To set up an academic or professional conference using Open Conference Systems (OCS), you must first account for a critical software update: the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) officially deprecated and stopped supporting OCS.
For a successful and secure setup, the global academic community strongly recommends two modern paths: adapt Open Journal Systems (OJS)—which is actively maintained by PKP—to run your conference paper workflow, or migrate to alternative open-source tools like Indico (developed by CERN).
If you must use the original OCS platform or a modernized alternative, executing a successful implementation requires a structured sequence of technical, administrative, and timeline workflows. 1. Server & Technical Installation
The core foundation requires deploying the open-source software on an appropriate web host.
Server Deployment: Download the software package and run its installation script on a web server meeting specific PHP and database (MySQL/PostgreSQL) requirements.
Admin Authentication: Secure the primary administration username and password generated during setup to log into the main dashboard.
Security Patching: Because legacy OCS is no longer maintained, you must manually audit code or strictly enforce server-side firewalls to protect user data. 2. Website Creation & General Management
Once the system infrastructure is running, you must establish the front-facing digital space.
Host a Conference: Navigate to the “Site Administrator’s User Home”, click Hosted Conferences, and create a new conference entity to auto-assign yourself as the primary Conference Manager.
Complete Website Management: Execute the six foundational website configuration steps located on the Conference Site Management page to establish your design, localized languages, and contact points.
Establish Timelines: Define a “Scheduled Conference” instance under your hosted conference to open specific management options. 3. Submission & Editorial Workflows
Managing scholarly output relies heavily on configuring chronological user rules.
Configure Author Windows: You must explicitly adjust the “Author registration opened” and “Author registration closed” fields within the Conference Timeline and Information menu; otherwise, registrants will only see “Reader” or “Reviewer” choices.
Call for Papers (CFP): Create and broadcast your CFP using the built-in system tools to accept electronic abstract and paper uploads.
Peer Review Matrix: Enroll expert reviewers and build clear guidelines detailing how submissions will be evaluated, tracked, and modified by authors. 4. Modernizing the Setup (Recommended Alternatives)
If you want to avoid security vulnerabilities and user experience constraints associated with outdated software, adopt these community workarounds:
+—————————————————————————————+ | Modern Open Source Strategies | +————————————+————————————————–+ | Route A: The OJS Adaption | Route B: Dedicated Migration | +————————————+————————————————–+ | • Use Open Journal Systems (OJS). | • Deploy Indico (CERN’s open tool). | | • Map “Issues” to Event Years. | • Handles complex schedules out-of-the-box. | | • Map “Articles” to Paper Transcripts. | • Integrates badge and room management tools. | +————————————+————————————————–+
The OJS Route: Utilize Open Journal Systems (OJS) to manage your peer-review and editorial pipeline. Pair it with external third-party software to handle attendee registration, ticketing, and scheduling.
The Indico Route: Move your project to Indico if you need a singular, all-in-one open-source architecture that natively coordinates room timetables, abstract tracking, and live presentation materials.
To help point you toward the most stable setup, what type of conference are you organizing, and do you have a web hosting provider already selected? Components of a Successful Video Conference System
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