Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Ken Gibson -
Number of replies: 14

My Questions and problems are three fold.

1. A single course has become too large to backup - Like many folks out there, I am having difficulty backing up a course with large amounts  (~500MB) of media files (pdfs, wav recordings).  I have done countless tweaks to my php settings as well as timeout increases and running external zip programs.  That helped for a bit (when this course was ~300MB) , but now at 500MB, I can't get it to backup.      

2. We have 10 sections of this large course (one section runs each quarter - this is the 10th time we have offered this course), so now the server has 10 copies (or close to it) of the same 300-500MB of media files.  The redundancy seems silly.

3. The media files can't be public (as in linking to an outside URL), but I really need something like that - so that all media files are NOT put into the backup, but ARE assessable after a backup/restore via a "course only URL).   

Having said all this, I have looked though all the forums and can't seem to find an answer.  Anyone know how to setup #3 situation?

Our courses are hosted on a VPS with a static IP, anyway to setup folder permissions to allow only authenticated course users into that folder?

Thanks for the help.

Ken        

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In reply to Ken Gibson

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Paula Clough -

Ken,

Here are a couple of ideas.

  1. We have a server file that is on our network where we can deposit large files such as movies etc. that are too large for the Moodle course restricitions.  The Tech Director set it up as an internet file so that Moodle will recognize it but it's on the network not the internet.  I usually have to set up the link as the teachers don't quite have the tech sauvy to do it with out frustration at this time.
  2. You could also set up a single course (or more if needed) that would house the videos and their links.  Open the link and then copy and paste the url into the link resource in the courses the teachers/students use... that way you don't have to have all those courses with the media in them.  When the student or teacher click on the link in the course they are using, they will actually go to media in your library course.  I have done this in a couple of courses.  It also helps because if you have to change any of the media, you don't have to do it all 10 courses!

Hope that helps.

Paula Clough smile

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In reply to Paula Clough

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Ken Gibson -

Paul...thanks for the reply.

In regard to:

>>We have a server file that is on our network where we can deposit large files >>such as movies etc. that are too large for the Moodle course restricitions.  The >>Tech Director set it up as an internet file so that Moodle will recognize it but it's >>on the network not the internet.  I usually have to set up the link as the >>teachers don't quite have the tech sauvy to do it with out frustration at this >>time.

You don't by chance have an example of the setup? (i.e. where to place the folder on the server, etc.

In regard to:

>>You could also set up a single course (or more if needed) that would house the >>videos and their links.  Open the link and then copy and paste the url into the >>link resource in the courses the teachers/students use... that way you don't >>have to have all those courses with the media in them.  When the student or >>teacher click on the link in the course they are using, they will actually go to >>media in your library course.  I have done this in a couple of courses.  It also >>helps because if you have to change any of the media, you don't have to do it >>all 10 courses!

That sounds like it would work (and accomplishes the same thing as your 1. above, but using Moodle.  But a question - I always thought (apparently incorrectly on my part) that students needed to have access to a particular course to see any of the files within that course, as the way Moodle authentication worked.  Sounds like that is not the case? 

So I can set up a "Media Course", not give anyone access (outside of teachers and admins) and students will still be able to view files that are linked out of that course (via Moodle's URL).  If so, not a bad fix.  Will try.

Thanks for the input

Ken 

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In reply to Ken Gibson

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Paula Clough -

Sounds like Mary gave you the answer to the enrollment area... enrolling students in both classes will work... to make it easier, you can also make all the sections  Meta courses with the Media course a child course... that way when you enroll a student in one of the sections, they are automatically enrolled in the Media course.

The file I use from big files that are not uploadable in our Moodle site is on the our regular school server not on the Moodle server.  I am not sure how he gave it a recognizable "internet" address ... I don't have those kinds of permissions on that server.  We link out to it.

Hope that all makes sense... if not, let me know..

