unoconv not converting documents

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by AL Rachels -
Number of replies: 30
Picture of Core developers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers

Hi Ken,

I've played around off-and-on trying to get unconv to work on my Linux server. On a few occasions, I have had it so that it worked from a terminal window, but have never been able get it to work in Moodle. With debug set to developer, I have never had any debug messages regarding unoconv.

I have it now so that it's working in terminal, but downloading the test pdf gives a blank, and trying to grade an online text assignment just gives a never ending spinning load indicator.

I am especially interested in how you are running the scheduled tasks mentioned here:

Hmmmm ...
There is a task for converting submissions ...


Execute scheduled task: Prepare submissions for annotation (assignfeedback_editpdf\task\convert_submissions)
... started 18:49:06. Current memory use 87.2MB.
Convert 1 submission attempt(s) for assignment 1
Convert 1 submission attempt(s) for assignment 2
Conversion failed with error:storedfilecannotread

That last line was the row in the DB I deleted manually from DB but NOT from filedir.

Running cron in a terminal window, I've never been able to get a "Convert 1 submission attempt(s) for assignment 1" even when I change the schedule from 15 minutes to every minute. The only thing I have ever been able to see is similar to this:

Execute scheduled task: Prepare submissions for annotation (assignfeedback_editpdf\task\convert_submissions)
... started 12:49:01. Current memory use 15MB.
... used 1 dbqueries
... used 0.066791772842407 seconds
Scheduled task complete: Prepare submissions for annotation (assignfeedback_editpdf\task\convert_submissions)

In reply to AL Rachels

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Sorry ... I, like you, have been all over chasin' this rabbit so it's no wonder my last post may not have made any sense at all! :\

I too had debug up to developer and nothing ever showed while in the grading of assignments that were uploaded.  (cept one time when I purposely removed a row in the mdl_files table that was for one of the two assignments turned in by my hpotter student user.    Did that on purpose trying to get something/anything to show me what was going on while grading since developer settings weren't showing anything!)    Would recommend that to anyone.

Anyhoo ... cd moodlecode/admin/tool/task/cli/

php schedule_task.php
will pull up the help for that CLI script.

First one in the listing:

\assignfeedback_editpdf\task\convert_submissions
Run like this:

php schedule_task.php --execute=\\assignfeedback_editpdf\\task\\convert_submissions
Those 'double' slashes are required in linux.

Am guessing, but If there are any documents that need to be converted, it will - if unoconv issues have been resolved.

Was working on CentOS 6 box ... had to use the listener for init.d ... letting unoconv find it's own listener wasn't working in the Moodle GUI.

Forgot who share it before via forums (thanks again to whomever you are!) ... there's a doc for it:

https://docs.moodle.org/31/en/Installing_unoconv#Run_a_unoconv_listener

(there's a doc on Windows also!!!)

For running a listener not permanent:

https://github.com/dagwieers/unoconv

Section entitled: Start your own unoconv listener

Then there was the issue of what appeared to be unoconv attempting to use /var/www/ to create a temp file.   That posting referenced/mentoned what was added to unoconv - the poster, BTW, specifically working with a Moodle 3.1.

Been working on CentOS 7 box today and so far the command line conversions work.  Now get a listener going and create test course to see about the Moodle UI.

Feel like am gaining on this rabbit ... but, we'll see! :|

'spirit of sharing', Ken


In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Well, call me 'Elmer Fudd' ... that 'wascal wabbit' has once again, alluded me! :\

Am getting no PDF conversion in the annotate window ... just white in that frame.   Feel close, but no cigar yet! :|

select * from `mdl_files` where `mimetype` like "%pdf%"

is showing me two entries ... under component and filearea now and both have:


assignfeedback_editpdf combined

So am kinda confused.   Need to go compare that CentOS 6 DB to see what's different in the mdl_files table.   Nothing in the moodledata/temp/ that's a PDF that I can find.

But, did get apache solr installed today and search is working!

'spirit of sharing', Ken

In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

As long as I started this 'saga', may as well finish it here!

Success!!!   Have Annotation and Search in 3.2.latest working on CentOS 7.

