Set Up WebDAV Storage

In multi-user mode, ELN3 stores file attachments and preview thumbnails on a WebDAV server. This guide covers setting up WebDAV for your team.

How ELN3 Uses WebDAV

• File attachments are uploaded via HTTP PUT with Basic Auth
• Files are organized as files/Projects/<User>/<Project>/<Item>/<File>
• Preview thumbnails are stored under previews/
• When a user opens a file, a local temporary copy is downloaded. Modified files are uploaded back automatically on save.

Option A: Synology NAS

Install WebDAV Server

1. Open DSM > Package Center
2. Search for WebDAV Server and install it
3. Open WebDAV Server from the main menu
4. Enable HTTPS (port 5006) — recommended over HTTP
5. Note the port number

Create a shared folder

1. Go to DSM > Control Panel > Shared Folder
2. Click Create, name it eln3files
3. Optionally hide it from network browsing
4. Do not enable the Recycle Bin — ELN3 manages its own deletions

Create a dedicated user

1. Go to DSM > Control Panel > User & Group
2. Click Create, name the user eln3webdav
3. Set a strong password
4. On the Permissions tab, grant Read/Write access to eln3files
5. Deny access to all other shared folders
6. On the Applications tab, ensure WebDAV Server is allowed

ELN3 connection settings

Important: Include the trailing slash in the URL. ELN3 appends relative paths directly to the base URL.

Option B: Apache with mod_dav

On a Linux server with Apache:

sudo a2enmod dav dav_fs
sudo mkdir -p /var/eln3files
sudo chown www-data:www-data /var/eln3files

Add to your Apache site configuration:

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName eln3.lab.local
    DocumentRoot /var/eln3files

    DavLockDB /var/lock/apache2/DAVLock

    <Directory /var/eln3files>
        Dav On
        AuthType Basic
        AuthName "ELN3 Files"
        AuthUserFile /etc/apache2/eln3.htpasswd
        Require valid-user
    </Directory>

    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /path/to/cert.pem
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/key.pem
</VirtualHost>

Create the WebDAV user:

sudo htpasswd -c /etc/apache2/eln3.htpasswd eln3webdav

Option C: IIS on Windows Server

1. Open Server Manager > Add Roles and Features
2. Under Web Server (IIS) > Common HTTP Features, enable WebDAV Publishing
3. Create a folder (e.g., C:\ELN3Files) and grant IIS_IUSRS full control
4. In IIS Manager, add a virtual directory pointing to the folder
5. Enable WebDAV Authoring Rules and add an Allow rule for the ELN3 user
6. Enable Basic Authentication under Authentication

Verify the Setup

Test WebDAV access from a browser or command line:

curl -u eln3webdav:password https://<server>:5006/eln3files/

You should get a directory listing or a 200/207 response (not 401 or 404).

Firewall

Allow the WebDAV port (5006 for Synology, 443 for Apache/IIS) from your LAN subnet. Do not expose to the internet without a VPN.

Backup

Back up the WebDAV file storage folder regularly:

Next Steps

• Set Up Multi-User Mode — connect ELN3 to MySQL and WebDAV