A (currently theoretical) question concerning a book about the Kolab Server

[Gunnar Wrobel]

Bernhard Reiter <bernhard at intevation.de> writes:

> On Thursday 17 July 2008 14:37, Richard Bos wrote:
>> Op Thursday 17 July 2008 13:08:40 schreef Gunnar Wrobel:
>> > > The other thing is that kolab is fully based on a directory (ldap)
>> > > and imap storage instead of a database.  But what is the big
>> > > advantage of using a directory and imap storage instead of database?
>
> More scalability.
> Many Imap servers use specialisted storage that is more easy to backup
> and thus actually is a specialist "database" with all advantages
> over a general database management system.

As Bernhard mentions: with IMAP you will only have one storage
system. Most groupware servers come with IMAP for mail storage and a
database for data storage. Combining this in one system makes both
replication and backup easier for the admin.

>
>> > > With IP everywhere a database is also very reachable from each
>> > > location, even from remote locations and databases can be replicated
>> > > as well.
>
> Replication with databases is much more difficult, the idea of Kolab
> is to avoid lock situations which make database replication very difficult.
> Also there is better separations between data stores if a less complicated 
> piece of software coverns it.
>
>> > You only look at the administrators point of view here. Of course the
>> > server admin can access a database. But what about the user? This is
>> > the most crucial point about Kolab for me. Of course Kolab offers a
>> > lot more than IMAP based storage of data. But to me this is the core
>> > element. And it is not a technical reason why I'm excited about this
>> > but a plain social one.
>>
>> I did not think about this aspect actually, but it is a very nice one
>> indeed.
>
> Yes, and it does not come from the IMAP usage, but from the idea of doing
> the main groupware work on the client. A good client can have several 
> storages, remote and local.

But do you envision to use any other kind of storage type than IMAP
for the future? I didn't see the client aspect of the solution yet but
it makes sense.

The question of other storage types would have some relevance for the
release of the Kolab_Storage package from Horde. It is currently still
married to IMAP though I could probably make that more flexible if
required.

Cheers,

Gunnar

>
>> However, if one is to use kolab in a company environment this fact (user in
>> control of data) is of no importance as the user should not move his email
>> :)
>
> Even a company world, people have private appointments and might be a member 
> of an non-profit association. My vision with Kontact and Kolab is that one 
> day you have your personal client which saves your appointments on the three 
> Kolab Servers: Company, Home, Association. Only the client has access to all 
> three sources of information.
> Corporations and large organisations will still like this as a happy employee
> with their private life being nice is a much better employee.
>
>> In that case why is the directory / imap storage better than other 
>> solutions? Probably because it is scalably.  But isn't the same valid for
>> groupware solutions based on a database (I wonder)?  Perhaps Bernard or
>> Martin can elaborate on this?
>
> (Martin does not read this list, AFAIK.)
> A bit is on the old http://kroupware.kolab.org/faq/faq.html#Kolab%20Server0
> Other things I would need to write down in a good way - a bit is in the design 
> documents of course, but might be burried somewhere.
>
> Bernhard
>
> -- 
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