Where one host makes a difference.   Some of the issues I had were a result of the image provided by Google for CentOS 7 in Google Engine.   They give you a minimal build ... just like Amazon and Rackspace, but they also have their own ideas about what and they have their own repos.  Once I un-installed some stuff and re-installed manually via rpms or third party repos, it finally all came together.  The hack of unoconv to make it work on CentOS 6 not needed in CentOS 7.

Now the task at hand will be to write it all up ... reminders to self as well as potentially sharing via forums, etc. for anyone who starts to host Moodle on Google's Compute Engine be glad to share what has been learned.

'spirit of sharing', Ken



In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by AL Rachels -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers
Yeah! Glad to hear you got it working. Is it with or without SELinux set to Enforcing?


In reply to AL Rachels

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

SELinux set to permissive right now.   Been watching messages log and could adjust selinux if it complains. ;)   That's one major difference with a Google Compute image and a Rackspace virtual that I've seen.    Google has some additional security_compute commands that interact with seLinux.   So far, I've not seen seLinux complain in messages log.

Probably should ask if you know of anything that I probably overlooked?

On a side track ... have you ever heard of anyone providing a Google Compute Image with pre-installed Moodle CentOS 7 or Ubuntu LTS offered for free (to keep in the 'spirit of things')?

'spirit of sharing', Ken

In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by AL Rachels -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Plugin developers Picture of Testers

I like to keep SELinux in enforcing as to me, permissive is sort of like living in a high crime area with security bars on all the windows of a house, but one, and trusting the fact that it is closed and locked, is good enough. Maybe okay for a while, but eventually a burglar will make his way through that one window by finding it unlocked, breaking the glass, or jimmying the lock, and rob you blind. In this case when working on getting unocov to work, I kept an eye on the notifications in the SELinux Troubleshooter. It spotted and told me what to do to appease SELinux and let the apache user run it as well as telling me what to do for port 2002. In hindsight I realized I forgot to write down some notes, as after running the fixes, the notifications were cleared from the troubleshooter. I'm too reluctant  to remove everything and start over so I guess I'll try to build a new server and keep better notes. My current server has been running continuously since Centos 7 was released with only a reboot once or twice a year so it's due for replacement/upgraded equipment anyway.

As for a Google Compute Image - Never heard of it until you mentioned it. I've been lucky that my internet cable service lets me run a server in-house that can be publicly accessed, so I have always, (relying on much of the Linux pointers you've provided over the years), ran my own Linux server here at home for the past eleven years.

In reply to AL Rachels

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

I'll look into SELinux some more.  The issue I see with solr is that the GUI interface (an 8xxx) port that helps set up the index to be used for Moodle (can and probably should be done from command line only).   Once set up that port and access to the GUI for solr config should be blocked as it doesn't (right out of the shrink wrap) setup users with access levels.

Like many who remotely host, prefer to keep those without access to GUI desktop of the server ... thus usually install Webmin to help - can setup access control list etc. with Webmin.

Used to run a BBS system at home off one phone line (personal for which I paid the bill).   Had to shut it down ... folks dialing into it in the wee hours of the AM which would awaken me from a sound sleep.    Did a little hosting like you at home but electric bill shot up + had noisy servers whose constant humming also disturbed what should be a refuge from the 'outside world'. ;)

Remotely hosted now is much easier ... but, then again, in such systems, even the providers are still finding catch 22's and gotcha's.  New attack vectors for those who would abuse/misuse. :\

With a shared pre-built image, however, those little un-known until maybe too late things have been expertly dealt with in advance.   But, they do take a certain level of understanding (Google or Amazon) just to get them up and running.

Anyhooo ... thanks for sharing.

We've kinda hijacked this thread!

@Scott ... you still here?   Any of this helping?

'spirit of sharing', Ken


In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Scott Christy -

Ha! Thanks for remembering me Ken.

Nope, not helping at all. I'm using a Windows server and have no other option.

Does anyone know of ANYONE that got unoconv to work on Moodle with a Windows server?

In reply to Scott Christy

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

I take it you've seen/read/tried:

https://docs.moodle.org/31/en/Installing_unoconv#Installing_unoconv_on_Windows

How good are you in translating Window-ese to Linux CentOS quickie?

