The tool ccPublisher is a good tool to uploading content to the Internet Archive. Unfortunately, for long duration uploads, as is common with large video files, I have not found it reliable. For short duration uploads it works very well. I am sure it will get better over time but for now I have been using the following process.
This following process is both long in number of steps and long in duration. However, the amount of your actual time is very little -- around 15 to 25 minutes.
1. Prepare content
Place all the files you want to transfer into the same directory. Make sure the file names have the correct format -- MP4 for video and MP3 for audio are widely usable -- and have names that, when sorted by name, order the files in the correct sequence. The files uploaded in this example are called
DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp3These names are the names given the AoA tools I used to transfer the files from DVD to my computer. The names of these files are not significant to archive.org. If they are going to be significant to your users than a common practice is to name the files will a leading two digit numeric prefix, for example
DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp4
DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-02.mp3
DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-02.mp4
DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-03.mp3
DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-03.mp4
01_SK_RI_USA_TC_BUDGET_HEARING_4_AUDIO.mp3Connect to http://archive.org/.
01_SK_RI_USA_TC_BUDGET_HEARING_4_VIDEO.mp4
02_SK_RI_USA_TC_BUDGET_HEARING_4_AUDIO.mp3
02_SK_RI_USA_TC_BUDGET_HEARING_4_VIDEO.mp4
03_SK_RI_USA_TC_BUDGET_HEARING_4_AUDIO.mp3
03_SK_RI_USA_TC_BUDGET_HEARING_4_VIDEO.mp4
2. Upload request
Create an account for yourself.
On the home page follow the "contributions" link (to http://www.archive.org/contribute.php)
On the "Contribution Center" page follow the "Create and upload a new movie, audio recording, live concert recording, or book." (link to http://www.archive.org/create/)
On the "Create Item" page follow the "files over 500 MB" link (to http://www.archive.org/create.php?ftp=1)
On this page enter the identifier for the uploaded content in the "Enter a name for your item (no spaces please!):" and then press "Create Item". The identifier requested is used to name and group all of the uploaded content. For example, if you have one video and one audio file they will be collectively be named with the identifier. This identifier is public and must be globally unique: Use something that is globally meaningful such as 1) to always including the location "SK_RI_USA", 2) always include the date in YYYY_MM_DD format (eg 2009_01_31), and 3) include a very short description (eg "TOWN_COUNCIL_MEETING", "PLANING_BOARD_MEETING", "BUDGET_HEARING", etc). Mixed letter case and numbers can be used in the identifier.
If all goes well you will then be presented with
checking for item identifier availability...
Identifier is free. Setting up FTP upload directory for you...
And then the page "Your item is now checked out and ready for FTP". This page contains two suggestions of how to upload the content. The following method describes using the "ftp" command line utility available on all operating systems. The ftp utility is ancient (in computing terms) but is also very reliable. I did use a few Microsoft Windows ftp clients but all failed to be reliable enough (even ones that I use often in my professional life!). If you have not used FTP before try to have have someone work with you the first time you use it.
The "Using an FTP Client" directions tell you what host to connect to and how to login in. However, once logged in it would be useful it they also told you to 1) place the file transfer in binary mode and 2) tell ftp to not prompt for confirmation. The following is log of upload the three video and three audio files associates with Budget Hearing #4.
3. Upload content
Connect to the FTP server from your computer. Make sure to start the ftp command from the directory containing your files.
ftp ia331416.us.archive.org
Connected to ia331416.us.archive.org.
220-Welcome to Pure-FTPd.
220-You are user number 8 of 500 allowed.
220 You will be disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity.
Enter your archive.org account name -- which is usually your email address.
Name (ia331416.us.archive.org:ajg): NAME@ADDRESS.DOMAIN
Enter the account name's associated password.
331 User NAME@ADDRESS.DOMAIN OK. Password required
Password: **************
230-User NAME@ADDRESS.DOMAIN has group access to: 5000
230-This server supports FXP transfers
230 OK. Current restricted directory is /
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.
Set the file transfer mode as binary.
bin
200 TYPE is now 8-bit binary
Turn off the tool's prompts. Doing this will allow you to transfer multiple files without needing to confirm each one.
prompt
Interactive mode off.
