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Installing OwnCloud, self-hosted cloud storage

OwnCloud is a self-hosted file storage and synchronization service. It provides client tools to upload and sync all your files to a central storage server. You can access all your data through a well-designed web interface, which can be accessed on any device of your choice. In addition to a simple contact service, OwnCloud supports contacts, email, and calendar synchronization. Plus, all your data is stored on your own server, making it a more secure option.

In this recipe, we will learn how to install the OwnCloud service on the Ubuntu server. We will be working with a basic OwnCloud setup that includes file sharing and storage. Later, you can add separate plugins to extend the capability of your OwnCloud installation.

Getting ready

You will need access to an account with sudo privileges.

How to do it…

OwnCloud is a PHP-based web application. Its dependencies include a web server, PHP runtime, and a database server. We will use the installation package provided by OwnCloud. The package takes care of all dependencies, plus it will help in updating our installation whenever a new version is available. We will install the latest stable version of OwnCloud. As of writing this, OwnCloud does not provide any packages for Ubuntu 16.04. I have used the package for Ubuntu 15.10:

Add the OwnCloud repository public key to your Ubuntu server:

$ wget https://download.owncloud.org/download/repositories/stable/Ubu ntu_15.10/Release.key -O owncloud.key

$ sudo apt-key add - < owncloud.key

Next, add the OwnCloud repository to installation sources. Create a new source list:

$ sudo touch /etc/apt/sources.list.d/owncloud.list

Add an installation path to the newly created source list:

$ sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/owncloud.list

deb http://download.owncloud.org/download/repositories/stable/Ubun tu_15.10/ /

Update installation sources with the apt-get update command:

$ sudo apt-get update

Install the OwnCloud package. This will download and install all dependencies, download the OwnCloud package, and set up the Apache web server virtual host configuration. By default, OwnCloud use SQLite as a default database. This can be changed at the signup page:

$ sudo apt-get install owncloud

Once installed, you can access your OwnCloud installation at http://your_server/owncloud . This will open the registration page for an admin account. Enter the admin username and password for a new account. The first user to register will be marked as the admin of the OwnCloud instance.

The same page contains a warning saying the default database is SQLite. Click the configure database link; this will show you the option to enter database connection details. Enter all the required details and click submit.

Once registration completes, you will be redirected to the OwnCloud homepage. If you need any help, this page contains the OwnCloud user manual. You can start uploading content or create new text files right from the homepage.

Optionally, install OwnCloud desktop and mobile applications to sync files across all your devices.

How it works…

OwnCloud is a web application that enables you to synchronize and share files across the web. Store a backup of all your files on a central OwnCloud server, or use it as a central place to send and receive files. OwnCloud also provides native applications for all platforms so that you can easily replicate the necessary data across all your devices. Once you have logged in to your account, OwnCloud will list the default directory structure with a PDF file for the user manual. The screen should look similar to the following:

With the recent updates, OwnCloud has removed various default packages and reduced the overall binary size. For now, the default installation contains a file browser, an activity monitor, and a gallery. The file browser supports the uploading, viewing, and sharing of files. You can create new text files and open PDF files right from the browser:

Default features can be extended from the Apps submenu accessible from the Files link at the top, left of the screen. It gives you a list of installed and enabled or disabled apps. Plus, you can search for apps across categories such as Multimedia, Productivity, Games, and Tools. Choose your desired category, scroll to the desired app and click enable to install a new component:

OwnCloud also allows flexible user management. When logged in as an admin user, you can access the Users menu from the top-right login section of the screen. Under users, you can create a new user, assign them to a group, create a new group, and even set the disk quota allowed:

Next is the admin section, which is again accessible to users from the admin group at the top-right of the screen. This section lists all the administrative settings relating to the core OwnCloud setup, as well as for installed apps. Each section contains a link to detailed documentation. The important part of the settings is the email server setup. By default, OwnCloud uses default PHP-based emails. It is recommended you set up an SMTP service. You can use external SMTP service providers, such as MailChimp, or set up your own SMTP server. At the bottom of the admin settings page, you can see some links to improve your OwnCloud experience. This includes performance tuning the OwnCloud setup, security guidelines, theme support, and so on.

See also

OwnCloud repositories: https://download.owncloud.org/download/repositories/stable/owncloud/

OwnCloud admin manual: https://doc.owncloud.org/server/8.2/admin_manual/

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