The item I did not see in docs for any platform was how to get a 'moodle' index started in solr.    Finally, in reading the readme that came with the tar.gz that was un-gzipped and moved to a location to be able to use it (in my case: /opt/solr/)

There's a README.txt in there that I copied out to web root to be able to see it with the browser:

cp README.txt /var/www/html/solrreadme.txt

Then with browser: http://yoursite/solrreadme.txt (you can remove it later).

From that readme, found how to start solr and build the index (with nothing yet in it (for moodle) .... that step had been very troubling.

in /opt/solr:

bin/solr start
bin/solr create -c moodle

If I change into bin first and tried issuing solr start (that would work) but the solr create -c moodle (the search index for Moole) would not work.   Guess the solr bin needed to be executed at the root of it's files.

After setting up a listener - that's shared in the Moodle docs, logged onto the Moodle and stepped through the configuration of Solr.

After that ... things worked. ;)

Know what I've shared is really Linux, but maybe it might help if you can translate to Windows. ;)

On thing easily missed in docs ... solr uses port 2002 for accessing the localhost (127.0.0.1) java instance of solr.   Firewall on Windows?   On linux box it wasn't an issue - localhost.

'spirit of sharing', Ken


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Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

@Jon .. Glad you are on your way to resolution ...

First, CentOS is my chosen poison ... not Ubuntu ... was doing this on a VBox sandbox
in Ubuntu 16.04 to assist Jon  (weekend issues tend to have to wait until Monday AM)... and learning Ubuntu along the way.

So this is a 'for what it's worth' sorta thing.

Observation and a way to check if the unoconv service/listener is properly
installed ....

In setting up a CentOS 7 server with full features Moodle 3.2.x got to the point
of setting up unoconv and rather than from command line used Webmin to set that up.
After creating the unoconv listener as Moodle docs suggested and running it the first time via Webmin, Webmin showed something I had not seen via command line ....
the creation of yet more files related to the listener/service.

So on a CentOS 7 server, if the listener is properly configured and running
as expected, use this to see if those other related files to a service/listener
are there:

find / -name unoconv.service

Output should show:

/sys/fs/cgroup/systemd/system.slice/unoconv.service
/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/unoconv.service
/etc/systemd/system/unoconv.service

Doing same for Ubuntu 16.04 dev box and following directions for installing
unoconv, libreoffice then getting to the setup of a listener:

https://docs.moodle.org/31/en/mod/assign/feedback/editpdf/testunoconv/upstart

Get to the step about starting unovonv:
start unoconv

in the comments of the unoconv.conf file it says:

Install to /etc/init/ folder and start with "sudo service unoconv start"

If I use service unoconv start it gets:
Failed to start unoconv.service: Unit unoconv.service not found

In chasing' that rabbit ...
Found this:
https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-systemctl-to-manage-systemd-services-and-units

Systemd is an init system and system manager that is widely becoming the new standard for Linux machines.

So went back to the CentOS 7 box to see ...

[root@sos ~]# systemctl status unoconv.service
● unoconv.service - Unoconv listener for document conversions
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/unoconv.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: active (running) since Tue 2017-04-11 08:42:35 CDT; 35s ago
     Docs: https://github.com/dagwieers/unoconv
 Main PID: 26803 (python)
   CGroup: /system.slice/unoconv.service
           ├─26803 python /usr/bin/unoconv --listener
           └─26805 /usr/lib64/libreoffice/program/soffice.bin --headless --in...

Apr 11 08:42:35 sos.tcea.org systemd[1]: Started Unoconv listener for docume....
Apr 11 08:42:35 sos.tcea.org systemd[1]: Starting Unoconv listener for docum....
Hint: Some lines were ellipsized, use -l to show in full.

That's what one should see in Ubuntu as well.

in Ubuntu

root@ubuntu1604:/lib/systemd/system# systemctl status unoconv.service
● unoconv.service
   Loaded: not-found (Reason: No such file or directory)
   Active: inactive (dead)

So, took the CentOS 7 directions and used them in Ubuntu 16.04
Yes, I know ... shouldn't do that ... however ...

