Installation Manual for DSpace 7.x on Windows 10: A step by Step guide

Introduction

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of setting up DSpace, a powerful and flexible open-source repository software, on your Windows 10 machine. DSpace is widely used by libraries, universities, and organizations for managing and providing access to digital assets, research papers, institutional repositories, and much more. This manual is divided into two main sections: the installation of the DSpace backend and the setup of the DSpace frontend. The backend installation covers essential components such as Java Development Kit (JDK), Git, Apache Maven, PostgreSQL, Solr, and Apache Tomcat, all of which are crucial for DSpace’s core functionality.

I. Backend Installation

1. Install JDK 11
   • Open a command prompt and check your Java version: javac -version
   • Create a JAVA_HOME environment variable:
     • Control Panel > System Security > System
     • Set JAVA_HOME to C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-11.0.17
2. Install Git for Windows
   • Check the Git version: git --version
3. Install Apache Maven 3.6.3
   • Add Maven to the system path: C:\dspace_apps\apache-maven-3.6.3\bin
   • Check the Maven version: mvn -v
4. Install Apache Ant (latest version)
   • Add Ant to the system path: C:\dspace_apps\apache-ant-1.10.13\bin
   • Check the Ant version: ant -version
5. Install PostgreSQL 14.7
   • Set up PostgreSQL with user postgres and password dspace
   • Configure PostgreSQL:
     • Edit postgresql.conf (change listen_addresses to ‘*’)
     • Edit pg_hba.conf (add row for host dspace)
6. Install Solr 8.11.2
   • Unzip Solr and copy it to the root directory (C:)
   • Start Solr and verify its status by visiting http://localhost:8983
7. Install Apache Tomcat 9
   • Configure Tomcat in server.xml
   • Set environment variables JAVA_OPTS and TOMCAT_USER
8. Install DSpace 7.x Backend
   • Create a folder at C:\dspace
   • Set up a user, database, and superuser privileges in PostgreSQL
   • Create the DSpace database and enable the pgcrypto extension
   • Download DSpace 7.x and configure local.cfg
   • Build DSpace and install it
   • Copy files and restart services
9. Create DSpace Administrator Account
   • Run dspace create-administrator and follow the prompts

II. Frontend Installation

10. Install Node.js and npm
    • Verify Node.js and npm versions: npm -v and node --version
11. Install Yarn
    • Install Yarn globally: npm install --global yarn
12. Install pm2
    • Install pm2 globally: npm install --global pm2
13. Download DSpace User Interface
    • Unzip the downloaded DSpace Angular package and copy it to C:\dspace-angular-dspace-7.5

14. Install Angular Dependencies
    • Navigate to the DSpace Angular directory: cd C:\dspace-angular-dspace-7.5
    • Install project dependencies: yarn install
15. Build the Frontend
    • Build the Angular frontend application: yarn build:prod
    • Wait for the build process to complete.
16. Configuration of DSpace Angular
    • Create a file named config.prod.yml in C:\dspace-angular-dspace-7.5\config. You can copy and modify the config.example.yml file.
    • Open config.prod.yml and configure it according to your environment. Make sure to specify the correct REST API settings.
17. Check REST API Connection
    • Test the REST API connection: yarn test:rest
18. Start the DSpace User Interface
    • Create a file named dspace-angular.json in the C:\dspace-angular-dspace-7.5 folder.
    • Open dspace-angular.json and configure it to specify how to run the DSpace Angular application. Here’s an example configuration for Windows:
    jsonCopy code{ "apps": [ { "name": "dspace-angular", "cwd": "C:\\dspace-angular-dspace-7.5", "script": "dist\\server\\main.js", "instances": "max", "exec_mode": "cluster", "env": { "NODE_ENV": "production" } } ] }
19. Start the Application with PM2
    • Start the DSpace Angular application using PM2 with the configuration file you created: pm2 start dspace-angular.json
20. Verify the Installation
    • Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:4000 to access the DSpace User Interface.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed DSpace 7.x on your Windows 10 machine, both the backend and frontend components.

Thank you for following this installation guide. If you encounter any issues or have questions, please refer to the DSpace documentation or seek support from the DSpace community. or comment us.