Externalizing - Sharing from Livelink

[appscript]

Hi All,

I am looking for some pointers please on externalizing, sharing data that is currently held in livelink.

Bodies to share data with are internal users (outside of livelink access), controlled external bodies and public access for all.

Is there anything that fits this purpose at all or it is all custom writing Oscript ?

I believe that there is an OpenText module called PublicPortal but dont know much about this so would like to look at all options on the table.

Could SharePoint also be an option ?

Many Thanks

 

[appnair]

Even if you buy anything form OpenText or other vendors you can bet it is going to be written in oscript.The fact is that livelink requires a named user account so unless you pay or get something in writing from OpenText you cannot use a generic account to provide access to content. That is where the OT anonymous module(now defunct it seems) came in.It was a oscript customization that removes the need to hardcode a userid/password to get into livelink.You still can do that but everybody will see your userid/password.You can override authentication very easily if you know oscript.
What I have done in a previous client is document authors /approvers etc approve certain items for simplicity a folder that said "Public Content" I would write a oscript/lapi process that watched this folder and put them into a webserver(OT's Web server called RedDot) so people are not hitting livelink.There is nothing against content being viewed in a webserver.You can run it in a process such as a workflow or some structured process.
There are safe methods like the SEA servlet which allows you to actually host livelink in DMZ if you have not looked at it.My opinion would be to understand if data is needed in livelink,there is an expense to maintaining it in a DMS and its merits are very many.SP usually advocates a completely separate instance of SP in the DMZ so you are looking at perhaps duplicating the infrastructure there but as they want everyone to believe it is free nothing could be far from the truth....

Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?
James Thurber, New Yorker cartoon caption, June 5, 1937
Certified OT Developer,Livelink ECM Champion 2008,Livelink ECM Champion 2010

http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=2884

http://www.linkedin.com/in/appunair

http://www.livelink.in

 

[appscript]

Hi appnair,

Many thanks for your reply, its given me some ideas to be thinking about. The choice of whether cetain data should be always stored in livelink or not seems to be the main point now depending on what the business requirements are. Data linked onto a webserver in the DMZ sounds a good idea (apart from the maintance expense as you mention). Its a shame there is not one magnificent design from OpenText that will address this problem whilst feeding certain content into a DMZ.

I heard about the anonymous module in the past but was told its no longer available, thats why I got excited about PublicPortal.

I feel the point is to make data available to people in the right places whilst keeping security tight and expense to a minimum (of course). It would be good to think that there wasnt data duplication etc but security will always be top of the list on decision making.

 

[appnair]

Opentext has a product as I mentioned.It is their WCM offering called RedDot and I believe the management server.Several case studied websites(I think BMW or I could be wrong). The MS uses proprietary tags and you set up rules when you want livelink content to be available,updated etc.

I think the approach is correct why would you expect a DMS like livelink to be a webserver?
It is worthwhile to see a demo of RedDot. I know the product but won't be able to give you all the merits of it.

Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?
James Thurber, New Yorker cartoon caption, June 5, 1937
Certified OT Developer,Livelink ECM Champion 2008,Livelink ECM Champion 2010

http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=2884

http://www.linkedin.com/in/appunair

http://www.livelink.in

 

[appscript]

Thats great thanks for your reply appnair. I will ask about their WCM offering, we touched on their WCM a while ago but I wont be leading on that, thats why it wasnt pursued any more at the time but will be worth a look definitely.

Thanks again.

 

[ggriffit]

Another option may be to create a publication process to publish content, and versions, from Livelink to a standard website using a Livelink Agent / WebServices.

Greg Griffiths
Livelink Certified Developer & ECM Global Star Champion 2005 & 2006

http://www.greggriffiths.org/livelink/

 

[appscript]

Hi Greg,

Is that a Livelink publication process ? - how would we start this ?

Thanks

 

[appnair]

what Greg is implying is what I have done too is to create a process in livelink that watches items of interest.Then depending on so many ways you can do this if nodeid was added a new version,you would get this from dauditnew or you could just do it yourself based on system date.An agent implies that the process is written in oscript it is much more efficient to do it if you have oscript prowess.In my approach what we did was to give to the team who wanted changes published to a webserver a livelink folder.It said put items that you think that needed to be updated.My agent then watched this folder for items of interest simple capi queries.Then if at all something had changed we would directly replace the file in the webserver. Once the logic and a structure can be thought off websvcs,lapi,oscript all of these tools can be used to create a process,this is what the WCM in built tool also uses,it watches for new versions.Think of it not as a technical problem rather approach it as a business problem IMHO.

Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?
James Thurber, New Yorker cartoon caption, June 5, 1937
Certified OT Developer,Livelink ECM Champion 2008,Livelink ECM Champion 2010

http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=2884

http://www.linkedin.com/in/appunair

http://www.livelink.in