Plugins and Manifest Pages

Overview

There are a few basic concepts that need to be understood before one can successfully set up to have content ingested (or harvested) into a LOCKSS network:

• Publisher: The creator of the content which is collected and preserved in the LOCKSS Caches on the network. Members of ADPN or other Private LOCKSS Networks who contribute content function as publishers.
• PLUGIN: an XML file containing a set of rules or instructions that tell LOCKSS what content to harvest as well how and where to find it. Defining these rules is a function of the publisher.
• MANIFEST PAGE: an html page that gives LOCKSS permission to harvest the content and pointers to the content to be harvested. It must contain a specific phrase in order for LOCKSS to accept it a granting permission to harvest
• A plugin relies on at least 2 pieces of information: a "BASE URL" which gives a base address for the harvest and a manifest page which contains the permission and a manifest of what is to be harvested.

PLUGINS

PLUGINS function as a set of rules that tells the LOCKSS harvesting processing how to navigate the "site" to be harvested, as well as what files or what types of files to harvest or ignore.