In /etc/systemd/system/unoconv.service

[Unit]
Description=Unoconv listener for document conversions
Documentation=https://github.com/dagwieers/unoconv
After=network.target remote-fs.target nss-lookup.target

[Service]
Type=simple
Environment="UNO_PATH=/opt/libreoffice5.2/program"
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/unoconv --listener

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Adjusted

ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/unoconv --listener
to
ExecStart=/usr/bin/unoconv --listener

and
Environment="UNO_PATH=/opt/libreoffice5.2/program"
to
Environment="UNO_PATH=/usr/lib/libreoffice/program"


root@ubuntu1604:/lib/systemd/system# systemctl enable unoconv.service
Created symlink from /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/unoconv.service to /etc/systemd/system/unoconv.service.

Note that above it created symlinks from other files needed to setup a service in systemd.

Then issued:
root@ubuntu1604:/lib/systemd/system# systemctl start unoconv.service
no complaints

However ....

root@ubuntu1604:/lib/systemd/system# systemctl status unoconv.service
● unoconv.service - Unoconv listener for document conversions
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/unoconv.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Tue 2017-04-11 08:55:30 CDT; 1min 15s ago
     Docs: https://github.com/dagwieers/unoconv
  Process: 4347 ExecStart=/usr/bin/unoconv --listener (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
 Main PID: 4347 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)

Apr 11 08:55:30 ubuntu1604 systemd[1]: Started Unoconv listener for document conversions
Apr 11 08:55:30 ubuntu1604 unoconv[4347]: unoconv: Cannot find a suitable office install
Apr 11 08:55:30 ubuntu1604 unoconv[4347]: ERROR: Please locate your office installation
Apr 11 08:55:30 ubuntu1604 unoconv[4347]:        http://github.com/dagwieers/unoconv/iss
Apr 11 08:55:30 ubuntu1604 systemd[1]: unoconv.service: Main process exited, code=exited
Apr 11 08:55:30 ubuntu1604 systemd[1]: unoconv.service: Unit entered failed state.
Apr 11 08:55:30 ubuntu1604 systemd[1]: unoconv.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'

Ok, it failed but we're getting closer!!!

lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:    Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS
Release:    16.04
Codename:    xenial

root@ubuntu1604:/lib/systemd/system# find / -name soffice.bin
/usr/lib/libreoffice/program/soffice.bin

Changed the path in the listener/service setup ...

Reloaded systemctl config

Reissued start no complaints
Checking status:

root@ubuntu1604:/lib/systemd/system# systemctl status unoconv.service
● unoconv.service - Unoconv listener for document conversions
   Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/unoconv.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: active (running) since Tue 2017-04-11 09:14:27 CDT; 6s ago
     Docs: https://github.com/dagwieers/unoconv
 Main PID: 4624 (python3)
    Tasks: 7
   Memory: 119.2M
      CPU: 464ms
   CGroup: /system.slice/unoconv.service
           ├─4624 python3 /usr/bin/unoconv --listener
           └─4635 /usr/lib/libreoffice/program/soffice.bin --headless --invisible --nocr

Apr 11 09:14:27 ubuntu1604 systemd[1]: Started Unoconv listener for document conversions

*** success!!!! ***

spirit of sharing', Ken

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In reply to Ken Task

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Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Good for me ... sandbox isn't production! :\   Not necessarily good for you. sad  But do hope it is! smile

But ... may have hit upon why things ... that were working ... all of sudden ... weren't with your server.   Am aware that with Ubuntu one could do an in-place upgrade.  Maybe former admin did that ... which may have left some old 14.0x stuff around on your server.   Some update to your 16.04 server 'fixed it' ... or 'broke it' ... we'll probably never know for sure.

Anyhoo ... maybe ... just maybe ... this thread/discussion/cussion will help someone else who runs into 'strangeness'.

Oh, yeah ... feel free to rate anything that did help as useful.

'spirit of sharing', Ken


In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Rick Jerz -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers

Ken, great work.  In fact, you inspired me so much that I am going to try to set up a CentOS 7 sandbox this summer and experiment.  Thanks much.

I do have two questions.

1) When I go to the CentOS website, they have a very easy "Download" button.  But I am not sure if this is the server version of the software that you have used.  The file name is CentOS-7-x86_64-Everything-1611.iso.  Is this what you are using, or do you use something else?

