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Configuring Avalon Using Environment Variables

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Michael B. Klein edited this page Oct 7, 2016 · 2 revisions

Most of Avalon's configuration settings can be replaced by environment variables. The following is a list of files and the variables that serve the same functions.

Configuration Files and Equivalent Environment Variables

  • avalon.yml: (NOTE: If avalon.yml exists, it will be used and the following variables ignored)
    • APP_NAME
    • BASE_URL: Base URL for the Avalon server
    • DROPBOX_PATH: Base path for Avalon dropbox
    • DROPBOX_URI: Base URI for Avalon dropbox
    • FEDORA_NAMESPACE: Fedora PID prefix
    • MEDIAINFO_PATH
    • Streaming server settings:
      • STREAM_BASE
      • STREAM_SERVER: adobe, wowza, nginx, or generic
      • STREAM_TOKEN_TTL
      • STREAM_RTMP_BASE
      • STREAM_HTTP_BASE
      • STREAM_DEFAULT_QUALITY
    • SYSTEM_GROUPS
    • MASTER_FILE_STRATEGY: delete, move, or none
    • MASTER_FILE_PATH: If strategy is move
    • FFMPEG_PATH: Path to ffmpeg binary
    • CONTROLLED_VOCABULARY: Path to controlled vocabulary file
    • Outgoing email addresses for comments, notifications, and support:
      • EMAIL_COMMENTS
      • EMAIL_NOTIFICATION
      • EMAIL_SUPPORT
      • SMTP_ADDRESS
    • SMTP settings for outgoing email:
      • SMTP_PORT
      • SMTP_DOMAIN
      • SMTP_USER_NAME
      • SMTP_PASSWORD
      • SMTP_AUTHENTICATION
      • SMTP_ENABLE_STARTTLS_AUTO
      • SMTP_OPENSSL_VERIFY_MODE
    • To import bib records via SRU, use the following settings:
      • SRU_URL
      • SRU_QUERY
      • SRU_NAMESPACE
    • To import bib records via Z39.50, use the following settings:
      • Z3950_HOST
      • Z3950_PORT
      • Z3950_DATABASE
      • Z3950_ATTRIBUTE
  • authentication.yml:
    • LTI_AUTH_KEY: The key half of the LTI OAuth pair
    • LTI_AUTH_SECRET: The secret half of the LTI OAuth pair
  • database.yml:
    • DATABASE_URL: A URL describing the database connection Avalon should use (see Configuring a Database in the Rails Configuration Guide)
  • fedora.yml:
    • FEDORA_URL: The URL and credentials of the Avalon Fedora server (e.g., http://fedoraAdmin:fedoraAdmin@localhost:8983/fedora)
  • matterhorn.yml:
    • MATTERHORN_URL: The URL and credentials of the Matterhorn service interface (e.g., http://matterhorn_system_account:CHANGE_ME@localhost:8080/)
  • secrets.yml:
    • SECRET_KEY_BASE
  • solr.yml:
    • SOLR_URL: The URL of the Avalon Solr core (e.g., http://localhost:8983/solr/avalon)

Implementation Note

Due to the manner in which certain components are initialized, the order of precedence is inconsistent. The process works as follows:

  • If avalon.yml exists, its values will be used and associated environment variables ignored.
  • If database.yml exists, it will be loaded and DATABASE_URL ignored.
  • If FEDORA_URL, SOLR_URL, or MATTERHORN_URL exists, its value will be used and the corresponding fedora.yml, solr.yml, or matterhorn.yml ignored.
  • If SECRET_KEY_BASE exists, it will be used instead of the value in secrets.yml.

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