This blog post originally appeared on https://de.seafile.com/seafile-kopano-backend-plugin/ (German)
Great news, as of today the Seafile plugin for Kopano version 1.0 is available! The plugin combines the best from the worlds of groupware and sync & share as it integrates Seafile as a file backend in Kopano and extends groupware with file sharing functionalities. On the Seafile side, users can add Kopano email, calendaring, contacts, and chat functions to their sync & share solution.
Seamless integration of Seafile into Kopano
With the Seafile Plugin for Kopano, users can access, manage and share their personal data directly in Kopano. Gone are the days when switching between different frontends cost valuable time. Seafile admins, who want a calendar and address book sync for Seafile, can now upgrade Seafile with Kopano.
For unencrypted libraries, the plugin provides all file management and sharing functionalities. Users can navigate through the entire folder structure and create, upload, rename and delete new folders and files. Of course, the user is shown the size of the files and the last date the files were edited. Sharing links – both for folders and files – can be created using the Share menu. In a simple wizard, download links can be assigned a password and/or expiration date. A status display informs the user about the current storage usage in Seafile and, if necessary, the set data limit for the user.
Even though version 1.0 does not yet support all functions of Seafile (e.g. encrypted libraries, file comments, version history), it represents a milestone for the integration of Seafile and Kopano as well as the basis for further development. With Seafile’s API, further functionalities can be added to the existing ones in future versions.
Technical implementation
The Seafile plugin is an extension of the Kopano Files plugin. This component of Kopano supports file access via FTP and WebDAV. Since Seafile also supports the WebDAV protocol, it is basically possible to integrate Seafile into the file area of Kopano with the help of the Kopano Files plugin. However, WebDAV only offers pure file access – Seafile’s sharing functions cannot be used with it. Furthermore, the WebDAV protocol has difficulties with the special features of Seafile libraries, which is why several existing functions had to be extended during the development of the Seafile plugin. The Seafile plugin for Kopano complements the Files plugin of Kopano with Seafile functions such as the creation of download links.
Like Kopano, the Seafile plugin for Kopano is released under the AGPL v3 license, which means that the source code of the plugin can be viewed, modified and further developed by anyone interested. The further development is carried out by datamate GmbH & Co. KG, which also developed version 1.0.
Requirements and installation
The installation of Seafile as a file backend for Kopano is done in three steps. First, we install the Files plugin from Kopano (this is described in the WebApp Files Manual). Then, the Seafile plugin must be downloaded from https://github.com/datamate-rethink-it/kopano-seafile-backend. Finally, Seafile’s WebDAV interface must be activated if this is not already the case.
The activation of the file and the Seafile plugin takes place in the Kopano settings area. After the activation, the users can store the server URL and their access data in a Seafile account in the settings area. After successful authentication, the Seafile data is available to the user in Kopano.
The plugin has been tested with Seafile Community and Seafile Professional in version 6.3.x.
Further development
Kopano and Seafile are two perfectly complementary services for corporate use. Version 1.0 is the first step towards further integration. More exciting developments are to be expected. The developers of datamate are planning to wait a few weeks and to approach the next development stage on the basis of the user feedback. Crowdfunding campaigns for the targeted development of new functions are also possible.
About Seafile
Seafile is an enterprise file sync and share platform with high reliability and performance. It is designed as a reliable cloud file storage and collaboration platform. Seafile provides a similar feature set to well-known cloud storage software, while it allows users to host the server on their own hardware. The core feature of Seafile is file sync and share. It provides client apps for most operating systems like Windows, Mac OS, Linux, iOS and Android. It also provides a user-friendly web interface for accessing files in a web browser. The community edition of Seafile server is 100% open source.
About datamate
Datamate develops solutions to satisfy the IT needs of small and medium-sized companies. Datamate is Seafile’s main distribution partner in Europe. Based in Mainz/Germany. Datamate offers the complete suite of support services including installation, migration, upgrade, and customization as well as integration using Seafile’s APIs. For smaller organizations, datamate also offers easy-to-use packaged Seafile solutions including hardware and installation. Please contact the datamate team in German, English and French at .