Paula C

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In reply to Ken Gibson

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by ben reynolds -
You could also consider:

  1. Site files. Load the media into the site files on the front page, and copy the URL into the classroom. Each time you replicate the classroom, it continues to point to the one set of site files.
  2. Metacourses. (Conceptually difficult to wrap my head around, but maybe you'll do better big grin) Basically, the same concept as Paula's "library" (in fact, it may be identical, since students can't access a file in another classroom unless they are enrolled in it). The metacourse is clever enough to "auto-enroll" students from daughter courses.
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In reply to ben reynolds

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Mary Cooch -
Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators
I'd definitely go the Metacourses route - have a look at the docs here
Site files is easier but then in theory anyone could have access to them if they knew the url
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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by ben reynolds -
Mary,
Do you mean "anyone" who can login to that instance of Moodle or anyone in the whole wide world?
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In reply to ben reynolds

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Ken Gibson -

Hey Ben,

Site Files on the home page can be "Note: files placed here can be accessed by anyone".  So you answer is anyone in the whole wide world who types in the correct URL (no Moodle Authentication required).

Ken

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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Ken Gibson -

Mary,

In regard to:

>>> I'd definitely go the Metacourses route - have a look at the docs here

I have looked into this, but it doesn't seem to fit.  Perhaps the full background of the course will help. 

  1. This media filled course is offered each semester to ~10 students
  2. At the end of each semester, I back-up/restore the course (to a new course) for the next semester - that way incorporating all instructor changes/edits as the course evolves.
  3. Past students have access to their "old" section of the course, so all the sections of the course are on the server and accessible to those students
  4. The course has grown from ~200MB to now ~600MB
  5. Audio lectures/videos make up the bulk of the 600MB   

Metacourses look like a way to spread enrollments, not a way to handle course files - but I must be missing something something.

Ken  

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In reply to Ken Gibson

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Mary Cooch -
Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Moodle HQ Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers Picture of Translators
I meant - have one course with all your multimedia files in. Then the students will be automatically enrolled in that course as well as their other ones, so you can link to the files in the first course and that can stay static as you change the courses with different students coming in and out. The course with the files in is basically working just as a repository.
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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Ken Gibson -

awww....got it now Mary.  That does the trick.
Thanks for clearing the waters for me.

Ken  smile

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In reply to Ken Gibson

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Hartmut Scherer -
This was a nice surprise for the first day in 2009. Since end of November I was searching for a solution, how to backup large courses. The discussion on this page solved the problem. Thanks to all of you. Using a meta course as a library of resources is a much better way and faster to accomplish than changing a line in php.ini (which I can't as I am using a shared server).

Perhaps the moderator for this forum could add some lines in Moodle.docs for "backup and restore" as many more are looking for a solution.


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In reply to Hartmut Scherer

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Paula Clough -

Harmut,

Make the other courses your meta course and the library the child course... otherwise your students will be enrolled in all the courses....

Glad our community was of use to you... it's nice to beable to help.

Paula C.

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In reply to Mary Cooch

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Martín Moreno -

"...The course with the files in is basically working just as a repository..."

There is only one big problem with this... when you browse files on the "child" course, you can't see the "parent" files, so there is no way a non-technical user can link a file from a external "parent" repository...

is there any solution to this?

(pardon my bad english)

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In reply to Martín Moreno

Re: Reduce Reducance of "Same" Course Files and Reduce size of Media Rich Course

by Ken Gibson -

Martin,

Been working on this exact issue myself.  It would be nice to see the "parent course" files when browsing the "child" course file folder.

What we need is a HACK of the index.php file (located in /files/index.php).  Bascially we need the hack to allow access to the "parent course" file folder when viewing the files in any related child course.  Both novice and advance users would appreciate.

I looked at the index.php code myself, but couldn't see a place to hack (though I am not well versed in php).Any suggestions by others would be most appreciated. 

One immediate problem I see with this "Hack" is what would happen in backup/restore when you try to backup course files (the deafult) post Hack.  On the surface it looks like this Hack would have you backing up both the child and parent file folders - something you probably don't want?  

Ken smile      

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