Best Practices in Moodle Administration Jonathan Moore Vice President Remote-Learner.net

Jonathan Moore

Vice President

Remote-Learner.net

Know What is Happening on Your Server Monitoring: Cacti SNMP monitoring Round robin log storage Simple GUO Alerts and Notifications: Nagios SNMP alert system Have your servers page or text you!

Monitoring: Cacti

SNMP monitoring

Round robin log storage

Simple GUO

Alerts and Notifications: Nagios

SNMP alert system

Have your servers page or text you!

Roles Do not change built in roles Remember reset defaults option Know what level to apply roles at Admin: global Course Creator: global, or category Student, Teacher: course Know what level capabilities work at Make new roles by copying most similar existing role

Do not change built in roles

Remember reset defaults option

Know what level to apply roles at

Admin: global

Course Creator: global, or category

Student, Teacher: course

Know what level capabilities work at

Make new roles by copying most similar existing role

Easy performance optimizations Run a PHP accelerator eAccelerator and APC up to 10x performance improvement MySQL Query caching Increase buffer sizes Set Server-> System Paths Batch cron.php runs for multiple Moodles

Run a PHP accelerator

eAccelerator and APC

up to 10x performance improvement

MySQL

Query caching

Increase buffer sizes

Set Server-> System Paths

Batch cron.php runs for multiple Moodles

A Better Way - Automation Great combination: LDAP authentication with external database enrollment External authentication Automate account creation LDAP/Active Directory and Database Enrollment Plug ins Automate course creation Automate teacher assignment Automate student enrollments Synchronization scripts

Great combination: LDAP authentication with external database enrollment

External authentication

Automate account creation

LDAP/Active Directory and Database

Enrollment Plug ins

Automate course creation

Automate teacher assignment

Automate student enrollments

Synchronization scripts

Backups Recommend against using the internal automated course backups due to performance issues. Internal Moodle Backups not for disaster recovery Elements of a Moodle Backup Moodle software Moodle data folder SQL data Moodle yesterday instance

Recommend against using the internal automated course backups due to performance issues.

Internal Moodle Backups not for disaster recovery

Elements of a Moodle Backup

Moodle software

Moodle data folder

SQL data

Moodle yesterday instance

Platform Selection Linux most used for scalability Windows significantly lower performance for PHP apps Mac OSX forking performance issue Apache and MySQL concurrency issue

Linux most used for scalability

Windows significantly lower performance for PHP apps

Mac OSX forking performance issue

Apache and MySQL concurrency issue

Issue Tracker Use notification screen to confirm version Moodle Issue Tracker Vote for bugs Set a Watch your important bugs

Use notification screen to confirm version

Moodle Issue Tracker

Vote for bugs

Set a Watch your important bugs

phpMyAdmin Useful and powerful, but dangerous Useful to pull reports not built into Moodle Change settings values not in GUI Fix Moodle when “broken” by user error Reset administrator password if locked out

Useful and powerful, but dangerous

Useful to pull reports not built into Moodle

Change settings values not in GUI

Fix Moodle when “broken” by user error

Reset administrator password if locked out

MyODBC Windows client software Connect MySQL to desktop applications Make ad hoc reports in MS Access, Excel, Open Office, etc.

Windows client software

Connect MySQL to desktop applications

Make ad hoc reports in MS Access, Excel, Open Office, etc.

Various Other Admin Tools Moodle debug General debugging Performance debugging phpinfo – confirm your php build iperf – test your network iostat – linux disk usage stats strace – see what a process is doing

Moodle debug

General debugging

Performance debugging

phpinfo – confirm your php build

iperf – test your network

iostat – linux disk usage stats

strace – see what a process is doing

Custom development and Modules Don't load modules just because they are available Use modules over “hacks” Use the forums to evaluate modules Use the author's profile to research the creator

Don't load modules just because they are available

Use modules over “hacks”

Use the forums to evaluate modules

Use the author's profile to research the creator

Security Select Enterprise class OS with long term update support. Automate updates Moodledata outside of web root Try mod_sec Consider using weekly stable cvs for Moodle auto updates Consider forced logins HTTPS logins

Select Enterprise class OS with long term update support. Automate updates

Moodledata outside of web root

Try mod_sec

Consider using weekly stable cvs for Moodle auto updates

Consider forced logins

HTTPS logins

More Security Consider turning off self registration Set the Mysql root user password See Moodle Docs Security Page http://docs.moodle.org/en/Security

Consider turning off self registration

Set the Mysql root user password

See Moodle Docs Security Page

http://docs.moodle.org/en/Security

Email delivery Make sure you have valid reverse DNS Make sure you have permission to send email for primary administrator's email account Use email debug to help diagnose problems.

Make sure you have valid reverse DNS

Make sure you have permission to send email for primary administrator's email account

Use email debug to help diagnose problems.

Custom themes Start with a basic theme Copy existing theme to a new folder name Prevents upgrades from wiping out

Start with a basic theme

Copy existing theme to a new folder name

Prevents upgrades from wiping out

Location and Language Use geography based time zones over UTC (for new US daylight savings time)‏ Set language to en_us (fix “spelling errors”)‏

Use geography based time zones over UTC (for new US daylight savings time)‏

Set language to en_us (fix “spelling errors”)‏

Questions?

Questions?