linux and Windows for building the cloud, which is available for Linux and Windows. They are also going to introduce useful apps very soon.
Cloud Storage Server with standard tools
Setting up own Cloud is not rocket science it is easy if you follow our DIY, but if you’re looking for a simplicity like Dropbox, this is wrong. On a naked Windows Discover the latest info on Windows 10! Or Linux does not run the software. Apache 2, PHP as well as a MySQL database are necessary. Get the current Own Cloud package and unpack it. Then copy the directory “own cloud” into the web server directory, usually / var / www. In order for the configuration to work, the user under whose account the web server is running must also have the apps, config and data directories. This can be done with chown -R www-data: www-data / var / www / own cloud / install / x, where for x once apps, config and data must be specified. “Www-data” is, for example, the owner of the webserver under Ubuntu.
Cloud Storage: Fine settings for Apache
If you are using Apache, you should then switch on .htaccess. To do this, open the / etc / apache2 / sites-enabled / 000-default file in an editor, find the entry “AllowOverride” and set it to “All”. After that restart Apache and it can go with the actual configuration.
Perfect setup: Cloud Storage in your server room
With Cloud, admins can easily tack the configuration via a browser. We help with the first setup steps.
If the device has worked as described, the own Cloud interface should be available after restarting Apache at http: // localhost / owncloud. If the installation did not work out completely because a PHP module is missing, own Cloud also shows the same. On this first visit, you must assign a username and password. This will be the admin account for ownCloud. After the “Advanced” drop-down menu, you can explicitly specify the data directory for own Cloud, ie / var / www / owncloud / data; You must enter the access data for the database. If MySQL users and password, then ownCloud itself can create the appropriate database. Now you can register and make the first configuration steps.
Fileupload
The makers of Cloud have a sense of humor, after the first login you can see that everything is still empty and you should now upload something quickly. However, they have set a hurdle and limited the file size for uploads to 2 MB. You can change this directly in the file php.ini via the PHP values post_max_size and upload_max_filesize. Important: Apache must be restarted for the changes to take effect.
Users create and updates
For a basic function test, the admin can now himself upload a few documents and check the clients. In a second step, however, a few test users should also be created. To do this, click the gear wheel at the bottom left of the window and select “User”. Via “Create” you can create new accounts. By the way, you can limit the storage space for users using the “Standard Quota” option. It is also important that you keep your own Cloud up-to-date. You simply need to download the latest version, unpack it and install it over the old version. Important: Leave the two folders / config and / data untouched, because your settings and data are there. On the next login own Cloud will update automatically.
OwnCloud Cloud Storage: advantages and disadvantages
All the advantages of the cloud combined with the security of your own server, that sounds good. In practice, however, it is not so easy, because you also give away a few advantages of real Cloud Storage offers.
The advantages of own Cloud are obvious: Companies can operate a powerful sync service in their own server room. At the moment, there are clients for Windows, Linux and OS X, and mobile apps are set to start soon. You can force encryption on your own Cloud or use a file diversion.
Scalability is not self-evident
The great thing about Cloud Storage offers is that you can scale very well. You suddenly need twice as much memory because they have two major new projects? No problem, simply choose the cloud provider with the doubling and already the memory space is available. If you run your own Cloud Storage, you have to take care of it yourself. Even flexible payment options, such as “pay per use”, of course, is not with your own Cloud Storage. The third disadvantage is that companies keep control over their data, so they must also ensure their own security for our business area. Whether the company is just as good as a professional Cloud Storage provider, is questionable.
