7 November 2024
The OCFL Editors are pleased to announce version 1.1.1, a patch update to version 1.1 of the Oxford Common File Layout specification. This revision provides minor clarifications based on implementation experience and community feedback. OCFL Storage Root or OCFL Object version designations do not reflect patch version and thus remain v1.1.
The OCFL Specification v1.1 and OCFL Implementation Notes v1.1 have both been updated. The accompanying Change Log details the changes both from version 1.0 to version 1.1.0 and also to version 1.1.1. It is designed to assist implementers with updates to their implementations. We welcome your feedback, questions, use cases, and especially details of any implementations or experimentation with OCFL.
The previous OCFL version 1.1 documents, now designated version 1.1.0, remain available: OCFL Specification v1.1.0, OCFL Implementation Notes v1.1.0, and Change Log for v1.1.0.
Neil Jefferies (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Rosalyn Metz (Emory University)
Julian Morley (Stanford University)
Simeon Warner (Cornell University)
Andrew Woods (Harvard University)
24 October 2024 The OCFL Editors met during the iPres conference 16-20 September 2024 to review the use cases to be addressed in version 2.0 of the specification and come up with initial thoughts on how to proceed with each one. These thoughts have now been added to the Confirmed: In-scope Issues. The OCFL Editors now welcome further comments and feedback from the community before proceeding.
Neil Jefferies (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Rosalyn Metz (Emory University)
Julian Morley (Stanford University)
Simeon Warner (Cornell University)
Andrew Woods (Harvard University)
14 March 2024 The OCFL Editors haved reviewed the community feedback on use cases related to the OCFL specification. This included some additional use cases added since the feedback process began:
- Issue #47 External identifiers in place of digests
- Issue #48 Large Inventory.json files
- Issue #50 Application Profiles
Tallying up the community votes and responses, the following use cases will be addressed in version 2.0 of the specification.
- Issue #33 Package per version storage
- Issue #42 Support physical file-level deletion
- Issue #44 OCFL Object Forking
- Issue #50 Application Profiles
- Issue #14 Flagging file loss/corruption
- Issue #46 Collapsing OCFL Object Versions
These use cases have been tagged as Confirmed: In-scope Issues in the OCFL use cases repository. The remainder have been tagged Confirmed: Out-of-scope Issues.
Neil Jefferies (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Rosalyn Metz (Emory University)
Julian Morley (Stanford University)
Simeon Warner (Cornell University)
Andrew Woods (Harvard University)
30 October 2023 Last month the OCFL Editors met in Chicago to review use cases related to the OCFL specification. During that meeting we refined and updated use cases and selected a list of potential use cases we might address in version 2.0 of the specification. Those use cases have been tagged as Proposed: In Scope in the OCFL use cases repository. Below is a list of the use cases:
- Issue #46 Collapsing OCFL Object Versions
- Issue #45 OCFL as a formal standard
- Issue #42 Support physical file-level deletion
- Issue #43 Defining a repository from peer storage roots
- Issue #39 Distributed Storage of objects and components
- Issue #44 OCFL Object Forking
- Issue #33 Package per version storage
- Issue #14 Flagging file loss/corruption
We are now soliciting feedback on these use cases. You can provide feedback by reviewing each use case and its associated comment thread. We welcome continued feedback via the comments. You can also provide feedback via the poll added to each use case (see this poll as an example).
We will make space in the next two community meetings to discuss questions or feedback related to the use cases.
Neil Jefferies (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Rosalyn Metz (Emory University)
Julian Morley (Stanford University)
Simeon Warner (Cornell University)
Andrew Woods (Harvard University)
1 August 2023
In July of 2020, version 1.0 of the OCFL specification was released followed by version 1.1 in October of 2022. We are now beginning to consider additional use cases and revisions that will lead to version 2.0 of the specification.
In addition to gathering feedback via issues and use cases, we would also like to gather feedback and new use cases from the community through conversation. To that end we will hold a series of listening sessions, we invite all individuals who have implemented or are interested in The Oxford Common File Layout to attend.
Below are the dates and times for the listening sessions:
- August OCFL Community Meeting - Wednesday August 9th 8pm ET / 5pm PT | Thursday August 10th 10am AEST
- September OCFL Community Meeting - Wednesday September 13th 4pm GMT / 11am EST / 8am PST | Thursday September 14th 1am AEST
- iPres Birds of a Feather session - Date and time TBD
We look forward to hearing from you during these sessions and please reach out if you have any questions.