Change directories to the one to hold the transferred files. The name of this directory will have been given in archive.org's ftp instructions.
cd SK_RI_USA_2009_03_12_BUDGET_HEARING_4
250 OK. Current directory is /SK_RI_USA_2009_03_12_BUDGET_HEARING_4
Transfer the files.
mput *
local: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp3 remote: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp3
200 PORT command successful
150 Connecting to port 52602
226-File successfully transferred
226 1544.853 seconds (measured here), 33.45 Kbytes per second
52908408 bytes sent in 1536.93 secs (33.6 kB/s)
local: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp4 remote: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp4
[...]
local: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp4 remote: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-02.mp3
[...]
local: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp4 remote: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-02.mp4
[...]
local: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp4 remote: DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-03.mp3
[...]
Confirm that that are all there and have the right sizes.
ls
200 PORT command successful
150 Connecting to port 49219
-rw-rw---- 1 2001 5003 175 Mar 22 18:43 CLICK_HERE_WHEN_DONE.htm
--w--w---- 1 2001 5000 52908408 Mar 22 19:12 DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp3
--w--w---- 1 2001 5000 357488815 Mar 22 22:07 DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-01.mp4
--w--w---- 1 2001 5000 2062890 Mar 23 09:38 DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-02.mp3
--w--w---- 1 2001 5000 11799828 Mar 23 10:29 DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-02.mp4
--w--w---- 1 2001 5000 7758106 Mar 23 09:52 DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-03.mp3
--w--w---- 1 2001 5000 52444588 Mar 23 11:49 DVD_VIDEO_RECORDER-03.mp4
-rw-rw---- 1 2001 5003 198 Mar 22 18:43 SK_RI_USA_2009_03_12_BUDGET_HEARING_4_reviews.xml
Done.
exit
If any of the above steps should fail to complete you can start again any number of times within a 48 hour period. If you have successfully transferred more than one large file, you can avoid re-transferring it by using the "put" command instead of the "mput" command. This command requires that you name the file to transfer. You can also not use the "prompt" command and so you will be asked which files to transfer with a simple "yes" or "no".
The video files are large and so their upload will use most of your available upload bandwidth and so it is best to perform this hours long activity over night.
4. Providing meta-data
Once the upload is complete you follow the link in step 4 of the "Using an FTP Client" directions. If you are concerned with loosing this web page then save the page to your local disk. Following the link (to http://www.archive.org/checkin/SK_RI_USA_2009_03_12_BUDGET_HEARING_4) will lead to the page
Not ready yet. Waiting 10 seconds for checkin...
Not ready yet. Waiting 10 seconds for checkin...
Not ready yet. Waiting 10 seconds for checkin...
You may now see your updated item at: http://www.archive.org/details/SK_RI_USA_2009_03_12_BUDGET_HEARING_4
At this point your audio and video content has been accepted buy it needs some legal and descriptive meta-data. The page at http://www.archive.org/details/SK_RI_USA_2009_03_12_BUDGET_HEARING_4 will ask you for this.
The defaults at this page are generally acceptable. So, for the video accept that they are "Open Source Movies".
The next page is "Metadata editor for SK_RI_USA_2009_03_12_BUDGET_HEARING_4". The only two meta-data that I have been adding is the title and the license.
Entering the titles is done at the "title" field.
South Kingstown, RI, USA Town Council Budget Hearing #4
Entering the license is done at the "licenseurl" field. I have been using the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/
licenseurl: Choose license
In the pop up window select "No" for both "Allow commercial uses of your work?" and "Allow modifications of your work?". Now click "Select License" and then the link at "You may now proceed"
You are done setting meta-data. There are other meta-data areas that could be used for, for example, agenda and minutes.
To complete the process press the "Submit" button.
After a few minutes you should be able to refresh your SK_RI_USA_2009_03_12_BUDGET_HEARING_4 details page and see your changes. If you continue to see the "???" form then archive.org has not finished processing the meta-data.
Initially, the details page will only have the audio ready for streaming.Within a few hours the video will also available for streaming.
5. Finishing up
At that point is is worth making a web page on your web site that embeds the video and video. It is also very helpful if you include a link to an RSS 2.0 feed suitable for use with iTunes. You will have to manually create this file or use one of the commercial packages that aid in this file's creation and, sometimes, hosting. (I think the costs associated with these tools are too high.)
I will update this page with corrections and more detail as time and feedback permits. Archive.org does allow you to do test submissions. Try one yourself to confirm that the process is only long and not complicated.
Revision: 1.1
Posts
1 comment:
Excellent article. I am going through some of these issues as well..
Here is my web page
Post a Comment
I do encourage commenting here and strongly hold that one should stand up for what one says. This blog is itself not anonymous because I stand up for what I say. To this end, anonymous comments are not permitted. Include your full name and email address along with your comment. I will use this information for confirm that you did post the comment.