View source for ICT:Development status - decisions


= Project status and decisions =

''This page summarizes the key technical decisions taken during the initial setup of the project.  
It is intended as a memory aid for future reference.''

== Overall status ==

* The wiki is currently **under construction**
* No public access
* Focus is on **structure first**, then **content**
* No urgency for upgrades or migrations

== MediaWiki version strategy ==

* Current version: **MediaWiki 1.45**
* This version is **not LTS**
* Current LTS is **1.39**
* Target is the **next LTS after 1.39** (not yet released at the time of writing)

Decision:
* Stay on 1.45 during development
* Avoid unnecessary upgrades
* Re-evaluate when the next LTS is available and stable

== Namespaces and purpose ==

=== HO ===
* Club-related structured content
* Access restricted to members of the ''club'' group
* Intended to be used with Page Schemas

=== DA ===
* Club-related structured content (distinct purpose from HO)
* Access restricted to members of the ''club'' group
* Intended to be used with Page Schemas

=== Research ===
* Temporary namespace
* Used for cleanup and transition
* Will disappear in the future (not now)

=== ICT ===
* Permanent namespace
* Personal technical documentation
* Contains configuration notes, procedures, and decisions
* Acts as long-term memory for system maintenance

== Access control philosophy ==

* Access is based on **group membership**, not on admin status
* Being ''sysop'' does NOT automatically grant access to club content
* Club access must be explicitly assigned

This allows:
* Fine-grained control
* Safe onboarding of future sysops
* Clear separation between technical administration and content access

== Groups in use ==

* ''club'' → access to HO and DA, uploads allowed
* ''research'' → access to Research namespace
* ''ict'' → access to ICT namespace
* ''sysop'' → technical administration only

== Upload policy ==

* File uploads are **restricted to club members**
* Normal users cannot upload files
* Sysops can upload only if they are also members of ''club''

This is intentional.

== Namespace protection ==

* Lockdown extension is used
* Read access to protected namespaces is explicitly restricted
* Transclusion bypass is prevented using non-includable namespaces

== Page creation discipline ==

* Pages must be created directly in the correct namespace
* Correct namespace comes **before** Page Schemas
* Avoid creating pages in the main namespace and moving them later

== Backup and recovery approach ==

* MediaWiki and MariaDB run on **separate VMs**
* VMs are powered off before backup
* Full virtual disks are copied (no snapshots)
* This provides full rollback capability

== Development and infrastructure ==

* Development currently runs on a personal PC using Hyper-V
* VMs are restricted to **Hyper-V configuration version 9.0**
  * Ensures compatibility with Windows Server 2019
* Operational servers use replication
* Risk of immediate failure is low

== Future infrastructure plans ==

* Short term: move VMs to Hyper-V on Windows Server 2019
* Long term: possible move to Proxmox on new hardware
* No urgency; expected hardware lifetime is 3+ years

== Current focus ==

* Review and stabilize current setup
* Begin using Page Schemas
* Start with one namespace and one schema
* Proceed slowly and deliberately

''End of summary.''