Product Path

(Neil Newman) #1

We are a new customer and are at the implementation stage.


I can download the source version of Matrix: 3.28.? but cannot see where you can get a source copy of 4.?.



The 4.? versions of the software are supplied as VM images under Debian, however we were looking at running under Redhat.



Should we be looking at using VM images under Debian, or will the source versions for 4.? become available shortly?



Adding to this, are the other SquizSuite products available in source code format: Search/Analytics/CMS, so they can be built on Redhat.

(Nic Hubbard) #2

You can checkout the newest 4.0.2 from CVS: http://matrix.squiz.net/developer/public-cvs-access


As for why there are not normal downloads anymore, I am not sure, maybe Greg can answer that.

(Greg Sherwood) #3

Matrix is different to the other products in the suite. It can be installed on anything because the update scripts do not touch the OS itself. The rest of the suite currently runs on a Debian VM only, and the update system covers both the software and the OS. While you can attempt to install it on whatever you want, it will not be supported and the update system will not work. However, this is likely to change in the future, but I can't say when.


Matrix, Search, Analytics and the Squiz Framework code is all available at public repositories.

Matrix info here (as Nic says): http://matrix.squiz.net/developer/public-cvs-access

Info for others here: http://forums.squizsuite.net/index.php?showtopic=7838&view=findpost&p=38923



CMS is not yet available from a public repo because it is currently a bit different. We are currently working on standardising it's code to make it available as well. But the source for all products is GPL and provided on the VM download regardless of if the repo is public. Source code can currently be found at /var/www/mysource4/htdocs on the VM.



But talking more specifically about Matrix:

You still have access to checkout a fresh CVS copy of whatever version you want, and we have a script to help with that. You can also get access to our update scripts, which use CVS to grab the latest code and run all the upgrade steps for you. If you want to evaluate the product more easily, you can grab the VM download (CentOS for Matrix, not Debian) and be up and running quickly. The tar.gz file will not be made available, but I hope you can see that this makes no difference due to the standard scripts we have to both install and update the software.



As for hosting it, some people do use the VM, but normally only if they already have VM hosting and no RHEL licence. Most users tend to install Matrix on whatever OS they prefer, and whatever dedicated hardware they think the system will need. This sort of setup will always be supported due to the role Matrix plays in the suite; it's the integration component - the real enterprise component. It needs to talk to a lot of things and run pretty serious web-based system. You need to have real OS, DB and hardware choices to ensure everything runs smoothly.



So to answer your main questions about Matrix:

Run it on RedHat, and checkout the source from CVS using the checkout script. Still make sure you read the requirements so you setup the OS correctly: http://matrix.squizsuite.net/requirements



Also make sure you grab a subscription to access the update scripts so you can easily update the product. These are free if your annual turnover is less than US$ 500k: http://matrix.squizsuite.net/subscriptions



And finally, if you have any problems with installing or upgrading, come back and visit us on the forums :slight_smile: