How to install Exiftool on a remote server?

[logicalnot]

(I tried the search feature before asking this question.) I am new to
RS.

A RS is running fine on a remote server (with regular hosting
features). I am now trying to install Exiftools, ImageMagick and
FFmpeg but I simply don't know how.
Yes there is some installations informations available on the
ResourceSpace wiki :
"To add many more image and video file formats you can install
ImageMagick and FFmpeg and set the paths to the binaries in
config.php. "
or from Exiftools website here : http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/install.html

But I am still in the fog without map.
Do you know any step by step tutorial to tell me how to install
exiftool on a server?

All I got is my ftp account, a MySql database and a lousy tshirt.


Thank you for your help.

[Tom Gleason]

you will have to ask your server administrator to install it.

[Wizrd23]

Can we get a better answer than "ask your server admin to install
it" ?

I am also very interested, and I AM the server admin. I'm using
resourcespace on my personal website and have a great web host, but
i'm not familar how to "install" it. If i FTP into my website, where
do I load files?

So far I created a SW folder inside my ResourceSpace directory and
have unzipped everything into this directory. Then I uncommented the
lines in the config.php file. is this all I need to do? are there
specific directories I need?

Also, will this work ffmpeg and exiftools? I want to install all of
the options

[awarner20]

@Wizrd23,

I think you're confused about what a server admin means in this
context. If you have a web host, their people are the server admins,
not you. You have purchased space on their servers. Exiftool is
something that needs to be installed on the server itself, not just
inside the space you have purchased on the server.

As Tom said, "you will have to ask your server administrator to
install it."

[Wizrd23]

No I understand that. Exiftool is already installed on my host
server.
I think what logicalnot is asking, and what I'm interested in, is how
to install
ImageMagick, GhostScript and FFMpeg.

When you look at the setup page inside ResourceSpace it shows those
three extentions are not on....
So you turn them on in the config.php file. Then you have to somehow
"install".

Since my first post, I think I have figured out at least that I have
to SSH into my webhost, and then
set up folders and use subversion to make it work. However this is
all foreign to me and probably logicalnot.

When I look at my INSTALLATION CHECK page, I have the following info
I'm trying to fix:
Imagemagick: not installed
Ghostscript: not installed
FFMpeg: not installed
Exif Extention installed: OK
Exiftool: not installed

So, can anyone point us to a dummies guide for installing these 4
things? EXIF extentions are installed, which covers the need for the
server admin. Now how do I install the other 4 items, either using
FTP, or SSH with SVN?

[awarner20]

Hey Wizrd23,

It was all foreign to me about a week ago too, so I can relate. Others
may correct me, but ImageMagick, GhostScript and FFMpeg are all
scripts that need to be installed at the server level. I use <a
href="http://affiliates.synhosting.com/jrox.php?id=1019_1">Syn
Hosting</a>, and all I had to do was contact support and ask them to
install these scripts...and yes, that's an affiliate link, but their
support is top notch.

Your hosting support should be able to do the same, or at least tell
you if they can't support it. I was on a shared account and they
didn't allow FFMpeg because it was too resource intensive, but I've
upgraded to a Virtual Dedicated Server and all these tools are
installed and ready to roll.

[Dan Huby]

Wizrd23,

Unless you have paid for a dedicated server, or your host uses virtual
servers, it's unlikely you are "server admin" in the required sense.
ImageMagick, FFMpeg, Ghostscript etc. normally have to be installed as
root as they place binaries in shared locations that may affect other
users.

On Linux distributions this is usually very easy so long as the
required packages are available - just use the provided package
manager to install them and then ResourceSpace will auto-detect them
on installation.

If you are using a cheap shared hosting account then it's likely that
this is something you'll have to get your hosting provider to do.

Note that ResourceSpace works just fine without FFMpeg, ImageMagick,
Ghostscript etc. but capability will be reduced. It's worth making
sure you actually need the features these utilities provide.

Hope that helps.

Dan

[Wizrd23]

Good points Dan.

Just for my own edification:
I do need FFMPEG and ImageMagick and possibly GhostScript. I'm a
freelance video editor and I'm using this as a client backend for
posting approval edits and photos, assets, etc..

My host allows root access via SSH. and its not a dedicated server.
I just have to jump through some security hoops first.
I'm really excited about getting this set up, because in addition to
do freelance work locally, I have potential clients nationwide and
some other freelancers I can farm work out to, so long as we have a
way to share media.

Anyone have any pointers or setting this up once I have root access
via SSH? I'll be using terminal on a Mac. the server is linux and
apache. gracias