2) (You are going to hate this question...) Your path to success was very thorough.  If you had to repeat this process knowing what you now know, what would be your steps to success (in CentOS 7)?

In reply to Rick Jerz

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Nah ... don't hate the question at all.   Glad to share ... but will be brief ...

With CentOS 7, choose minimal.   Yes, that means one has to build more, but the reason for that is simple.  One ... you learn to admin the system cause you built it.   And, two,  won't have to un-install the lower versioned PHP to get PHP 7.0 or 7.1 from 3rd party repos   CentOS is RHEL with no RHEL eye-candy.   They also, like RHEL, want you to use MariaDB .. not MySQL.  Haven't seen anything in Moodle (nor WordPress, nor Joomla) that might be taking advantage of the things MariaDB doing now .. so 'stick with what works' ... MySQL.  Can always change you mind later and get MariaDB (at least one can right now).

Install Webmin ... that would be really the first step to the building.   Does give an open sourced cPanel like interface into the OS.  Apache, MySQL, PHP tweaks, easily done there.    Webmin can update itself from within Webmin.   Webmin can schedule OS updates to automagically install any security updates or all updates without human interaction.   Have set some ISD servers up that way knowing full well that to them it's a black box ... none inside the ISD touch it.   Only time anyone should do something ... kernel upgrade requires reboot.

In the last 15 years that setup has had issues only once ... easily fixed ... directions were sent via EMail.

One of the other things I do now is change the 'standard' port 22 for ssh to something else.  In less than 2 minutes today new servers get their first pokes and probes at the ssh port - not that they can guess a secure password easily ... they never stop ... annoying ... sooooo take away

Then one can acquire Moodle via git (install git first) so that installations can be done via command line ... no issues with infinite loops.   And it can, from that time forward, be easily updated or upgraded.  Zero day flaws .. fixed/patched in a matter of minutes ... as soon as Moodle HQ releases them.

Then there's the additional handy stuff ... mysqlTuner, OS tools dns-utils, iptraf, alpine, zip and unzip etc. and as one needs/discovers one needs, install other.

Not long ago, there was a sys admin ... new, just taken over, etc..  Had Scientific Linux.   Couldn't allow remote assitance .. so http://sos.tcea.org/moodle32/  CentOS 7 with Apache Solr search working, Annotation working ... and a course for Installing Moodle Solr SLinux 6 or CentOS 6 or CentOS 7 - self-enrol ...   patterened after what was done with a BC, CA user running Ubutnu 16.04 ... that had Moodle Partner backups to restore but assistance to do so, didn't finish, etc.   Was truely an old-time course by 'correpondence course' via EMail with txt file attachments that had 'copy and paste' commands.

Uhhh .. have now earned an 'omicron badge' twice over, me thinks! smile

'spirit of sharing', Ken

In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Rick Jerz -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers

Ken, I was thinking the same way, choose minimal so that I can learn more along the way.

Here are a few more questions:

1) I am setting up this CentOS as a sandbox using VMWare.  In this local install, will it be accessible by my normal browser?  For example, in my MAMP installation, I can do http://localhost, in order to interact with it?  Will the sandbox CentOS had the equivalent of a "local" access mode? (sorry for this very basic question)

2) For the production Moodles that you help administer, are they running CentOS?

3) Are you yet moving to php 7?

4) You imply that this local sandbox is accessible to the world (change ssh port).  I didn't know this?  But maybe this is related to my first question.

Yes, I plan to stick with MySQL for now.

Thanks for the reference to sos.tcea.org/moodle32.

In reply to Rick Jerz

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

I wonder if we couldn't impose upon the moderator of this forum and ask that this jabberwalk be moved to it's own thread - dunno which forum fits.  We are piggy-backing here.

'spirit of sharing', Ken

In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Howard Miller -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

I would if I could figure out where to split it... without reading it all sad

In reply to Howard Miller

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Point taken smile ... how about with Rick's question?

https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=345337#p1415384

Jon had two going at the same time ... dunno about his.

'spirit of sharing', Ken


In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Howard Miller -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers

I'm inclined to leave it because Rick's question doesn't really stand on its own.