Neil Jefferies (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Rosalyn Metz (Emory University)
Julian Morley (Stanford University)
Simeon Warner (Cornell University)
Andrew Woods (Harvard University)
7 October 2022
The OCFL Editors are pleased to announce version 1.1 of the Oxford Common File Layout. The focus of this revision is correction and clarification based on implementation experience and community feedback. Version 1.1 is backwards compatible with version 1.0.
The OCFL website at https://ocfl.io, includes the most up to date version of the specification and the implementation notes as well as the latest editors draft.
The OCFL Specification v1.1 defines both OCFL Objects, a simple structure for content and
a JSON document (inventory.json) which provides a straightforward but comprehensive register for the object and
versions of its content, and an OCFL Storage Root, an arrangement for how OCFL Objects are laid out on physical storage.
It also contains examples illustrating the use of the OCFL, and explanations that ground decisions in prior experience.
The companion OCFL Implementation Notes v1.1 contains advice for implementing the specification including recommendations for digital preservation, storage handling, client behaviors, and best practices for dealing with OCFL Objects in motion.
The OCFL Editors are also releasing updated validation rules and additional fixture objects for testing OCFL implementations against the specification.
There is an accompanying Change Log that details the changes from version 1.0 to version 1.1. It is designed to assist implementers with updates to their implementations. We welcome your feedback, questions, use cases, and especially details of any implementations or experimentation with OCFL.
Neil Jefferies (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Rosalyn Metz (Emory University)
Julian Morley (Stanford University)
Simeon Warner (Cornell University)
Andrew Woods (Harvard University)
07 July 2020
The OCFL Editors are pleased to announce version 1.0 of the Oxford Common File Layout, reflecting over 24 months of work by the OCFL Editors and the digital preservation and technology communities.
The initiative originated in September 2017 from informal discussions at a Fedora/Samvera camp in Oxford, UK. These discussions identified the need for a simple, non-proprietary, specified, open-standards approach to the layout of files for the purpose of preservation persistence. Subsequently, a kickoff community meeting attracted 47 attendees from 32 institutions, confirming the need and resulting in the establishment of the OCFL Editors team.
The OCFL describes an application-independent approach to the storage of digital information in a structured, transparent, and predictable manner. It is designed to promote long-term object management best practices within digital repositories. In addition, the OCFL's standardized approach facilitates the migration or transfer of content between applications that utilize the specification.
The key design goals and benefits of using the OCFL are:
- Completeness - A repository can be rebuilt purely from the files it stores.
- Parsability - By humans and machines, to ensure content can be understood in the absence of the original software.
- Robustness - Against errors, corruption (accidental or deliberate), and migration between storage technologies.
- Versioning - Repositories can make changes to objects but their history persists - to allow referential integrity and recoverability.
- Storage diversity - Content can be stored on diverse storage infrastructures including cloud object stores.
- Efficiency - Many design decisions are made with a view to computational, bandwidth and storage efficiency in the light of real world experience.
The OCFL website at https://ocfl.io, includes the most up to date version of the specification and the implementation notes as well as the latest editors draft.
The OCFL Specification defines both OCFL Objects, a simple structure for content and a JSON document (inventory.json) which provides a straightforward but comprehensive register for the object and versions of its content, and an OCFL Storage Root, an arrangement for how OCFL Objects are laid out on physical storage. It also contains examples illustrating the use of the OCFL, and explanations that ground decisions in prior experience.
The companion OCFL Implementation Notes contains advice for implementing the specification including recommendations for digital preservation, storage handling, client behaviors, and best practices for dealing with OCFL Objects in motion.
The OCFL Editors are also releasing validation rules and fixture objects for testing OCFL implementations against the specification. We welcome your feedback, questions, use cases, and especially details of any implementations or experimentation with OCFL.
The OCFL is managed through Github at https://github.com/OCFL and it is open for anyone to raise issues or add use cases. The OCFL Editors meet twice monthly with Community Meetings once a month detailing progress and giving the opportunity to discuss issues verbally. Details can be found on the OCFL wiki, https://github.com/OCFL/spec/wiki, which also contains links to the Slack channel and mailing lists.
Andrew Hankinson (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Neil Jefferies (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Rosalyn Metz (Emory University)
Julian Morley (Stanford University)
Simeon Warner (Cornell University)
Andrew Woods (LYRASIS)