In reply to Howard Miller

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Rick Jerz -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Testers

Yep, I know what both of you mean.  In the post that Ken mentions, I am asking a question about the original topic "unoconv" and then I ask a second question based upon something I saw (CentOS) in Ken's post.

Hmmm, for now maybe I can end it and wait for another more proper time and place to ask Ken these questions.  My questions are shifting to "server administration" questions.

(Sorry about this.)

In reply to Rick Jerz

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

@Rick ... 'another more proper time' could be just like this thread.

So start a posting ... don't have to specifically address to me.   There are others that run CentOS ... am not alone ... and am not the foremost expert ... for sure.   I'll be happy to provide my 2 cents.

'spirit of sharing', Ken


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Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

@Rick ... appears everyone is too busy to move this discussion to another thread of it's own, so start one ... and will repond there.

'spirit of sharing', Ken


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In reply to AL Rachels

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Since you've mentioned Google Compute Engine ... have almost determined that it's not for Moodle ... have a customer representative that is talking with technical about some issues.   With a hosting thing that large ... 5 biz days is quick! :\

Now here's the skinny .... billing is based upon usage ... cpu cycles etc..   I've never shared with anyone the URL to it, yet it's scanned and 'searched' by guess who?   Google of course!   The scans appear to be a bot looking for vulnerable PHPMyAdmin's ... sometimes 25 times for each possible location in the bot script ... there are about 30 alternative locations one might have installed PHPMyAdmin ... PMA, pma, p/m/a, etc. etc. (depends upon which popular blog you did your install from - *** there's a hint!!! ***.

Those hits count on billing ... what was extremely affordable for a true sandbox (latest and greatest everything) has turned into an 'expensive' jaunt into GCE ... that needs 'fixin' IMHO.

Know that ISD's (that I still support) can't do variable billing.   Blows the heck out of a small and very  limited budget.  Biz manager, the State of Texas Auditors or whomever watches that sort of stuff would flag and have a hard time justifying the cost (me thinks).

As we know, a Moodle could sit pretty dormant during the school year .... from 5:00 PM till next school day AM .. 7?8?   And pretty much 'dead', on vacations/breaks, etc..  That, however, won't make up for the heavy hit bot scan days with 'regular usage' (whatever that is for an ISD).

Now if a School had Goolge For Education ... it might be different.   Got one of those ... collaborating with an ISD that is interested.   Head of Tech in that school is also the Biz Manager.

Amazon Web Services, even though 'more expenive' are looking better and better.

From investigation one can get CentOS 6 or 7 Ubuntu 16.14 ... (some Bitnami) others you pick decided yourself.   Spin one up in really a matter of minutes.   Hmmmm ... if a package like that could be shared ... no cost ... be darn simple to get up and running with a Moodle - latest and greatest with unoconv working with listener working with ibreoffice pre-installed with Apache Solr also pre-installed + index for one site - etc.

Yes, there are also now other ways ... vagrant?

Whole picture is changing ... those that change with it will be around for a while (good or bad) ... those that don't may soon find themselves scratchin' head, looking around, and wondering what the heck happended!

Don't me wrong ... Amazon and other virtual providers are finding new stuff that needs fixin' all the time.   So anyone reading this, tread slowly ... carefully! ;)

'spirit of sharing', Ken


In reply to Ken Task

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Scott Christy -

This is all great.... now if I only could get unoconv working on a Windows server.......  angry

In reply to Scott Christy

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Sorry, Scott.  As the original poster in this thread ... it's jabberwalked away from your specific platform/issue.   That's the reason for request to move the jabberwalk to an appropriate forum and thread of it's own.

But, are you seeing anything that might give you cause to look at the issue from a different angle?

'spirit of sharing', Ken

In reply to Scott Christy

Re: unoconv not converting documents

by Ken Task -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers

Doesn't appear there are Windows specific experts responding.   Maybe you could PM @Usman and ask specifically.

https://moodle.org/user/view.php?id=1183102&course=5

Gonna throw this out as well ... cause don't think the unoconvert test can be performed on Windows ... the -vvv switch an example.   So ... considering adding (after researching) some additional functionality in Windows ...

https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/bash.html
http://www.cygwin.com/
http://win-bash.sourceforge.net/

Might want to test those on a non-production server ... just in case.

'spirit of sharing', Ken